What you need to know about the Grey Cup

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Let's get you ready for the Grey Cup

The CFL championship game kicks off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET in Edmonton. Whether you're an avid fan or you just got invited to a Grey Cup party and want to feel in the loop, here are some basics to get you set for the game:

Calgary is the favourite. But that hasn't helped them the last two years. Bookies have the Stampeders favoured by four points over the Ottawa Redblacks. So, if you bet on Calgary using the point spread, they have to win by five in order for you to collect. If your money's on Ottawa, they can win the game outright or lose by up to three points (if Calgary wins by four, everybody gets their money back). The Stamps hope the third time's a charm — they were also favoured to beat Toronto last year and Ottawa the year before, and they were upset both times.

The Stampeders have the CFL's top player. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell won the Most Outstanding Player award after throwing for a league-best 35 touchdowns in the regular season. He also won it in 2016.

But the Redblacks have the top Canadian. Receiver Brad Sinopoli won his second outstanding Canadian award after making 116 catches — the most ever in a single season by a player from north of the border.

And Ottawa also has the best feel-good story. Kicker Lewis Ward was named the CFL's top rookie and special-teams player. He made an astounding 51 of his 52 field-goal tries (that's a league-record 98.1 per cent) and enjoyed a streak of 48 (!) straight regular-season makes. All that by a guy who was on the sidelines for last year's Grey Cup game… working as a security guard.

The Redblacks dodged a bullet, too. Ottawa will be glad to have Jonathan Rose on the field to help contain Mitchell and the Calgary offence. The star defensive back was suspended earlier this week for one game for shoving an official during the East final. But his appeal won't be heard before Sunday's game, so he'll play. Rose is great at creating turnovers — he tied for the league lead this year in both interceptions and forced fumbles.

The halftime act is Canadian singer Alessia Cara. If you don't know her, you've probably heard her songs Here and Scars To Your Beautiful. They're on the radio a lot. Canadian country artist Brett Kissel is doing the national anthem.

Quickly…

We're going to find out the name of the potential Halifax CFL team tonight. It'll be either Atlantic Schooners or Atlantic Storm, according to the businessman trying to land an expansion franchise. Anthony LeBlanc and his group have submitted a stadium proposal to Halifax Regional Council. They want public money to help pay for their proposed 24,000-seat venue, which they say could cost up to $190 million. If a deal can be made, there's a very good chance Halifax gets a team. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie is pushing for one in the Atlantic region. "I really want a franchise there," he told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux.

Erik Guay will race one last time. Updating a story from yesterday, it turns out the standout Canadian alpine skier plans to compete once more this weekend before retiring. At publish time yesterday we were under the impression that Guay had decided to walk away effective immediately. But the 25-time World Cup podium finisher (that's a Canadian record) will make Sunday's super-G at Lake Louise, Alta., his farewell race. You can stream it live on CBCSports.ca at 2 p.m. ET or watch it on TV on CBC's Road to the Olympic Games show at 3 p.m. local time.

Here's what to watch this weekend

The weekend is here. That means a lot of sports. This is what you should watch:

Friday

Golf — The Tiger vs. Phil match (3 p.m. ET). But only if you don't have to pay for it. A made-for-TV, match-play showdown between the two biggest golfers of their generation? Solid idea. Putting it on pay-per-view and charging $20 for it? That's where you lose me. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are playing for $9 million — the winner gets it all, though both guys have a hand in staging the event, so it's hard to believe the loser actually walks away with nothing — and they've also agreed to a $200K side bet on the first hole. This could be fun, but it also feels like it's happening — like the past-due Mayweather-Pacquiao fight a few years back — 10 years too late.

Saturday

U.S. college football — Michigan vs. Ohio State (noon ET). Both teams are ranked in the top 10 heading into this year's renewal of one of the most bitter rivalries in sports. Michigan (ranked No. 4) is the betting favourite despite being on the road. But the Wolverines have lost 13 of their last 14 meetings with the Buckeyes. This is the regular-season finale for a pair of schools eyeing a spot in the four-team playoff for the national championship.

Canadian college football — Vanier Cup (1 p.m. ET). If you like your college ball in three-down form, flip over to this clash of the top two Canadian programs — Western and Laval. It's a rematch of last year's title game, which Western won 39-17 to claim its seventh national championship. This one, though, is being held in Laval's backyard in Quebec City. The Rouge et Or are looking to pad their all-time lead by winning their 10th Vanier Cup.

Sunday

The 106th Grey Cup (6 p.m. ET). We pretty much covered this up above, so I'll just give you my gambling pick: I like the Stamps to avoid their third consecutive loss in the title game (getting close to Buffalo Bills territory there) and do it in convincing-enough fashion. I'll lay the four points and take Calgary.

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