For our brothers to the North:

Canadian Bacon
(Last Week 3-1, season 29-23)
Monday, October 12
Calgary Stampeders at Montreal Alouettes (-6, 51.5)

Will this be a preview of the next Grey Cup? It could very well be. The Alouettes will most likely play without RB Avon Cobourne (groin injury) but their running game should still be potent with backup Brendan Whittaker. Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo and Calgary’s Henry Burris are two of the best quarterbacks in the game. Both can throw to some of the best wide receivers in the business. But Burris has been a disappointment in his last three outings, with a QB rating of only 57.1. Calgary won a narrow 15-14 win against Hamilton last week without scoring a touchdown – the first since 1995. It will be tough for Burris to rebound against the tightest defence in the CFL. The last time these two teams met, the Alouettes won 40-27 in the season opener in Calgary. Despite Cobourne’s absence, the Als, at home, should once again prevail.

Pick: Montreal -6

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Hamilton Tiger Cats (-6, 47)

Veteran QB Kevin Glenn would sure like to face the team that rejected him after last season. But Quinton Porter is the No. 1 QB in Hamilton and, despite Glenn’s displeasure with that situation, nothing gives the impression that coach Marcel Bellefeuille has changed his mind. The Tiger Cats, after pulling a few upsets, have lost three of their last four games. This will be a game with much at stake. With a third win in a row, the Bombers would rise to second place in the East, tied with the Tiger Cats. These two teams will meet again on November 8 in the last game of the regular season. The Bombers have made peace with veteran linebacker Barrin Simpson, who returned to the practice field Wednesday but it is still unclear whether he will play or not on this Thanksgiving game. But the Bombers will be in need of a middle linebacker after Joe Lobendahn was injured last week against the Eskimos and I would be surprised if Simpson didn’t play Monday. Wide Receiver Terrence Edward, who missed the last two games due to a concussion, could also be back in the lineup. Import DE Gavin Walls missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury and may miss the game. Last time these two met in Hamilton, The Tiger Cats won 25-13. Expect a similar result.

Pick: Hamilton -6