The CFL is famous for its unpredictability. Season to season, no matter how well you prepare your bets, a player or match always throws you off balance. TSN Football’s Dave Naylor calls it the “magic and uniqueness” of the CFL. Sometimes, the league is so unpredictable that it catches even the most experienced bookies off guard. Here are four times that’s happened:
2016 Grey Cup
Widely considered the greatest upsets in CFL history, the 2016 Grey Cup final was a match out of left field. It had been a poor season for the East, and the Redblacks, with an 8-9-1 losing record, were only in the finals because the Calgary Stampeders couldn’t play against themselves. Everyone knew it was a sure thing. Fans had bought their tickets and download Betway app in anticipation of the Stampeder’s win. The Stampeders were heavy favorites, with all bookies placing the odds for them to win. However, in what became the third game to go into overtime, the Redblacks pulled an upset and beat the undisputed champions 39-33.
1981 Grey Cup
52,487 fans showed up to watch the 1981 Grey Cup finals, and everyone expected the Edmonton Eskimos to sail through unopposed. Bookmakers had the Ottawa Rough Riders as 22.5-point underdogs. The Riders had the worst record of all Grey Cup finalists, with a 5-11 losing streak. And while the Eskimos did win the match, they didn’t win with as significant a margin or as easy a time as sportsbooks had predicted. The Riders came within three seconds of beating their more impressive opponents and pulling what would have been the biggest upset in CFL history. The game ended in a close, 26-23 in favor of the Eskimos.
2001 Grey Cup
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers‘ loss in 2001 was both sad and unforeseen. What makes it hard to believe is that the Bombers had arguably the best team in CFL history that year, and their opponents, the Calgary Stampeders, had the worst. That season, the Bombers had to their name seven league all-stars, 14 wins, five awards, and CFL legend Milt Stegall. Despite all this, they lost 27-19 to the Stampeders, who’d had a pathetic season that ended with a 9-9 record.
2023 East Final
In a more recent upset, the Montreal Alouettes came from nowhere and tore to shreds the Toronto Argonauts, who had promised a stellar end to a stellar season. The Argonauts spent the entirety of that year’s season in beast mode, tying for the CFL record at 16-2. They’d beaten the Alouettes three times in the regular season, and all major sportsbooks like Betway had them as the undisputed favorites. However, in a scene straight out of a movie, the Alouettes forced 9 turnovers from the Argonauts and shocked the entire world with a 38-17 win.
Wrapping up: Betting on the CFL
The twists, turns, injuries, and surprise decisions that make the CFL unpredictable are also what makes it fun to bet on. Once you accept that you can never fully predict the league, it becomes easy to ride the waves of the teams and players. One place you don’t need unpredictability, however, is with your sportsbook. Find a provider like Betway that you can rely on for accurate odds, safe connections, and up-to-date stats. This should add some stability to your CFL betting.