There’s a clear No. 2 in the CFL’s East Division – and the Saskatchewan Roughriders only wish they could say the same about their standing in the West as they host the surging Montreal Alouettes on Saturday night. Montreal comes in having won three consecutive games to improve to 6-4, putting plenty of distance between itself and the Ottawa Redblacks. Saskatchewan enters the week tied with Calgary for second place in the West.

CFL Odds and Betting

The ‘Riders came in at -7, but the line has been knocked down to a more bettor-friendly -6.5. The Alouettes are riding a pair of strangely divergent cover trends coming into this one; while they’re 9-2 ATS in their previous 11 games against teams above .500, they’ve covered just once in their past five contests overall. Saskatchewan has covered all but one of its past five following a loss, but has gone 0-5 ATS in its last five September outings.

The total for Saturday’s Week 14 tilt has held steady at 50, and the under will undoubtedly be a popular play given both teams’ recent trends. Montreal has gone below the number in nine of its past 12 games following a win and is 11-6 to the under in its previous 17 road contests. The Roughriders are 4-1 to the under in their past five overall, and 6-2-1 in their last nine home games. These teams have also gone under in six of their last seven meetings.

Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes have the toughest stretch of any team over the final eight games of the season; they’re the only team in the league without at least one bye week remaining, after being given three over the first nine weeks of their schedule. Even more of a concern is the fact that the Als will play their next five games against the West Division, with three of those on the road and four of them coming against Winnipeg (9-3), Saskatchewan (7-4) and Calgary (7-4).

Saskatchewan Roughriders

A look at the boxscore and bettors might think the Roughriders were somewhat disciplined in last week’s 35-10 Banjo Bowl beating at the hands of the division-leading Blue Bombers. But two of their six penalties led directly to Winnipeg’s first score, and a third infraction extended a Winnipeg drive that ultimately led to another touchdown. On the positive side, the Roughriders are limiting teams to 214.3 passing yards per game, second-fewest in the CFL.

Who Will Win Alouettes vs. Roughriders?