Week 14 in the CFL is headlined by the Banjo Bowl between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday. These rivals always face off in Regina for the Labour Day Classic and immediately follow up with a rematch at IG Field in Winnipeg the following week.
Saskatchewan upset Winnipeg as 7-point underdogs last weekend but the Bombers are expected to get revenge at home this time around, with CFL betting odds installing them as 8.5-point favorites. Here are my best free CFL picks and predictions for Roughriders vs. Blue Bombers on September 9.
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers best odds
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers picks and predictions
Last week's Labour Day Classic was a game to remember, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders kicking a field goal with 30 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime. In the extra frame, the Riders punched in a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion. While the Winnipeg Blue Bombers responded with a TD of their own, quarterback Zach Collaros ultimately had his pass tipped on the two-point attempt.
It was another impressive performance by Saskatchewan's Jake Dolegala, who began the season as the third-string QB and has now led the team to back-to-back upset victories. The 26-year-old struggled in his CFL debut last year and looked awful after replacing the injured Mason Fine in Week 10, but he threw for 239 yards and three scores against BC in Week 11 before passing for 326 yards versus Winnipeg.
That said, I'm expecting some regression from Dolegala on the road in this contest. After all, he's surrounded by a subpar group of receivers and Saskatchewan's offensive line has the second-worst pass-blocking grade in the CFL according to Pro Football Focus. The Riders also didn't turn the ball over a single time in the last two games after 25 giveaways through the first nine contests. That's a big outlier, especially against an opportunistic Bombers D that is tied for first in the league with 30 takeaways.
The Bombers might have come up short on Sunday, but that defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for them. This is an experienced and balanced squad on both sides of the ball and they still maintain the second-best Grey Cup odds.
The Bombers are even more dominant at IG Field, where they've gone 34-16-1 against the spread in their last 51 games despite some daunting spreads being placed in front of them. Sure, the Bombers suffered a shocking loss to the Lions at IG earlier this season, but they also won their other five home contests with an average scoring margin of plus-20.8 points per game.
Winnipeg has also won the last three Banjo Bowl games and it hasn't been close with lopsided scores of 35-10, 33-9, and 54-20. Take the Bombers in a bounce-back spot here.
My best bet: Blue Bombers -8.5 (-110 at bet365)
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers spread and Over/Under analysis
This line hasn't seen much movement yet, as the Bombers are currently sitting steady at -8.5 with the O/U ticking down slightly from 48.5 to 48. This will be the third clash between these West Division rivals this season, with the Bombers having defeated the Riders 45-27 at Mosaic Stadium way back in Week 2.
The Bombers have the league's second-best record at 9-3 but have gone just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. That said, four of those ATS losses came on the road (while the other was a 14-point win at home), and they've gone 5-1 ATS in Winnipeg this year. It's also worth mentioning that in one of those ATS losses (a 19-18 win against the Stamps in Week 11), Collaros was sidelined with a neck injury.
Collaros is the two-time reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player and he leads an explosive attack that averages 31.2 ppg and 7.03 yards per play. The Bombers also have an elite offensive line, a gifted group of wide receivers headlined by Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen, and the league's leading rusher in Brady Oliveira (990 yards on 175 carries). With that dominant offense, it's not surprising that the Over is 4-0 in Winnipeg's last four games with Collaros under center.
The Riders have cashed the Over in their last four games and Dolegala has provided a massive spark. However, it will be interesting to see if defenses will be able to game plan better against Dolegala now that they have more tape on him.
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers trend to know
Blue Bombers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss, while the Roughriders are 1-4 ATS in their previous five contests following a win. Find more CFL betting trends for Roughriders vs. Blue Bombers.
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers game info
| Location: | IG Field, Winnipeg, MB |
| Date: | Saturday, September 9, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Roughriders vs Blue Bombers key injuries
Roughriders: Mason Fine QB (Questionable), Jayden Dalke DB (Questionable), Evan Johnson OL (Questionable), Nelson Lokombo DB (Questionable), Rolan Milligan Jr. (Out), Trevor Harris QB (Out), Jerald Hawkins OT (Out).
Blue Bombers: Alden Darby Jr DB (Out), Janarion Grant WR/KR (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
