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Posted at 12:15 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Saskatchewan -2½ over Winnipeg

7:00 PM EST. There are a lot of moving parts here, not least of which is the opposite direction these two teams are traveling heading into this Labour Day Classic in Regina. First up are the visiting Blue Bombers, who, after an 0-4 start, are now 5-6, which puts them just a half-game back of the Roughriders for second in the West Division and one game behind B.C. for first, although the Bombers have now beaten the Lions twice during their three-game winning streak. That might sound impressive, but it’s worth noting that the Lions are reeling, having lost five of six. The Bombers' other win during this modest streak was last week’s 26-23 win over 2-9 Hamilton in a game where Winnipeg was favored by double digits.

Much has been made about the Blue Bombers' defense over their last three games, but again, those stingy numbers do not tell the whole story. One of those games was a shutout of the Lions, where former starting QB Vernon Adams Jr. was obviously not right (he’s since been shut down), and another was an 11-point effort in the game where the Lions welcomed back Nathan Rourke from a whirlwind tour of three NFL training camps. Dude had barely touched down in Vancouver before the Leos sent him to the wolves against the Blue Bomber D. Last week was much less impressive, with the Bombers trailing the Tabbies 23-19 with less than two minutes to play. Winnipeg would win that game on a touchdown pass from Zach Collaros to Kenny Lawler with just 19 seconds to go.

On the other side of this equation are the Roughriders, who are winless in five games, having gone 0-4-1 across that stretch after they had a hot 5-1 start to the season. The Riders are now 5-5-1 and are a half-game back of first in the West, but you wouldn’t know that by the mood in the Queen City. Even with Trevor Harris back in the fold, the mood in Rider Nation is not a positive one, nor is the current market perception of this team. We get it; we backed the Roughies last time out in Toronto, where they took a 13-0 lead before giving it all back and losing the game on a missed field goal that counted for a single. It was a pathetic way to lose a ball game, and the Riders have had that stink on them for two weeks, as they had a bye last week.

The line in this game is very telling, as the oddsmakers did not have to make Saskatchewan the chalk here, but they did. When these two teams played in Regina back in the middle of July, the Bombers were a -5-point road favorite. They would lose that game but win three of their next four, while Sasky has not won a game since. Yet, the Roughriders are favored today. Why? It can’t just be the return of Trevor Harris because he’s been back for two games now, and the Roughies lost them both. This number stands out like a sore thumb, but we aren’t going to ignore what the books are telling us. The play here is the Roughriders or nothing. Swallow the points.

Sherwood

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