Montreal Alouettes boast shortest Grey Cups odds going into CFL playoffs

Photo: Bob Butrym/3DownNation. All rights reserved

Oddsmakers don’t appear put off by Montreal’s lacklustre recent play as the team has the shortest Grey Cup odds ahead of the CFL postseason.

The Alouettes went 2-4-1 over their final seven games of the regular season, including season-ending losses to B.C. and Winnipeg. The club had the Blue Bombers on the ropes at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday when a strong gust of wind thwarted a Joseph Zema punt, giving Sergio Castillo a second crack at a game-winning field goal. The veteran placekicker nailed it, giving the visitors a 28-27 win.

The reigning Grey Cup champions started the regular season at 10-1 but finished the year 12-5-1, besting Toronto by five points to finish atop the East Division. The Alouettes will host the winner of this weekend’s East Semi-Final between the Redblacks and Argonauts on Saturday, Nov. 9. This year marks the first time since 2012 that Montreal has finished first in the East Division standings, giving them the right to host the East Final.

The Blue Bombers have the shortest odds of any team in the West Division, which seems fitting as they also earned a first-round postseason bye. Winnipeg had a chance to clinch first place in the standings against the Argonauts in Week 20 but failed to do so, making this past weekend’s game against Montreal a must-win. The team went 9-1 over its last ten games after starting the year 2-6.

Toronto has the third-shortest Grey Cup odds heading into the playoffs, followed by the Roughriders, Lions, and Redblacks. The Argonauts and Roughriders both went 4-2 over the final third of the season, while B.C. went 3-3 and Ottawa went 1-5.