It’s the heartland of the CFL versus a region that has its own deep love for the game.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders, in many ways the CFL’s flagship franchise, face a Montreal Alouettes team representing the booming Quebec football scene in the 112th Grey Cup on Sunday in Winnipeg.
It’s the first Grey Cup between the two squads since the Alouettes beat the Roughriders back-to-back in 2009 and ’10 by a combined four points. The first of those games featured the famous 13-men-on-the-field call on Saskatchewan on a missed field goal, giving the Alouettes the extra chance they needed to win the title. Those two games are the only previous Grey Cups between the Als and Roughriders.
The Roughriders (12-6 in the regular season) have been the class of the league most of the season, while the Alouettes (10-8) caught fire late to earn a well-deserved berth in the Cup.
Here’s a capsule look at this year’s game:
The schedule
Sunday, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The line
The Roughriders were favoured by 3.5 points at BetMGM, as of Saturday. The underdog has won the last four Grey Cups.
The weather
The forecast calls for a high of -2 C with winds low at 8 km/h at kickoff. Precipitation is not expected. In other words, nearly perfect Grey Cup weather.
At stake
The Alouettes are trying to win their second Grey Cup in the past three years under general manager Danny Maciocia and head coach Jason Maas. The East is looking to win a fourth Grey Cup in a row (the Toronto Argonauts won in 2022 and ’24) for the first time since 1967-70. The Als have won the Grey Cup eight times.
The Roughriders are on a 12-year Grey Cup drought, having last won it at home in 2013. They are looking for their fifth championship overall.
Pre-game and halftime
Longtime Toronto rockers Our Lady Peace have the pre-game show before country artist Catie St. Germain of Niverville, Man., sings the anthem
American rapper mgk, formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly, is the halftime act.
The season series
The teams split the two-game season series, though Alouettes star quarterback Davis Alexander was injured for both games.
The Roughriders crushed the Alouettes 34-6 on Aug. 2 in Montreal, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson starting at QB for the home side.
Roughriders QB Trevor Harris threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, while Bethel-Thompson was limited to 126 yards while tossing one interception.
But on Sept. 13, the Als pulled off a big 48-31 upset in Regina, snapping a five-game losing streak and beginning a season-defining five-game win streak.
Bethel-Thompson threw for a whopping 379 yards and three touchdowns. Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot was his big weapon, catching nine passes for 238 yards and two TDs. Als running back Stevie Scott III added 125 yards on 19 carries.
Playoff history
The Alouettes are in the post-season for the sixth year in a row, advancing to at least the East final the past four years, starting that stretch in 2022 with Harris as their QB1.
The Roughriders are making their second playoff appearance in a row after reaching the West final in 2024. Saskatchewan breaks Winnipeg’s five-season stretch of representing the West in the Grey Cup.
The quarterbacks
Davis Alexander (Montreal) vs. Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan)
Alexander carries his remarkable 13-0 record as a starter into the Grey Cup. He was 4-0 last year in place of an injured Cody Fajardo, convincing the Als to make Alexander their No. 1 this year after shipping Fajardo to Edmonton.
The fleet-footed Alexander, 27, certainly has looked the part, but the concern has been his health. He started only seven games this season because of a nagging hamstring injury, and he aggravated it last week against Hamilton in the East final. Alexander finished the game and led the Als on a walk-off field-goal drive, but he was limited. He says he’s feeling much better this week, but we really won’t know how close Alexander is to 100 per cent until he tries to move from the pocket. The Als need him to be able to move well to have their best chance.
Harris, 39, has played for five teams since joining the CFL as an Argonaut in 2012. While never one of the two or three marquee quarterbacks in the league, he’s often provided a steadying presence and very solid play. He gets the ball out quick and spreads it around to dangerous targets like Samuel Emilus, Ajou Ajou and Dohnte Meyers. Harris has won two Grey Cup rings, but has never started and won in the championship contest. His lone Grey Cup start was a 2018 loss with the Ottawa Redblacks against the Calgary Stampeders.
Harris might still be an Alouette if not for some ownership woes before Peladeau bought the team in 2023. He opted to sign with the Roughriders for that season, leading to his greatest success, including a career-best 73.6-per-cent completion percentage, this year. He is 21-11 in the regular season as a starter for Saskatchewan.
The coaches
Jason Maas (Montreal) vs. Corey Mace (Saskatchewan)
Maas, 49, made the rare jump from losing his job as Roughriders offensive co-ordinator in 2022 to being named head coach of another team less than two months later.
Maciocia, who was looking for a head coach after finishing the 2022 season coaching following the firing of Khari Jones, seems to have nailed the hire.
Maas, a former quarterback, kept the team afloat through four different starting quarterbacks this season, and has the team playing its best football at the right time. Montreal has won its past seven games with any meaning — its regular season-ending loss to Winnipeg meant nothing in the standings. Defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe has led a unit that ranks right up there with Saskatchewan as best in the league.
Mace, 39, was hired to lead the Roughriders prior to 2024 after a very successful two-year run as Argos defensive co-ordinator. GM Jeremy O’Day, who desperately needed a good hire after the team struggled badly under Craig Dickenson the previous two years, has to be happy with the results.
Mace, a former defensive lineman, has been a stabilizing force for the Roughriders. The native of Port Moody, B.C., has combined with impressive offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller, a Regina native, to make the Roughriders a very well-balanced team.
The venue
Princess Auto Stadium, opened in 2013, hosts its second Grey Cup.
Edmonton beat Ottawa 26-20 in the 2015 game at the stadium.
The Blue Bombers have been a huge off-field success for the CFL, selling out their entire home schedule this season. Their fans deserve a great Grey Cup, even though the home team isn’t in it.
2025 at a glance
The Roughriders have started quickly regularly in recent years, but haven’t been able to maintain the momentum. This year was a different story.
Saskatchewan’s lone loss in the first half of the season was a weird home game versus Calgary pushed back a day, after a long delay and eventual postponement because of poor air quality.
The Roughriders were in firm control of the West at 10-2 after sweeping Winnipeg in the annual Labour Day series.
A big key was having Harris healthy. He started 16 of 18 games, with only one miss because of injury. Meanwhile, Mace’s defence allowed the fewest points in the league.
The Roughriders rallied late last week to beat the B.C. Lions 24-21 in a thrilling West final.
The Alouettes were 7-0 with Alexander and 3-8 without him. They were helped by playing in a weak East Division, and actually remained in the hunt for top spot until the final week.
Bethel-Thompson, Caleb Evans and James Morgan all started games at QB with Alexander sidelined.
On defence, the Als have a dangerous pass rush and a couple studs at linebacker in Darnell Sankey and Tyrice Beverette.
The Als beat the visiting Blue Bombers in the East semifinal before Jose Maltos Diaz drilled a 45-yard walk-off field goal for a 19-16 win in Hamilton in the East final.
Players to watch
Saskatchewan RB A.J. Ouellette
One of the most physical running backs in the CFL, Ouellette was second in the league in rushing yards this season. The Ohio product won a Grey Cup with the Argos in 2022. With top Roughriders receiver KeeSean Johnson (knee) ruled out, Saskatchewan needs a big day from Ouellette.
Montreal WR Tyson Philpot
The son of former B.C. Lions star running back Cory Philpot, Tyson is one of the most talented U Sports products (University of Calgary) in the league. He’s had some injury problems, but the 2022 first-round pick can be a game-breaker, as seen in Regina earlier this year.
Saskatchewan HB Rolan Milligan Jr.
Milligan is one of five Roughriders defensive players to earn CFL All-Pro honours this year. He was named the CFL’s top defensive player last year. Saskatchewan was second in the league in interceptions. Defensive back Tevaughn Campbell tied for the league lead with six.
Montreal LB Darnell Sankey
Sankey was third in the league with 101 tackles this season. He signed with the Als midway through 2023 after a stint in the XFL and was a key part of Montreal’s Grey Cup run. Sankey has been a CFL East all-star the past two years.
Game notes
The Alouettes have won the Grey Cup in their past three appearances, while the Roughriders are 4-15 in their past 19 showings in the championship game … Six of the last nine Grey Cups have seen the winning team rally from a deficit in the fourth quarter … Both teams protect the quarterback (tied for second in sacks allowed) and get after the QB (Montreal tied for first in sacks, Saskatchewan was third).
Prediction
The Alouettes were one of the few teams to find ways to hurt the Roughriders defence, and that was without Alexander.
Montreal has a deep group of receivers and Alexander can do damage with his arm and feet.
If Alexander is able to use his feet effectively, the Als can score enough points to give the underdog another Grey Cup win.
Alouettes 28, Roughriders 20
