Saturday is a big day for Canadian football | CBC Sports

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The chase for two of the most storied trophies in Canadian sports heats up this Saturday as the CFL’s final four teams battle for a spot in the 111th Grey Cup game while the top university squads try to move one step closer to the 59th Vanier Cup.

Here’s a quick overview of the matchups:

CFL division finals: Montreal, Winnipeg eye another Grey Cup

Montreal took everybody by surprise last year, upsetting 16-2 Toronto as an 11-point underdog in the East final before taking down 15-4 Winnipeg as an eight-point dog in the Grey Cup.

This time, it’s the Alouettes who are the hunted. The defending champs went a league-best 12-5-1 in the regular season, and they’re favoured to beat Toronto (10-8) in the East final on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

But not by much. The visiting Argos are only two-point underdogs after winning five of their last seven games — including last week’s 58-38 victory over Ottawa, which tied the CFL record for most combined points in a playoff game.

Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw four touchdown passes against the Redblacks, bouncing back from his disastrous five-turnover day in last year’s East final. The CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Player was suspended for the first nine games of the season, but he might be hitting his stride at the right time.

Winnipeg can advance to its fifth straight Grey Cup with a victory over Saskatchewan in the West final at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Bombers snapped their 29-year championship drought with back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2021 (Covid wiped out 2020) before the Argos and Alouettes upset them the last two years. 

After going 11-7 to finish first in the West for the fourth straight year, Winnipeg is a four-point favourite over Saskatchewan (9-8-1). The Roughriders could have their hands full with CFL rushing champion Brady Oliveira, a finalist for Most Outstanding Player after being named the league’s top Canadian last year. But Saskatchewan’s turnover-hunting defence is capable of swinging this game after picking off B.C.’s Vernon Adams Jr. three times in last week’s 29-19 playoff win. Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros threw 15 interceptions this season — the second-most in the league.

U Sports conference finals: Montreal is still the team to beat

The best of the four Canadian university matchups on Saturday is the Quebec conference final, where defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal, ranked No. 1 in the country, faces No. 3 Laval for the Dunsmore Cup. Both teams went 7-1 this season, and they split their two head-to-head matchups — each decided by one point.

The player to watch in that game is Montreal quarterback Jonathan Sénécal, who won the Hec Creighton Trophy as the national player of the year last season and also captured the Vanier Cup MVP. Read more about Sénécal in this story by CBC Sports’ Myles Dichter. 

In Ontario, No. 2 Laurier faces No. 4 Western for the Yates Cup. In the West, it’s No. 10 Saskatchewan vs. unranked Regina for the Hardy Trophy. In the Atlantic, No. 6 Bishop’s meets unranked St. Mary’s in the Loney Bowl. 

The national semifinals take place next week, with the Quebec champion facing the West winner while the Ontario and Atlantic champs square off for a spot in the Vanier Cup on Nov. 23 in Kingston, Ont.