Tomorrow is already August. As a teacher, that’s the most horrifying thought I’ve had in months. While summer camp winds down forever for me, I do, fortunately still have another month of vacation remaining. It’s time to make the most of it while I can. I’ll be leaving tomorrow for the East Coast, and then ten days after that for the West. Time to put my feet in both oceans. Does a travel schedule across Canada like that qualify me for a CFL roster spot somewhere?

In league news this week:

• Sex Pest Chad Kelly has been returned to the 6-game injured list for the Argos as his rehab from last year’s broken leg in the East Final continues to not go smoothly for him. Again, any and all thoughts of karma coming back around must be kept solely within the confines of your own mind and never expressed out loud nor in writing.
• Hamilton DB DaShaun Amos received the maximum allowable fine after his vicious spearing penalty on REDBLACKS QB Dru Brown back in Week 7; Brown is fortunately returning to action this week following Ottawa’s bye and says he has no hard feelings towards Amos whatsoever.
• Ottawa’s starting centre Peter Godber will finally make his REDBLACKS debut this week after getting injured during training camp back in May; the team will definitely need him to provide some stability for their patchwork O-line.

Onto the games!

WEEK 8 RECAPS

Montreal 23 vs. Calgary 21: It was a gritty fourth-quarter win for the Als, who were without Davis Alexander, and will be for a while; McLeod Bethel-Thompson did enough to help out Montreal under centre, throwing for 280 yards and a TD, but it was kicker Jose Maltos who played hero, kicking three field goals in the final frame to pull ahead and seal the deal. Not only did the Stamps lose the game, but they’ve also lost QB Vernon Adams, Jr. to an apparent head injury, as well as WRs Jaylen Philpot & Damien Alford, and DB Adrian Greene. The Stamps remain a good team, but the injuries are now starting to pile up…

PICK: Calgary

RESULT: Montreal

Edmonton 18 vs. Saskatchewan 21: The Riders overcame a slow start to the game and took control in the second quarter; their D kicked in a season-high eight sacks while QB Trevor Harris was exceptionally efficient once again, going 25-33 for 268 yards and two TDs. Edmonton elected to start Cody Fajardo over Tre Ford for this game, and the former Montreal starter responded with 346 pass yards and two TDs on 26-33 passing, but got absolutely clobbered all game long. Not a horrific game from the Elks despite the blown early lead but disappointing for them all the same; back to the drawing board on their pass protection schemes it seems.

PICK: Saskatchewan

RESULT: Saskatchewan

Winnipeg 17 vs. Toronto 31: In a rematch of the 2024 Grey Cup, the Argos got their first win in a while – and their first home victory of 2025 – standing tall at BMO Field thanks to a steady game from Nick Arbuckle, who did not throw an interception for the first time this year. His 316 yards and two TDs helped the offense move the ball well against a Bombers’ D that is looking older and slower than years past. Zach Collaros was pulled after throwing two interceptions in the first half – he’s still clearly hampered by a neck injury suffered a few weeks ago against Calgary – and Chris Streveler fared a little better, protecting the ball and throwing for 148 yards and a TD, but Winnipeg has now slid to the .500 mark after their third consecutive loss. A rematch with the Argos looms this week.

PICK: Toronto

RESULT: Toronto

Hamilton 37 vs. BC 33: The game itself was good, sure – but have you seen the viral interception from Lions DB Robert Carter, Jr.?

That is just straight up unbelievable stuff. Anyways, as cool as the catch was, it wasn’t enough to keep the Lions from losing at home, unfortunately. Carter even forced a fumble before he made this pick later, and that fumble recovery turned itself into six points when the Lions scored an early TD off a James Butler rush. The Lions and Ti-Cats each scored a bunch throughout the game, but Hamilton had a big fourth quarter, where they successfully battled back to steal the lead late and win off a Bo Levi Mitchell TD pass to Kiondre Smith – his second of the evening.

PICK: Hamilton

RESULT: Hamilton

BYE: Ottawa (1-6)

WEEK 9 PREVIEWS

Calgary (5-2) vs. Ottawa (1-6), Thursday, July 31st, 7:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): With Big Play VA on the shelf this week, longtime NFL journeyman PJ Walker will finally get his first career CFL start after signing late in the 2024 season with Calgary. With two key receivers and their best DB similarly unavailable, they’re likely going to look a little different than what we saw in convincing wins over Saskatchewan and Winnipeg; while Ottawa did technically beat them way back in Week 3 – their one and only victory of the season – but in a wild, windy, rainy Calgary evening, I’m not sure it’s a true representation of either team’s true status. The Stamps are banged up, to be fair, but the REDBLACKS have just underachieved all year long. As least they’ll have Dru Brown back to sling the rock after he took a wicked headshot in Week 7 against Hamilton.

PICK: Calgary

Toronto (2-5) vs. Winnipeg (3-5), Friday, August 1st, 8:30 PM EDT (TSN, CFL+): Toronto absolutely commanded last week’s game – and with Zach Collaros a no-go for Winnipeg this week, I would unfortunately expect more of the same. If the Argos can sweep this back-to-back they have a chance at starting to squeeze Ottawa out of contention for that third and final playoff spot in the East. It’s true that we’re not yet halfway through the season, but Toronto may be on the precipice of figuring a few things out on how to win over the next little while, particularly now that it appears that Sex Pest Chad Kelly’s return is no longer imminent like many of us thought it was.

PICK: Toronto

Hamilton (5-2) vs. Edmonton (1-5), Saturday, August 2nd, 3:00 PM EDT (TSN, CTV, CFL+): I think pretty much everyone has Bo Levi Mitchell at the top of their early-season MOP candidates list. Considering his horrendous 2023 season in the Hammer, he’s really come back to silence many haters through this season and last – myself included. No doubt having so many mega-elite receivers helps tremendously, but you still have to get that ball in their hands. The Tabbies will go for six straight this week while Edmonton needs to get something going to get this season turned around. Cody Fajardo played decently last week but didn’t have a lot of O-line help; I’m not sure improved O-line play is going to be enough to allow them to go blow for blow with Hamilton this week.

PICK: Hamilton

Saskatchewan (6-1) vs. Montreal (5-2), Sunday, August 3rd, 7:00 PM EDT (TSN, CBSSN, CFL+): Saskatchewan looks good in all three phases of the game right now – they’re cruising. The biggest priority, besides continuing on with this recipe for success, is making sure Trevor Harris can stay healthy. The Roughriders’ curse these past few years is having a series of inept backups who have caused the offense to fall apart in the second half of the year over the last while. For Montreal, with Davis Alexander still weeks away from returning, they need to just ensure they can simplify the game enough that immobile hulk McLeod Bethel-Thompson has time and space for safe throws. They also need to get the run game going better to balance that lack of pocket maneuverability as well.

PICK: Saskatchewan

BYE: BC (3-5)

STANDINGS AND STATS

East Division Standings

West Division Standings

Passing Yards

1. Mitchell, HAM – 2201
2. Arbuckle, TOR – 2007
3. Adams, Jr., CGY – 1913

Passing TDs

1. Mitchell, HAM – 15
2. Harris, SSK – 11
3. Arbuckle, TOR – 11

Rushing Yards

1. Butler, BC – 619
2. Mills, CGY – 544
3. Ouellette, SSK – 490

Receiving Yards

1. Hatcher, BC – 691
2. Lawler, HAM – 673
3. Coxie, TOR – 587

Defensive Tackles

1. Awe, BC – 64
2. Pickett, OTT – 44
3. Roberts, CGY – 43

Sacks

1. Chatfield, TOR – 5
2. Adeyemi-Berglund, MTL  – 4
3. Hutchings, CGY – 4

Interceptions

1. Greene, CGY – 4
2. Ento, MTL  – 3
3. Peters, HAM – 3

Field Goals

1. Maltos, MTL – 23
2. Ward, OTT – 19
3. Hajrullahu, TOR – 18

PICK POOL

Apparently in the article, I picked Toronto last week, but in the pool, I accidentally picked Winnipeg. Dang. Lost a chance to gain some ground. Interestingly, everyone save for GTD called the Saskatchewan game correctly. We like a near-unanimous decision!

Remember to submit your picks here! https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=243178

Enjoy the games, everyone.