If you’re desperate for a football fix, and I’m not talking about soccer this time, the CFL season kicked off Thursday up north on, appropriately, Canada Day. Saskatchewan (+3.5) and Montreal gave fans in Regina a classic in the opener, with the Roughriders battling back from a huge second-half deficit to take out the Alouettes 54-51 in double overtime. (Yes, the game went “over,” if you even had to ask.)

Our many players in Canada don’t need to tell us that the CFL has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years and we expect our three-down football betting lines to be even more of a hit in 2010.

Prior to the season opener at Bodog, we booked a significant amount of action on our total wins prop for each of the CFL’s eight teams, with the majority of bettors predicting a terrible season for Toronto (‘under’ 4.5 victories) and another great year for the defending champion Als (‘over’ 13.5 wins).

While Montreal is expected to win the East Division rather easily (-150), oddsmakers see things as wide open in the West, where Calgary is favored (+170) to finish on top, followed closely by Saskatchewan (+200), Edmonton (+350) and British Columbia (+350).

As for the odds to win the Grey Cup, Montreal is the favorite at 9/5, followed by Calgary at 15/4 and Saskatchewan at 4/1. The long shot? The Toronto Argonauts at 25/1. (Honestly, does that city have any good teams?) For the record, the 2010 Grey Cup will be held in Edmonton, so there’s reason to believe the Eskimos (7/1) will be extra motivated to get there and hoist the venerable trophy.

Oh, and by the way, it’s not just Canadians that bet on the CFL. A lot of experienced bettors find value in CFL lines, which don’t get as much attention as NFL odds or those for American college football. If you’re willing to do the research and dig a little deeper than the next guy, there are rewards to be had. This is particularly true when the CFL and NFL seasons overlap and bookmakers have less time to focus on the less popular league.

There’s plenty of media coverage of CFL teams in Canadian newspapers, so information isn’t a problem. All you need to do is get familiar with Google News and get used to slightly different spellings.

I will be posting weekly articles including betting previews, matchups and the inside scoop from a bookmakers point of view right here at Doc's Sports.  Read my past articles - Click Here, and learn more about Bodog sportsbook - click here. If you're ready to set up an account and start playing I'd like to offer you a Sign up Bonus - Click Here.  Enjoy the Bodog Experience.