Argos should prevail over Tiger-Cats

Postmedia’s Kirk Penton will provide his picks for the week’s CFL matchups every Wednesday. This is the first instalment.

It should be a fantastic evening of football in The Big Smoke as outdoor football returns to the city at BMO Field. The Ticats will be without quarterback Zach Collaros, who is still recovering from last year’s ACL surgery, so Jeremiah Masoli, who beat the Argos in last year’s East semifinal, will start for the Tabbies. He will go up against Ricky Ray, whose throwing shoulder is said to be back to normal after three seasons of mayhem. Argos by 7.

MONTREAL AT WINNIPEG (-3)

The Bombers spent a lot of money in the off-season to be better and they need to kick off the season with a win, because their six games after that are tough. The Alouettes have veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn at the helm and he has always enjoyed beating the Blue and Gold because they were the ones who put him on his nomadic CFL path in 2009. It just won’t happen for him this time around. Bombers by 10.

OTTAWA AT EDMONTON (-6.5)

Want storylines? This puppy’s got storylines. First of all, it’s a Grey Cup rematch. Second, the teams battled all winter long over whether Ottawa should have received compensation for Jason Maas, who left the Redblacks as offensive co-ordinator to become Eskimos head coach (didn’t happen). Third, the Redblacks are still peeved that the Eskimos prevented their log cutting team from performing during the Grey Cup game.

The halftime entertainment for this one should be a mud wrestling match between Len Rhodes and Jeff Hunt. Eskimos by 9.

CALGARY (-4) AT B.C.

This will be the first official head coaching clash between the former dynamic head coach-quarterback duo of Wally Buono and Dave Dickenson. Jon Jennings is the Lions starting quarterback, but it’s going to take a while for him and his team to get going — and even then it may never happen. The Stamps stroll into town with swashbuckling gun slinger Bo Levi Mitchell ready to get Calgary back to the Grey Cup. Stampeders by 15. Last year: 52-34

FRANK GUNN/THE CANADIAN PRESS QB Jeremiah Masoli led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a playoff win over the Argonauts last fall, and he’ll try to do it again in the Argos’ regular-season debut at BMO Field on Thursday.