CFL Week 1 Preview

Week 1 of the 2023 CFL season is set to begin on Thursday, and it should be another great year in this league. There is action taking place for four straight days during the opening weekend, and the league has scheduled some great matchups to get the season rolling. 

Here is a look at each of the Week 1 matchups in the CFL, and a Dunkel pick and prediction for each game is included. 

BC Lions at Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders are 3.5-point betting favorites over the BC Lions in the first game of the 2023 CFL season. These teams met in the division semifinals a season ago, and Calgary will be looking to get some revenge on BC.

Nathan O’Rourke led the BC offense a season ago, and he was terrific in putting up some big numbers. O’Rourke is no longer with BC, and that should give Calgary a pretty big edge in this game. 

The Stampeders are a team that should be loaded on offense, and they are going to put on a show at home. Take Calgary -3.5, as they are able to win this game by more than seven points. 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers enter 2023 looking to be one game better than they were a season ago, as they lost in the finals of the Grey Cup. Winning is a 4.5-point betting favorite to begin the 2023 season as they are set to host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 

Bo Levi Mitchell is going to be making his debut for Hamilton in this game, and he is a player that has won a pair of Grey Cup MVP Awards. That should give the Tiger-Cats a huge boost on offense, but it’s going to take more than that to win this game. 

Take Winnipeg -4.5 as they roll to a win to begin the season. 

Ottawa Redblacks at Montreal Alouettes

The Ottawa Redblacks are hoping to turn things around in a big win in 2023, as they were the worst team in the league a season ago. Ottawa is a slim 1.5-point underdog to begin the season in Montreal to take on the Alouettes.

Jason Maas is set to make his head coaching debut for Montreal, and there are some questions surrounding this team heading into the season. The Alouettes are fortunate to be playing Ottawa in the season opener, and Montreal wins to cover the small spread. 

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Elks

Saskatchewan is the lone road favorite heading into a Week 1 matchup against the Edmonton Elks. The Elks have lost 17 straight games on their home turf, which is a CFL record, and they are going to struggle this season as well.

The Roughriders are going to be debuting Jordan Harris at the quarterback position on Sunday, but he is expected to play pretty well. Edmonton has a great chance to stop the losing streak, but they just don’t have enough offense to get that done to roll to a big win.

Take the 2.5 points and bet on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but the Edmonton Elks are going to snap their losing streak.

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All Media on this page by Associated Press.