Posted at 10:00 AM EST. Odds are subject to change.

Edmonton  -105 over Calgary

4:00 PM EST. It has been said forever that the CFL season doesn't really begin until Labour Day, and there is plenty of truth to it. This is when summer football gives way to meaningful football, rivalries take center stage and the push toward November begins in earnest. Few games represent that transition better than Edmonton and Calgary. The Battle of Alberta has lost some of its significance in recent years because these two clubs haven't often been good at the same time, but there is something different about this one. Edmonton arrives in Calgary not as the struggling little brother we've become accustomed to seeing, but as the team sitting atop the West. At essentially pick'em, we'll back the Elks to prove that's no accident.

Edmonton's transformation has been remarkable. Mark Kilam has changed the culture of a franchise that spent years wandering through the wilderness, and the buy-in is obvious. Cody Fajardo has found new life running Jason Maas's offense—[correction needed: Jason Maksymic's offense]—while Justin Rankin gives the Elks a legitimate threat out of the backfield and prevents defenses from simply loading up against the passing game. More importantly, Edmonton isn't surviving on one side of the football. J.C. Sherritt's defense has been the foundation of this turnaround, and the Elks have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to win games in different ways. That is the profile of a team we want when the games begin carrying more weight.

Calgary is dangerous, particularly at McMahon Stadium on Labour Day, but there is uncertainty at the most important position. Vernon Adams Jr. has been working his way back from a head injury and may return, while Josh Love showed last week that he can handle the offense if called upon. Either way, Edmonton comes into this game with considerably more stability. Calgary is fighting to get itself back into the West race; Edmonton is trying to establish that the road to the division title goes through them. The Stampeders will get every emotional boost that comes with hosting their provincial rival on Labour Day, but emotion doesn't erase the difference between how consistently these two teams have performed.

Labour Day games have a way of ignoring what happened in June, July and August, which is exactly why we're not interested in making this about records or historical trends. This is the proverbial beginning of the CFL season, and Edmonton finally enters it looking like a serious contender instead of a team trying to salvage another lost year. Calgary will bring everything it has, and we expect a typical Battle of Alberta that remains competitive deep into the fourth quarter. But when the price is essentially asking us to pick the winner, we'll take the deeper, more complete and more settled team. The CFL season starts now, and we're betting Edmonton is ready for it.

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