2009 CFL Eastern Preview - Montreal Alouettes

Football Betting Lines

06/23/2009 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2008 Record: 11-7. Playoff Result: Lost, 22-14, to Calgary in Grey Cup Championship. Stadium - Percival Molson Stadium. Capacity - 20,202. Colors: Red, blue, silver, white, and black

Since 2000, the Montreal Alouettes have made six appearances in the Grey Cup Championship Game, but five times the club was sent away empty handed. Last season, the club finished 11-7 during the regular season, the only Eastern Division team to post a winning record. The Alouettes reached the title tilt only to be defeated by Calgary in a 22-14 final.

So what does the 2009 season have in store for Marc Trestman's squad? Well, there aren't many new faces in the fold, but some consider that to be a good thing. After all, there is enough talent on the roster to put the team back in the championship race.

Of course, it all starts with veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who completed 69.2 percent of his passes in 2008 for 5,633 yards with 43 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. He is thrilled to have Jamal Richardson back in the fold, as the talented receiver tallied 98 receptions for 1,287 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago. Some though Richardson might be playing in the NFL this season, but his return to the Alouettes cements them as a serious Grey Cup contender.

There are other dangerous weapons on the offensive side of the football, such as tailback Avon Coburne and wideout Ben Cahoon. Coburne rushed for 950 yards and six touchdowns on only 145 carries a year ago, and he also caught 66 passes for 616 yards and two more scores. As for Cahoon, he had a team-high 107 receptions for 1,231 yards and seven scores, proving more than capable of moving the chains with clutch catches.

Montreal did a good job of locking up Anwar Stewart and Mark Estelle, rather than allowing those players to find new homes. T.J. Hill led the club with 84 tackles last season, while Keron Williams posted 10 sacks. This is not an elite defense, but there is obviously enough talent in place to complement the explosive offense.

What can be expected by fans is another successful season, a first-place finish in the East and a likely return to the Grey Cup title game. Still, expect the team to come up just short once again.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Finish: First

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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