The Calgary Stampeders seek their fourth consecutive victory when they open Week 8 of the 2025 CFL season by hosting the Montreal Alouettes at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday at McMahon Stadium.
Calgary (5-1) used its bye to recover from its first loss of the season, a 20-12 setback against the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 3, and sandwiched a pair of victories over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers around a triumph over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Thanks to that win, the Stampeders are ranked atop the West Division, ahead of the Roughriders (5-1).
The Alouettes (4-2) avoided a three-game losing streak and kept pace with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-2) in the East Division by edging the Toronto Argonauts 26-25 last week. Hamilton owns the top spot in the division by virtue of its Week 4 victory over Montreal, which has gone 3-0-1 against Calgary since losing their showdown in the 2022 season opener.
Week 8 continues Friday as the visiting Edmonton Elks (1-4) square off against Saskatchewan at 9 p.m. ET at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The Roughriders, who won two of their three meetings with the Elks last year, bounced back from their first loss of 2025 with a 33-27 triumph over the BC Lions last weekend. Edmonton is coming off its second bye of the season and looking for its first road win after losing its first two away games.
Two teams hoping to get back in the win column collide on Saturday, when Winnipeg (3-2) travels to BMO Field to take on Toronto (1-5) at 7 p.m. ET. The Blue Bombers and Argonauts both have lost back-to-back contests, with both of the former’s setbacks coming against Calgary and the latter falling to Hamilton and Montreal. Toronto, which is 0-3 at home, won both matchups versus Winnipeg last season.
The week concludes Sunday with a battle between the Tiger-Cats and Lions (3-4) at 7 p.m. ET at BC Place in Vancouver. Hamilton opened the season with a pair of losses but has followed its first bye of the year with four consecutive victories, with the last two coming against Ottawa. The Lions’ bid for a three-game winning streak was thwarted by Saskatchewan last week. The teams split their two meetings in 2024, with BC posting a 44-28 win in Hamilton before losing 32-29 at home in double overtime.
Calgary is a 6.5-point favorite against Montreal at FanDuel Sportsbook, while Edmonton is a 9.5-point underdog versus Saskatchewan. Winnipeg is favored by 5.5 points in its matchup with Toronto, and BC is -3 against Hamilton.
SportsLine football expert Emory Hunt is 17-10 on his CFL picks this year and has revealed his selections for Week 8 of the 2025 CFL season, including against-the-spread predictions and leans on the total of every game.
Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and knows the game from a player’s perspective. Hunt’s dedication to analysis of all levels of professional football helped him crush the CFL, XFL, and USFL in 2023, posting a combined ATS record of 98-73 in his SportsLine articles.
Montreal Alouettes at Calgary Stampeders (Thursday, 9 p.m. ET)
Pick: Calgary -6.5
Lean: Over 49.5
With starting quarterback Davis Alexander being on the six-game injured list with a hamstring injury, it puts a damper on Montreal’s offensive potential and the overall progress of the team. It’s not the best time for the Alouettes to be anything but their best offensively, as they face a red-hot Stampeders team. Expect this contest to get out of hand quickly.
Edmonton Elks at Saskatchewan Roughriders (Friday, 9 p.m. ET)
Pick: Saskatchewan -9.5
Lean: Under 53.5
There already is talk of the Elks leaning toward a switch at quarterback, which isn’t what you’d expect from a team that made a commitment to Tre Ford at the start of the season. Maybe this is the game in which he can put it all together and stave off the potential benching. But I don’t think Saskatchewan is the particular opponent you want to face in a high-stakes, desperate situation.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Toronto Argonauts (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET)
Pick: Winnipeg -5.5
Lean: Over 52.5
As long as they’re not facing the Calgary Stampeders, I can trust the Blue Bombers to play the type of football they have over the last three seasons. Toronto still is hoping they can get quarterback Chad Kelly, who hasn’t played since fracturing his leg in the playoffs last year, on the field. The Argonauts aren’t openly supporting Nick Arbuckle by doing so, and it’ll prove to be a justified hope against Winnipeg.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at BC Lions (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET)
Pick: Hamilton +3
Lean: Under 55.5
I really like how the Tiger-Cats are playing this season. They have good depth and balance on offense and are very opportunistic on defense. It’s easier to trust a team that’s playing consistently well in all three facets of the game. It’s that trust that leads me to believe Hamilton is going to take care of business on the road against the Lions.
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Author: Scott Erskine
July 24, 2025 | 11:11 am
