CFL playoffs odds and bracket

After a lengthy 18-game regular season, the action heats up in the CFL playoffs before the Grey Cup champion is finally crowned. The CFL regular season typically comes to a close in late October before the playoffs take place over three weeks in November, with the Grey Cup usually played on the third Sunday of the month.

Every season, six teams qualify for the CFL playoffs – the top two teams from the East and West Divisions and the two teams with the next best regular season record. The two division runners-up face off against the two next best placed teams in the Division Semi-Finals, with the winner of each game going on to play the division winners in the Division Finals. The two winners of the Division Finals then face off for the chance to win the Grey Cup and be crowned CFL champions for that season.

With sportsbooks typically publishing CFL futures and props odds well in advance, sports bettors can start wagering on playoff action even before the regular season has even started. That includes betting on whether a team will make the playoffs, which teams will win their respective divisions, and who will eventually emerge as Grey Cup champions.

In every CFL campaign, the team with the most points during the regular season in both the East and West Divisions are crowned division winners.

In addition to the obvious bragging rights that come along with winning your division, there is an added advantage for the two teams that manage to top the East and West Division standings. Division winners enjoy a bye through the first weekend of the playoffs, as well as home field advantage in the Division Finals.

A first-place finish can also provide a team with an edge at the sportsbooks. With a much needed week off to rest and heal from injuries, division winners have the opportunity to better prepare for the Division Finals, and this is often reflected in the CFL moneyline and futures odds. Suitably, of the last 10 teams to contest the Grey Cup between 2016 and 2021, eight won their division in the regular season.

Don’t forget that BET.CA has the latest CFL odds from Canada’s top sportsbooks for markets including division and Grey Cup winners throughout the season.

It is important to note that since the final two CFL playoff berths are awarded to the teams with the next best win/loss records, it is possible for a team that finished fourth in one division to earn a playoff spot ahead of a team that finished third in the other.

For example, let’s imagine that the BC Lions finished fourth in the West Division, but had a better win/loss record than the third-placed team in the East Division. Under such circumstances, the Lions would be awarded the playoff spot, and would “crossover” to compete in the East Division playoff bracket, entering the Semi-Finals.