The Bombers proved they are the best of the west after punching their ticket to a fourth straight Grey Cup appearance with a 24-13 win over B.C. in the West Division final on Saturday. Meanwhile, Montreal shocked the CFL with a 38-17 upset win against Toronto in the East final.

Winnipeg has climbed to an 8.5-point favourite to win the Grey Cup on the CFL odds, with the total listed at 47.5.

CFL Odds and Betting

The Blue Bombers won both meetings between the teams this season, knocking the Als out 17-3 in Montreal on Canada Day before blowing them out 47-17 at home in Week 12. Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira torched Montreal for a combined 239 rushing yards and a touchdown on 38 carries across the two games.

Last week’s win in the West final moved the Bombers to 15-4 straight up in 2023. They’re 12-7 against the spread and have covered in five straight games. Winnipeg’s games tend to be high scoring as they’ve hit the Over in eight of their last nine contests overall.

The Als are 13-7 SU this year, including a solid 7-3 SU on the road. They’re a respectable 12-8 ATS overall, including 7-1 ATS in their last eight games. Montreal is a more defensive-minded team, with the total going Under in seven of their last nine games.

A little bit of food for thought: Winnipeg entered Week 1 of the 2023 season as +250 favourites to win the Grey Cup, while Montreal had the second-lowest odds of any East Division team at +800.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Blue Bombers’ offence was lethal in the regular season, leading the CFL in offensive points per game (31.7), TDs (62), net offence (414.7 yards) and rushing yards per game (139.1) while ranking second in passing yards per game (292.4). That comes down to Oliveira and quarterback Zach Collaros. Oliveira led the CFL in both rushing yards (1,534) and rushing TDs (nine). Collaros finished with the second-most passing yards in the league (4,252) and led the CFL with 33 TD passes. Set to be the first quarterback ever to start four consecutive Grey Cup games, Collaros threw for at least 300 yards 10 times this season.

There are two big injury concerns for Winnipeg. Linebacker Adam Bighill and receiver Dalton Schoen each missed Tuesday’s practice and they are both questionable to play on Sunday. Bighill, a three-time CFL Defensive Player of the Year winner, suffered a non-contact right leg injury in the West Division final. Schoen, who ranked third in receiving yards (1,222) and led the CFL with 10 receiving TDs during the regular season, has missed the last three games with an ankle injury.

Montreal Alouettes

The underdog Alouettes come into the Grey Cup riding a seven-game win streak, with their last loss coming against Toronto on Sept. 15. Defence has been the key factor for this team, lately. Montreal didn’t allow a touchdown against Hamilton in the East semi-finals and they forced nine turnovers (four interceptions, four on downs, fumble) against Toronto in the East final, returning two picks for TDs. Linebacker Darnell Sankey has been clutch in the playoffs, recording eight tackles, two sacks and an interception against Hamilton before delivering six tackles, an interception and a forced fumble against Toronto.

The question mark surrounding the Als is fully centred on the offence. Quarterback Cody Fajardo had a CFL-best 71.6 completion percentage in the regular season with 3,846 passing yards, but he threw nearly as many interceptions (12) as touchdowns (14). Montreal’s offence finished the regular ranked fifth in rushing yards per game (103.5), sixth in net yards (329.7), sixth in passing yards (249.1), seventh in offensive points (20.6) and last in offensive TDs (31). They also allowed 58 sacks in the regular season, the second-worst mark in the CFL.

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Blue Bombers vs. Alouettes?