I mistakenly picked overdog WINterPEG -8.5 over montreal against the spread (ATS) in the Grey Cup. A fitting end to a Canadian Football League (CFL) 2023 season including playoffs over which I finished 35-50-1 against the spread (ATS) = 16-24 road underdogs, 4-5-1 road overdogs, 5-6 home overdogs and 10-15 home underdogs -- my worst year ever by far and my 2nd consecutive losing year. A simple all-overdogs strategy was 48-37-1 this year.
Godiva toy boy and fiance-in-perpetuity Archibald points out that western teams are 247-156-2 straight-up against eastern teams from 2012 through 2023 and 206-194-5 ATS including Grey Cups and other playoff matches. But, in 2023, the east was ahead 18-13-1 ATS and 19-13 straight-up in inter-conference matches.
Are the years of western dominance over? Or was eastern superiority in 2023 a random aberration without any significant meaning?
I am 51% over 13 years picking Canadian Football League (CFL) winners against the spread (ATS) from 2009 on. (Recall that the CFL cancelled their 2020 season, so there have been only 14 seasons from 2009 through 2023.) I have had 5 losing CFL years out of 14. I do not do well enough to make a profit betting CFL games with real money, but every now and then my picks should be good enough to win a small, just-for-fun CFL season-long pool. I trail behind a simple all-underdogs strategy at 52% from 2009-2023. 2023 is the first year since 2014 for CFL underdogs to record a losing year ATS.
Luckily, Arch was too busy with volunteer tasks to maintain his CFL ATS pool, so my picks were just for fun with not much fun had in a losing year for yours truly.
