Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes opened Week 8 as the largest favourite of the 2026 CFL season.
Oddsmakers valued the team by 10.5 points over the Tiger-Cats at home on Sunday night in Montreal. While that massive spread has shrunk somewhat, dropping to an even 10 points at the time of publishing, it remains larger than any other game this year.
Asked if the Alouettes were finally getting the respect they deserved with that spread, head coach Jason Maas refused to buy into the hype.
“We don’t even care about that,” he said after the Alouettes’ final practice on Friday. “You don’t hear me very often speak about another team at all. I don’t care about anybody outside of our building. I do not care what other people think about our team. It’s about what we have in our locker room.”
The Alouettes sit at 5-1, while their opponents on Sunday are 3-3 and without franchise quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell for the foreseeable future. The visitors will be led by backup Tre Ford, who helped Hamilton defeat the Toronto Argonauts at home last week.
However, there are lingering doubts regarding the Canadian QB’s consistency, which has contributed to the inflated spread. Montreal believe they match up well against mobile quarterbacks like Ford due to their fast and aggressive play style, though linebacker Micah Awe insists that the defence is far from a finished product.
Much like Maas, he’s wary of any outside validation.
“I don’t care about those 10 spread points,” Awe told 3DownNation. “Those are the scariest things to look at as a defence, even as a team. I don’t care what Vegas thinks. For us, it’s a learning experience. Last week, we had a very good half against Calgary, but they came back. Yes, we won, but we still have a lot to work on.”
Maas, who has been the Alouettes’ head coach since 2023, believes a team needs to earn the opportunity to win through its work at practice every week. He believes his team has done exactly that this week, irrespective of which direction the gambling money is flowing.
“Never once have we prepared all week and not expected to win,” he added. “That’s just how we work here. The way we practiced today and all week, we’ve earned the opportunity to win. I couldn’t care less if other people agree or not.”
The Montreal Alouettes (5-1) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-3) at Percival Molson Stadium on Sunday, July 26, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats narrowly beat the Toronto Argonauts this past week, while the Alouettes completed their home-and-home sweep of the Calgary Stampeders.
The weather forecast in Montreal calls for a high of 26 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CBS Sports Network internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton or TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.
Eligible sports bettors in Ontario and Alberta can find relevant information for wagering on the games by clicking on their respective jurisdiction. Please bet responsibly.
