Three teams remain in contention for two playoff spots when Week 20 of the 2025 CFL season takes place this weekend. One of those clubs is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who kick off the week by hosting the West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Princess Auto Stadium.
Winnipeg (8-8) can clinch a postseason berth with a victory against Saskatchewan (12-4) and a loss by the Edmonton Elks, who visit BC Place to take on the BC Lions at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The Blue Bombers have struggled of late as their 25-20 setback at Edmonton last week was their fourth loss in six games.
The Roughriders defeated the Toronto Argonauts 27-19 in Week 19 for their second straight win and are 2-0 against Winnipeg this year despite having trailed by 10 points in each meeting. With nothing at stake, Saskatchewan likely will begin preparing for the playoffs and rest some of its starters.
Edmonton (7-9) has a difficult road to a playoff spot, as it needs to win its final two games of the season and either Winnipeg or the Calgary Stampeders lose both of theirs. The Elks have posted back-to-back victories but are 0-2 against BC this year and have lost 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Lions.
BC (9-7), which already has punched its ticket to the postseason, is coming off its final bye of the campaign but enters this matchup with a four-game winning streak. Quarterback Nathan Rourke was superb in both of the Lions’ triumphs over the Elks this year, throwing for at least 320 yards in each contest while throwing for a combined five touchdowns.
Saturday also features a doubleheader that begins at 3 p.m. ET, when the Ottawa Redblacks host the Montreal Alouettes at TD Place. Ottawa (4-12) is coming off its fourth consecutive loss and sixth in seven games, a 30-10 setback at Montreal last week.
The Alouettes (9-7) have clinched a playoff berth but still can capture the East Division title, as a victory against the Redblacks would move them into a tie with the idle Hamilton Tiger-Cats for first place. Montreal then would need to defeat Winnipeg in the final week of the season and have Ottawa knock off Hamilton.
Since suffering a 38-24 loss against the Redblacks in Week 13 of the 2022 campaign, the Alouettes have won 10 consecutive meetings between the teams – including two this year. Montreal now will be looking to sweep the season series and extend its overall winning streak to five games.
Week 20 concludes when Toronto visits McMahon Stadium to battle Calgary at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Stampeders (9-7), who ended their four-game losing streak with last week’s 37-20 triumph at Hamilton, will secure a spot in the postseason with a victory.
This is the season finale for the reigning Grey Cup champions Argonauts (5-12), whose loss at Saskatchewan last week was their fourth in a row. Toronto hopes to go out on a high note and complete a sweep of the season series after having defeated Calgary 29-19 at home in Week 2.
Winnipeg is a 7.5-point favorite against Saskatchwan at FanDuel Sportsbook, while Edmonton is a 5.5-point underdog versus BC. Meanwhile, Montreal is favored by 10.5 points in its matchup with Ottawa and Calgary is -9.5 against Toronto.
SportsLine football expert Emory Hunt is 39-34 on his CFL picks this year and has revealed his selections for Week 20 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.
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Friday, 8 p.m. ET)
Pick: Saskatchewan +7.5
Lean: Under 48.5
The Roughriders will be resting a bevy of key starters and contributors in this game since they’ve already secured a spot in the postseason. Predicting how reserves will perform in a matchup against starters on a team that needs to win to stay alive in the playoff hunt always is a challenge. I will take the safe approach and side with the squad that would love to keep a division rival out of the postseason. That’s the Roughriders.
Edmonton Elks at BC Lions (Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET)
Pick: Edmonton +5.5
Lean: Over 56.5
We haven’t seen these two square off since July, when the Elks were a totally different team. Now, this Edmonton club is vying for a playoff spot. We saw the Elks take care of business against Winnipeg last weekend and they can move closer to their goal with a great showing against the Lions, who already have clinched a postseason berth. Expect Edmonton’s best effort as its playoff hopes are fading but still alive.
Montreal Alouettes at Ottawa Redblacks (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET)
Pick: Montreal -10.5
Lean: Over 50.5
Last week’s performance was an ugly one by the Redblacks, and it’s tough to see how they can turn things around quickly enough to avoid a similar result. In fact, expect more of the same from the Alouettes, especially considering how chippy the game was late in the fourth quarter. With Montreal likely using its reserves, the intensity of the rivalry remains.
Toronto Argonauts at Calgary Stampeders (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET)
Pick: Calgary -9.5
Lean: Over 52.5
The Stampeders are in the driver’s seat in the race for a playoff spot, but they haven’t really played particularly well down the stretch if we’re being honest. In comes a Toronto team that hasn’t had a quarterback come up with an impressive performance all season. Look for Calgary to treat this as a “Get Right” game as it hopes to punch its ticket to the postseason.
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