Stampeders Favored to Win Grey Cup

Canadian football League teams opened training camp on Sunday, as the start of the regular CFL season takes place June 22. Compared to the NFL it’s still a small-market league with a salary cap of $5.15 million. That’s less than a number of NFL players make. The league minimum salary is $53,000.

Vince Young is trying to latch on with Saskatchewan. but it’s not going to be easy for the All-Pro who is now 34 years old. Still, he has a better chance there than returning to the NFL.

The Calgary Stampeders enter the season as the +350 favorite to win the Grey Cup, the equivalent of the Super Bowl. British Columbia is next at +450, followed by Edmonton at +550.

After that things begin to tighten up, as Hamilton and Ottawa are both 7-to-1 and Montreal is +750. Saskatchewan is +800, Winnipeg is +850 and Toronto is +1200.

Montreal brought in Darian Durant to play quarterback and the Alouettes are interesting at their odds. They play decent defense, but had some quarterback issues last year. Adams took over for four games and showed promise. That made the move for Durant a bit surprising. But Adams has still played just four games in the CFL.

Calgary was likely the best team last year but were upset in the Grey Cup and have something to prove. So does Toronto, but it’s unlikely they will be able to make such a big move in the standings.

The CFL is a bit more to most American’s liking than Arena Football, as the game looks similar to the football they are familiar. There are definitely some differences in field size, players on the field and number of downs, but it’s still football in the basic sense. none of this hockey arena stuff. Plus a number of the games are televisied, which leads to more betting interest.