The Alouettes earned the right to battle Toronto by knocking off Hamilton by a 28-17 score in last weekend’s East Semi-Final, and have now tallied wins in eight of their past 11 contests. The Argonauts earned a berth in the Eastern Final for the first time in five years by virtue of their first-place finish atop the East Division standings with an 11-7-0 record, but have failed to claim consecutive wins while going 4-4-0 over their past eight home contests.

The Argonauts have held steady since opening as 3.5-point favourites on the CFL odds, but it is Montreal that has garnered the support of 67 per cent of sports bettors. The total is also unchanged since opening at 48, with the betting action split evenly between the OVER and UNDER.

CFL Odds and Betting

Sunday afternoon’s matchup at BMO Field marks the fourth overall meeting of the season between these East Division rivals, and their third clash in four weeks. The Argos claimed narrow wins in each of their first two dates with Montreal this season, with each of those victories coming by just a single point. The Alouettes responded with a 38-33 home win in the regular season finale. However, with the teams already locked into their respective positions in the standings, it was largely a meaningless matchup.

Overall, the Argonauts have taken three of five from Montreal since the start of last season, halting a three-game slide in head-to-head action. Toronto also recorded a 27-20 win as 4.5-point road underdogs when these teams last met in the playoffs, in the 2012 Eastern Final. However, the Als have otherwise dominated winning six of the preceding seven, and covering five times over that stretch.

Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes have emerged as one of the top teams in the CFL since opening the season on a dismal 2-6-0 straight up run. The Als have won eight of 11 since, and have been particularly impressive on the road, winning four straight. The Montreal offence has steadily gained momentum during the team’s road surge, averaging 36 points per game over their past two. However, they also surrendered 30 or more points in five of their nine road dates this season, including each of their past two.

Quarterback Trevor Harris has played a big role in this team’s resurgence. Harris has connected on 14 touchdown passes over his past nine appearances, and 20 overall this season. And after struggling with accuracy issues early in the campaign, he has tossed just two picks in his past six appearances. Dominique Davis has also impressed in limited action. Harris’ backup has tallied scoring runs in three of his past four outings, and ranked second in the CFL with 13 rushing Touchdowns this season.

Toronto Argonauts

The Argonauts enjoyed a much needed bye last weekend, and will be looking to pick up where they left off after posting wins in seven of their final nine regular season contests. Despite their second half surge and first-place finish in the East, the Argonauts have yet to convince oddsmakers, who have them pegged just ahead of the longshot Alouettes as a +370 bet on the Grey Cup odds. Considering the Argos’ checkered playoff record, it is tough to blame them. Toronto was outclassed in a 27-19 loss to the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats in last year’s Eastern Final, and have made early exits in three of their past four postseason appearances. However, when this team wins, they win big, with the Argonauts raising the trophy in their past three Grey Cup appearances.

This time around, the Argonauts earned their trip to the Eastern Final on the strength of an impressive defence, which has allowed an average of just 21.7 points during their current 7-2-0 run. However, this squad also sports the CFL’s top quarterback this season, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson leading the league with 4,731 passing yards. And while Bethel-Thompson ended the season well back of the leaders in the TD passes, he has managed to find the end zone 13 times over his past nine games. The challenge he faces now is to avoid the pick after tossing nine interceptions over his past nine outings.

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Alouettes vs. Argonauts?