Game of Throws: Grey Cup favourites trending In opposite directions entering CFL Week 4

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have made a Grey Cup trip an annual tradition.

They’ve become the CFL’s ultimate plus-one with five straight trips to the biggest game of the year.

After winning the Grey Cup in back-to-back seasons, the Blue Bombers have come up just short in each of their last three trips to the CFL’s championship game.

The goal is to turn back the clock and take home some hardware this season.

Winnipeg is certainly off to a good start in 2025.

The Blue Bombers opened with back-to-back wins and covers against the rival BC Lions in their first two games.

Winnipeg opened the season at +380 to win the Grey Cup as a co-favourite with the Toronto Argonauts at FanDuel.

The top choices to win it all have trended in opposite directions out of the gates.

While the Bombers are 2-0 straight up and against the spread, the Argonauts have lost three in a row, failing to cover the closing number at FanDuel in all three losses.

Toronto’s odds to repeat as Grey Cup champions have ballooned from +380 to +600 as the fourth choice on the board at FanDuel.

The Argonauts are 0-3 straight up and against the spread.

The three teams ahead of them in FanDuel’s Grey Cup winner market are a combined 8-0 SU and ATS.

The East Division rival Montreal Alouettes have emerged as the Grey Cup favourite following a perfect 3-0 start.

Montreal’s odds to win the Grey Cup have been cut from +460 to +270 at FanDuel since the CFL season started.

Davis Alexander is the favourite to win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award at +600.

Alexander was +1000 to win that award pre-season.

Next up for the Alouettes, a trip to the Hammer to face the winless Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 4.

Montreal opened -1.5 at FanDuel.

That number has already ticked up to Alouettes -2.5.

Montreal and Winnipeg aren’t the only CFL teams off to hot starts.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are 3-0 straight up and against the spread following an impressive 39-23 win in Toronto on Friday Night Football.

The Riders have covered as the betting favourite in wins over the Argonauts, Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.

Saskatchewan’s odds to win the Grey Cup have been cut from +500 to +360 following the perfect start.

In addition to the Riders and Bombers having identical odds to win the Grey Cup, Trevor Harris and Zach Collaros are both +650 to win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.

Saskatchewan will face a West Division opponent for the first time this season as a 5.5-point favourite against the visiting Lions on Saturday.

Winnipeg is a 10.5-point favourite against the visiting Edmonton Elks.

With the top three teams in the CFL all favoured to win again in Week 4, there’s a very realistic possibility that the Alouettes, Riders, and Bombers are a combined 11-0 heading into Week 5.

In that scenario, the Elks and Tiger-Cats would be a combined 0-6.

If the Redbacks beat the Argonauts as a 2.5-point favourite on Sunday, the bottom three teams in the CFL would be a combined 0-10 through the first four weeks.

Can one of BC, Ottawa, or Calgary surprise this season?

All three teams are 10-to-1 or longer to win the Grey Cup.

While there’s still plenty of football left to play, there’s no doubt that the Alouettes, Bombers, and Riders have emerged as the CFL’s legitimate Grey Cup contenders.

Whether or not the Argonauts or Lions can bounce back this week will be an interesting storyline to monitor as the two biggest disappointments out of the gates.

The first match-up between two of the top three choices to win the Grey Cup isn’t until Sunday August 2nd, when Montreal will host Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg will host Toronto in a Grey Cup rematch on Friday Night Football that same week.

If all four teams remain on their current trajectory, it will be Alouettes versus Riders that’s circled as the potential Grey Cup preview in Week 9.