It is the juicy subplot to a riveting and compelling matchup in Saturday’s Canadian Football League Eastern Semi-Final between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes.

In the blue and gold corner you have the grizzled quarterback in Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros — a savvy technician, a dangerous puncher and a man who has oodles of ring experience under the brightest of lights on the biggest stages with the championship belt at stake.

And standing in the bleu, blanc et rouge corner is the young contender in Davis Alexander of the Alouettes — the unbeaten fiery dual-threat pivot more than a decade the junior of Collaros and now making his first CFL playoff start.

Davis Alexander — Photo by Graham Hughes /The Canadian Press

Now, while it should be said every game at this time of year features a juicy QB duel, this one is particularly tasty because of the stark contrast in experience. As well, it could also be framed this way: this 2025 version of Davis Alexander bears a striking resemblance to Zach Collaros, circa 2014.

Said Collaros of Alexander this week in what sounds eerily like what anyone who has shared a huddle with the Blue Bombers QB1 would say about him:

“What stands out to me about him is his competitiveness. I really like the level at which he competes at. It doesn’t really matter what the play is, he’s going to bring it every snap. You can see it with the way he reacts on the sidelines.

“He’s got a very strong arm. Obviously, there’s a reason they decided to go with him a year back when they had a great quarterback there in Cody Fajardo as well.”

Make no mistake, there are a ton of storylines that will shape Saturday’s Eastern Semi-Final — some which have already been explored, like the Blue Bombers being a crossover team for the first time in franchise history — others which will be examined in great detail in this space and elsewhere leading up to when the ball is placed on the tee at Molson Stadium.

Still, the quarterbacks are always at the centre of attention because they touch the ball on every snap and 99.9 percent of the time, their play dictates the outcome.

Collaros, now 37, is attempting to write a few more chapters on what has been a tumultuous season. The Blue Bombers are 6-7 with him taking the first snap this year — he didn’t finish three of those games due to injury — marking the first time in his days in Winnipeg the team did not post a winning record in his starts.

Still, he is now a remarkable 63-25 as a starter here and there were some mitigating circumstances in ’25, from working with new offensive coordinator Jason Hogan, to having star receiver Dalton Schoen lost for the season back in July, to missing Nic Demski at the end of the year, to his own injury issues.

And, yet, even with all that there’s an utmost respect he has with everyone in the Blue Bombers locker room, as evidenced by this quote from Redha Kramdi on Wednesday, when asked what makes him confident this team can win three playoff games in the next three weeks:

“Zach Collaros. Honest answer. He puts in a lot of work and I’m happy to follow him. He just puts in so much work and he’s someone I like to follow. He’s a great leader.”

The Alouettes undoubtedly feel exactly the same way about their field general, who is now attempting to extend his unbeaten streak into the playoffs and guide his squad back to Winnipeg for the 112th Grey Cup. He is 11-0 as a starter to begin his career — the best in CFL history — and had four 300-yard passing game in just seven starts this season.

“Let’s go, best on best. There is no next week if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do. I love it. Put all the pressure on, I don’t care. Let’s go win the game,” Alexander said this week in a session with Montreal media. “Mindset is gotta go and win, it’s win or go home. I’m so excited; this is what you train for, this is what we do it for.

“… “We wanted more than anything to get back at Winnipeg. They beat us last time we played 19-10. We’re a team that we feel like we thrive off being doubted a little bit, or maybe they’re coming in a little confident after beating us 19-10. Cool, let’s do it again; let’s go play at home.”

This will be his first-ever playoff start, while Collaros is 9-5 in the playoffs, including Grey Cups. And, worth noting, this will also be his first start against Jordan Younger’s defence, although he did come off the bench in the regular-season finale matchup between these two teams last year and completed 7-of-9 passes for 100 yards.

“He’s much improved since then, much improved within the system and one of the things that stands out, beyond his arm talent, is his athleticism,” said Younger of Alexander earlier this week. “He’s able to, when things aren’t there, use his legs to buy time to create opportunities for his receivers and/or create opportunities for himself. You can take one element away — maybe you take the pass away — but now you’ve got to be able to take care of that next step, that next chess move they make when he decides to break the pocket.”

Again, all this makes for an enticing matchup which should have fans sliding to the front of their seats.

The wise-old vet vs. the gung-ho kid.

Last word to Blue Bombers defence end Willie Jefferson, asked this week how it would be to be the authors of the first loss in Alexander’s days as an Alouette — and in a playoff game and in enemy territory, no less:

“It’d be great. Us as a defence, we love the determining factor. Going into Montreal where Davis has won all of the games he’s started, to go in there and play a great game — offence, defence and special teams — but especially on the defensive side of things making it tough for him, for their wide receivers, for that offensive line and the running backs, it’s going to feel great.”