Both teams had losing records last season. But Edmonton is worse. The Elks went 3-11 and are in rebuild mode with a new coach, Chris Jones.

I like Jones. He's a strong defensive coach. But it's going to take time for the Elks to improve. That was apparent in preseason when they looked terrible against Calgary in a 30-point loss.

QB Nick Arbuckle is a huge question mark for Edmonton. He has decent wideouts, but is playing behind a revamped offensive line that figures to struggle. Jones should upgrade a defense that permitted more than 30 points last season, but that is going to take time especially with the Elks having to learn Jones' complicated various schemes.

BC QB Nathan Rourke looked good in his last preseason showing. Unlike the Elks, the Lions have nearly their entire offensive line returning. They also have good receiving targets for Rourke. The Lions also get a strong check mark in the secondary.

I do believe the Lions will win. I'm not as comfortable laying more than a field goal with them, however. So I'm going to lay the high juice backing them on the money line.