Weekly Predictor: Who wins on Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend?
Jamie Nye
Jon Blacker/CFL.ca
Three weeks remain in the regular season and the West Division is going to be WILD!
Four teams are separated by two wins and there are three playoff spots on the line. Right now, Edmonton is the only team that knows they’re in the playoffs, while the other teams can finish anywhere from second to fifth, which means hosting a playoff game or missing the playoffs entirely.
The Lions and Roughriders have the wild scenario with three weeks left that could leave them in first or fifth in the Division.
On the East Division side, it’s that point in the season where I wish I knew what the coaches were thinking for those teams that have clinched a playoff spot and those teams who have been eliminated.
What are the coaches going to do with their rosters down The Final Stretch? At least you all have until game time to make your picks, us writers have to get them in early and wager a guess on what’s going to happen.
Here are my picks ahead of Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend.
EDMONTON AT HAMILTON
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 7:00 P.M. ET TSN, RDS2, CFL+
The Tiger-Cats went to Edmonton a few weeks ago and took the Elks all the way to a two-point shootout in overtime.
Edmonton barely squeezed by with Vincent Blanchard’s record-breaking nine field goal performance. But that was the night the Tiger-Cats were eliminated from the playoffs and they’ll have a lot less to play for at home against Edmonton.
The Elks are coming off their final bye week of the season. The Elks are 2-0 this season coming off a bye week, including that impressive win over Montreal early in the season.
Edmonton may have needed the week off to reset. I’ll be honest, there have been a lot more uninspiring quarters of football from the Elks recently than earlier in the year.
The good news for the Tiger-Cats is Harrison Frost is looking more and more comfortable running the offence as the season comes to a close. There could be a bright future in the league for Frost, albeit as Bo Levi Mitchell’s backup in 2027.
PICK: EDMONTON
OTTAWA AT BC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 10:00 P.M. ET TSN, CFL+
I’ve picked Ottawa to win for three of the last four weeks.
It’s cost me a giant lead in the CFL Pick ‘Em challenge against my fellow writers.
This will not be the week Ottawa ends the streak. BC is the best team in the league right now and has a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win and keep their chance at getting first place alive.
After only scoring eight field goals in Week 18 and not finding the end zone, home cooking is what the Lions need. The only hesitation I have is whether or not there will be a mental letdown with an 0-15 team coming into BC Place.
But it’s a very, very small hesitation.
PICK: BC
CALGARY AT WINNIPEG
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 7:00 P.M. ET TSN, CFL+
THE GAME OF THE WEEK!
Calgary can clinch a playoff spot with a win.
Winnipeg is desperate to get back into a playoff spot.
The game is also for the tiebreaker in the season series, which is why Calgary can clinch a spot with a win.
This is a game you need to pull out all the stops and I can’t imagine how intense Saturday will be in Winnipeg. The stadium will be buzzing and it may just be a question of which quarterback hits the field for the Bombers. Though Zach Collaros is on the six-game injured list, he could clear protocol at any moment.
If you’re picking this game based on recent play, you’re going with the Calgary Stampeders.
I’m going to keep in mind that the Bombers just came off games against the Argonauts and the Alouettes, while the Stamps are coming off three-straight games against Ottawa and a struggling Roughriders team.
I had all the intention of picking Calgary this week, but my gut is telling me to go with the Bombers.
PICK: WINNIPEG
SASKATCHEWAN AT MONTREAL
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 1:00 P.M. ET TSN, RDS, CBSSN, CFL+
The 112th Grey Cup Rematch is finally here!
We’ve been waiting a long time for this and we get it in back-to-back weeks with Montreal travelling to Saskatchewan in Week 20.
I expect a few Montreal starters to get rested here and there, but not enough to swing my pick to the Riders in this game. I think Jason Maas will choose the away game on the short week to sit Davis Alexander for some extra rest ahead of the playoffs. (At least that’s what I would be doing.)
The Alouettes have not lost at home this season and I don’t expect them to this week.
The Roughriders appear to be in a fog in all three phases of the game and can’t find the big plays when they need them, like they did all of the 2025 season.
Sure, the Alouettes could have an emotional letdown with first place locked up but not this week at home against the team that celebrated a championship while you looked on.