The BC Lions will travel to Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in both teams’ first game of the season. It is a rematch of last season’s West Division Final, which saw Saskatchewan emerge victorious 24-21 on a game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left.
Game Details:
Date/Location: Saturday, June 13 /Mosaic Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan
Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM ET, 3:00 PM PT
Channel: TSN, RDS (Canada), CBSSN (USA), CFL+ (Global)
Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):
Spread: B.C. +2.5 (-112), opp -2.5 (-108)
Moneyline: B.C. +110, opp -132
Over/Under: 52.5 (Over -106, Under -114)
B.C. Lions: The BC Lions have been good for years, making the playoffs in each of the last 4 years, but have lost in the West Final in 3 of the last 4. They had the best offense in the league, led by quarterback Nathan Rourke, who was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player last season, and wide receiver Keon Hatcher.
Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Roughriders begin their season as the reigning Grey Cup champs after winning the 112th Grey Cup 25-17 over Montreal last season. Trevor Harris is back on a 1-year contract as the Riders hope to defend their championship.
Lions' Keys to the Game
Pressure on Harris
BC needs to disrupt Trevor Harris by limiting his time to throw. Harris can slice and dice and defend but doesn’t have a high level of escapability. Starting defensive ends Mathieu Betts and Levi Bell are one of the more dangerous defensive end duos in the league.
Strong Run Defense
The Riders can bring forth a balanced offense with a strong ability and frequency to run the football. Consistent run defense is more important against them than it is against a few of the other CFL teams that show tendencies to abandon the run.
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Offensive Cooking
If the offense can start cooking how they were last year right away, then the Lions will continue to be a Grey Cup contender.
No Turnovers
When you’re facing a top team such as the Riders, mistakes are difficult to afford.
5 Lions to Watch
12 QB Nathan Rourke
Rourke completed 70.4% of his passes for 5,290 yards and 31 touchdowns with 16 interceptions and added 564 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He passed for 513 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception in the postseason, adding 74 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
https://x.com/JonathanClink/status/2016625573091590437
4 WR Keon Hatcher
Hatcher led the CFL in receiving by a lot last year. He caught 102 passes for 1,688 yards with 9 touchdowns. He added 8 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown in the postseason.
20 RB James Butler
Butler rushed 229 times for 1,213 yards (5.3 average) and 11 touchdowns last season and caught 46 passes for 439 yards and a touchdown.
90 DE Mathieu Betts
Betts had 42 tackles, including 15 sacks, last season. He added 4 tackles and a sack in the postseason.
98 DE Levi Bell
Bell joined BC midway into the season last year and made 12 tackles and a sack over 7 games with 5 starts. He added 4 tackles in the postseason. Bell is a player with a strong capacity to generate pressure. By my count, he had 12 total pressures over his 2 postseason games.
https://x.com/JonathanClink/status/1988621807205941617
His pressure rate in the playoffs had him named CFL All-November 2nd Team in my: CFL All-November 1st and 2nd Teams: Stars Who Dominated 2025 playoffs
5 Roughriders to Watch
7 QB Trevor Harris
Trevor Harris is back with the team on a 1-year contract. He completed 73.6% of his passes for 4,549 yards for 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions over 17 games last season. He added 607 yards and 2 touchdowns in the West Final and Grey Cup.
https://x.com/JonathanClink/status/1988100345227362387
45 RB A.J. Ouellette
A.J. Ouellette rushed 248 times last season for 1,222 yards (4.93 average) and 8 touchdowns. He averaged 5.76 yards per carry in the postseason as he added 196 rushing yards and a touchdown.
19 WR Samuel Emilus
Emilus had 37 catches for 588 yards and 2 touchdowns over 7 games last season. He tore it up in the playoffs, catching 19 passes for 208 yards and was the Grey Cup MVP.
https://x.com/JonathanClink/status/1991165084861689876
3 WR KeeSean Johnson
KeeSean Johnson led the team in receiving last season, catching 86 passes for 1,159 yards and 4 touchdowns over 16 games. He added 8 catches for 73 yards in the playoffs.
8 CB Marcus Sayles
Sayles had 48 tackles last season and 2 interceptions. He was spectacular in the postseason, adding 4 tackles and 2 interceptions. By my count, 9 targets came his way in the postseason, which resulted in only 2 completions for 36 yards.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I predict the BC Lions to win 30-27.