If you’re an American, and you’re holding on for dear life waiting for football to start, don’t worry. The summer is officially upon us as the 2024 CFL season kicks off on Thursday night.
The reigning CFL Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes fly to Winnipeg for an early Grey Cup rematch to start what should be a phenomenal opening weekend.
If you’re new to the CFL, a casual or diehard fan, Total Apex Sports is your one-stop shop for simple week-by-week updates. Total Apex Bets will have you covered every week so we can plan and make a little Christmas money. The season ends in December, so we’ll need it!
Let’s dive into every team, and tell you what you need to know.
Starting with the CFL Champs: Montreal Alouettes
2023: 11-7
2024 Over/Under: 10.5
In 2023, many projected Montreal to be last in the CFL, or pretty darn close. Then, they finished second in the East and beat Hamilton in the Semi-Finals. That’s not a bizarre year by CFL standards. However, they shocked the country by beating Toronto (16-2) and Winnipeg (14-4) and bringing the Grey Cup back to Quebec.
The Alouettes kept the majority of the band together. Stanback, Mack, and Uguak all went to the NFL and Shawn Lemon has been suspended for gambling. Lemon is eligible to play since he has filed for an appeal.
Their defense and special teams are where the majority of the wins came from last year, and I expect that to be the same in 2024.
Cody Fajardo is a pretty steady QB and leads a pretty conservative, low-risk attack. Teven Jones played with the QB back in 2022 and will rejoin him in Montreal this year.
This is the classic “Did they overachieve or can they repeat?” argument. We’ll find out when the snow falls, but I am leaning slightly under the projected number.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2023: 14-4
2024 Over/Under: 12.5
If you’re new to Canadian football, and you’re getting to know the league, think of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the Kansas City Chiefs of the CFL. They have the best QB in the league, all they do is win, and their home field is always a clear-cut advantage.
The Bombers have made it to four straight Grey Cup Finals, winning the first two, and losing the last two. Not only have they made it to four straight championship games, but they’ve won the West each of the last four years as well.
In the last four seasons, (one season shortened due to COVID-19), Winnipeg is 31-3 at home, which is a historically dominant number for the CFL.
They haven’t changed a ton in the offseason. A couple of players on the O-line left to free agency or retirement, but by and large, this is the same group that has been dominating the last half-decade.
Yet, the team is older now. Despite winning 14 games just last year, all good things have to come to an end at some point. Even if they regress to 12 wins, they are still in the playoffs comfortably. I may look like a fool by Thanksgiving, but I will take the under.
British Columbia Lions
2023: 12-6
2024 Over/Under: 11.5
The BC Lions are the pick of many to win the Grey Cup this year. They’ve been on the rise for the last couple of years, posting two straight 12-6 seasons.
The Lions signed former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Travis Fulgham this winter, and Two-time all-star Stanback to help this already electric offense.
The question in BC isn’t about talent or potential, because they have both. After two 12-6 seasons, can they finally get over the hump and get the job done?
They host this year’s Grey Cup and have high hopes to end the 12-year drought.
Edmonton Elks
2023: 4-14
2024 Over/Under: 7.5
The Edmonton Elks have been a complete disaster for the last number of years. That’s just the truth. They’ve been 4-14 for the last two seasons, leaving the city wanting much, much more.
So why is there o/u 7.5?
There’s no question that Tre Ford is the QB of the future. However, signing veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson adds some stability, championship pedigree, and an immediate upside that they’ve been lacking for a few seasons. Giving Tre Ford the season as a backup to grow under MLB should be great not just for this year, but for years to come.
The hardest part about betting the over doesn’t have a lot to do with the Elks. It has more to do with how good the rest of the West is. This is a stay-away for me, but I don’t hate betting the over.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
2023: 6-12
2024 Over/Under: 7.5
The back-to-back them continues as the Roughriders have also had the same record the last two seasons, at 6-12.
Saskatchewan is a proud football market, and their team has been underachieving for years now.
Former Argonauts DC Corey Mace is the new head coach, and former Argos RB, A.J. Ouellette, is their new number one RB. Carney and Thurman were other off-season additions to bolster the defense.
After a potential career-ending injury last year, QB Trevor Harris is back, and if he’s healthy, they will easily clear the 7.5 total.
Hamilton Tigercats
2023: 8-10
2024 Over/Under: 8.5
The Ti-Cats might be the biggest mystery of any team in the CFL. To me, anyway.
Scott Milanovich is the new head coach, Barlow, Hendrix, and Peters all signed with the team, and Bo Levi Mitchell is back as the team’s QB. So, lots of things change, some things stay the same.
In sports, the middle is one of the worst places to be. That seems to be exactly where Hamilton is. If you make into the playoffs, anything can happen, but even with the excellent additions to the defense, the team needs to be a lot better, and it starts with Mitchell.
Unfortunately for the Hammer, I’m taking the under. Ottawa is going to be better, Montreal and Toronto are both already good, and I think it’s going to be too much.
Ottawa Redblacks
2023: 4-14
2024 Over/Under: 6.5
For Ottawa, much like the Elks in the West, you can only go up from here.
Following a 4-14 season where they allowed the most points in the East and had the worst road record in the CFL, you would have to think that any change is a good change.
Dru Brown is the new starting QB for the Redblacks, after three years as the backup in Winnipeg. His starting experience is limited, but being groomed in a championship program like that can do nothing but help. He has 1,484 yards, 14 TDs, and 2 INTs, in that time.
It does feel like there’s a new leaf turned in the nation’s capital. Second overall pick, Nick Mardner, was a star in college and looks to make an immediate impact.
It’s going to be a close call, but I’m leaning slightly over here. The Ti-Cats are a mystery, and Toronto doesn’t have their QB for half the season. Maybe Ottawa can steal a couple of wins.
Calgary Stampeders
2023: 6-12
2024 Over/Under: 6.5
The Calgary Stampeders are the spoiled child of the CFL. Yeah, they barely made the playoffs last year, yeah they’re sliding down while the rest of the West is rising up. But, they’ve made it to the playoffs 18 years in a row, and no one in Canada isn’t crying for the football team from Cow-Town.
The defense in Calgary is in good shape, and they’re going to need them to be dominant if there’s any shot of a 19th straight playoff appearance.
Star-receiver Malik Henry suffered a season-ending knee injury, and QB Jake Maier is coming off an extremely mediocre 2023 season.
Edmonton is better, Saskatchewan is better, and the Bombers and Lions are always good. It’s going to be hard for the Stampeders to get over that number. I’m taking the under.
Toronto Argonauts
2023: 16-2
2024 Over/Under: 9.5
Again, if you’re new to the CFL and you see last years record up against this years win total projections, you’re probably scratching your head pretty hard.
Chad Kelly, Argos QB, was last year’s Most Outstanding Player. He led the Argos to a Grey Cup win two seasons ago, 16 wins last year, and a perfect 9-0 record. Yeah, he fell flat on his face in the playoffs, but he had an incredible year. Oh yeah, he’s also suspended for nine games due to a suspension. That’s one big reason why the books are disrespecting the Argos so heavily.
Cameron Dukes will have the starting job heading into Week 1, while veteran Nick Arbuckle will be the trusted backup behind him.
Their defense was spectacular last year, so you’d love to think, with all the offensive uncertainty, they could lean on their D-core this season. The problem is that they lost nine players to free agency, the majority of which were on defense. They also lost their DC.
Even with all of this turmoil, I’m taking the over. If they are 5-4 or 4-5, around there, when Kelly comes back, they still only have to win 5 or 6 more games to hit the over. Even with all the pieces gone, they are still a very good football team with high hopes.
For More Sports News:
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
About The Author
Marc Sautter is a self-proclaimed sports addict, with the NHL being his specialty. After being a sports fan from afar, Marc made a career change in his 30s to cover sports through journalism and podcasting. His daily NHL preview and betting show “Pucks Across Borders” airs every weekday morning. In addition to hockey, you can read his work on the CFL all summer on Total Apex Sports.
