Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers' Week 15 picks

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — There’s been a simple formula for success if you want to be successful in playing CFL Pick ‘Em presented by Old Dutch this year. Rolling consistently with the league’s top-three teams this season — the Toronto Argonauts, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions — has proven to generally be very rewarding.

Week 15’s picks are interesting, then, when you see two of CFL.ca’s top pick makers going against the grain. Jamie Nye leads the pack with a 42-13 record, but sees an upset on the horizon in Hamilton this week, where the Tiger-Cats will be hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The defending West Division champs roll into the annual Canadian Football Hall of Fame game at Tim Hortons Field on the heels of a 51-6 drubbing of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Matt Cauz is tied for second at 38-17. He looked at the 10-1 Argos, winners of four in a row and facing the same Montreal Alouettes team that they handled 39-10 in Week 14, and wondered what if this is an off week for the defending Grey Cup champs? He sees the Als snapping their three-game slide and finally picking up a win against the Double Blue for the first time this year.

From trying to pick an upset to just trying to pick a winner, the writers are divided this week on a very interesting game between the Edmonton Elks and Saskatchewan Roughriders. Overall, we have just one unanimous pick from the writers this week. Let’s get into them.

TOR at MTL

The Argos handled the Als at BMO Field; can they do the same at Molson Stadium in the Week 15 opener? The writers and fans agree on this one. The Argos shift their focus from clinching a playoff spot to the possibility of clinching the East Division this week with another win over the Als. Head coach Jason Maas and his team will look to avoid their fourth consecutive loss as they close out a gauntlet run of games against the Bombers, Lions and this pair of games against the Argos.

PICK

Writers: 83% Toronto

Fans: 90% Toronto

EDM at SSK

The Riders are looking to put an embarrassing loss to the Bombers behind them and will have to deal with an Elks team that (finally) seems to be gaining some momentum in the season. Their most recent blowout loss aside, the Riders had been playing well, claiming wins over BC and Winnipeg. The Elks have emerged from their season-long thaw to win three of their last four and have new life with Tre Ford at QB. The writers are torn on this one, while Rider Nation is confident that their team can handle business at home.

PICK

Writers: 50-50 split

Fans: 70% Saskatchewan

WPG at HAM

Their playoff spot secured, the Bombers now continue the familiar mid-to-late-season push of trying to lock up the West Division. Taylor Powell gets his first look at the revered Bombers’ defence this week. That’s something that inexperienced quarterbacks haven’t fared well against the last few years. CFL.ca’s Jamie Nye remembers what happened when these teams met post-Labour Day rematch in Hamilton; the Bombers were handed their worst loss on the regular season schedule and while he’s not giving us a prediction on the score, he thinks the result will be the same again this year.

PICK

Writers: 83% Winnipeg

Fans: 92% Winnipeg

OTT at BC

The REDBLACKS’ losing streak is now at six games and they’re in tough this week to try to snap it when they travel to BC Place to face a Lions team that’s coming off of a bye week. Vernon Adams Jr. has been on a tear of late, having thrown for 300-plus yards in his last four games. The writers and fans emphatically agree on this one and are taking the rested home team that’s waiting on the west coast for their visitors.

PICK

Writers: 100% BC

Fans: 94% BC

Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers’ Week 15 picks

Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca

CFL.ca Staff

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