Ottawa vs Calgary 2018 Grey Cup Odds & Preview

The Grey Cup is the Canadian Football League’s championship game, a tradition dating back to 1909. The Edmonton Eskimos have the longest winning streak in CFL history (five in a row from 1978 to 1982). One difference between the Grey Cup and the NFL’s Super Bowl is the fact that the Grey Cup is almost always played outside, and given the weather in Canada in late November and early December, things can get messy. In 1950, a player almost drowned in a puddle in what was called the “Mud Bowl”; in 1962, the “Fog Bowl” saw the last minutes get postponed to the next day because of a lack of visibility, and then in 1977, the game was played at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium (which has artificial turf), and the field was frozen over in the “Ice Bowl.” In last year’s contest, there was heavy snow for much of the game. This year, the forecast is for a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and partly cloudy skies, so the elements should not play too much of a role. Calgary will host Ottawa in this year’s matchup, and the biggest news going in has to do with the suspension of Ottawa defensive back Jonathan Rose, who shoved an official at the end of the East final. Can the Stampede win at home? Check out our CFL betting preview for the 2018 Grey Cup.

Ottawa vs Calgary 2018 Grey Cup Odds & Preview

Welcome to the @GreyCupFestival Edmonton! #GreyCup #RoadtotheGreyCup . 📸: @johanyjutras pic.twitter.com/o0wQD5raRG

— CFL (@CFL) November 22, 2018

When: Sunday, November 25, 2018, 6:00pm ET Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Calgary, AB TV: TSN / ESPN2 Radio: TSN Live Stream: WatchESPN 2018 Grey Cup Odds: Ottawa +4, O/U 53.5

Why should you bet on the Redblacks?

Ottawa rolled to a 46-27 defeat of Hamilton in the East final — although Hamilton came into that game with a 9-10 record overall. Quarterback Trevor Harris has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 5,116 yards, 22 scores — and 11 interceptions. His top targets are Brad Sinopoli, Diontae Spencer and Greg Ellingson. The team’s offensive numbers have surged in the run to the Grey Cup, so their defense averaging just 23.5 points permitted per game could stand up in the title game. Ottawa has covered 25 times in their last 34 games away from home and in five of their last six postseason games. They have covered in four straight overall. The only numerical trend going against Ottawa here is the fact that they have taken some beatings against the spread in Calgary historically. If you like Ottawa here, you see them rolling offensively once again and the absence of Rose in their secondary failing to give Calgary the chances that they could use to get the ball down the field.

Why should you put your money on the Stampeders?

Calgary comes into the championship as winners of seven of their last 11. In the West final, they beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by eight. This would be Calgary’s fourth Grey Cup since 2011 and their eighth overall, as quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has thrown for 5,124 yards and 35 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. He has two or more touchdown passes in 14 of his last 24 games. If these numbers seem inflated in comparison to NFL numbers, there are some CFL differences that make passing more common — the 30-yard end zones, the fact that you only have three downs to get 10 yards and the ability for backfield motion to head toward the line of scrimmage instead of just laterally, as in the NFL. On defense, Alex Singleton leads the Stampeders with a stout 123 tackles. Calgary have just covered five times in their last 17 playoff games — and haven’t covered in any of their last four Grey Cups. However, they have covered the spread four times in their last five meetings against Ottawa at home. The Stampeders do have a huge monkey on their back — despite winning four titles since 2011, they have lost the last two titles, coming in as significant favorites and losing both at the last minute. If you like the Stampeders, you see them reverting to the form that saw them beat Ottawa by double figures in both meetings this year.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Even with the absence of Rose, it’s hard for one team to beat another three times in the same season. I see Ottawa staying with this head of steam and taking down Calgary by a final score of 34-27.