The CFL, hoping to gain some momentum in its weakest market, will kick off its 2016 season in its newest stadium.

The three down loop released its schedule on Thursday, and the Toronto Argonauts will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the newly-renovated BMO Field on Thursday, June 23. The Argos are moving to the outdoor park after spending most of the past three decades downtown at the cavernous and not overly fan friendly Rogers Centre.

It's not like the Argos' schedule this season is perfect, but it's a big improvement over recent years when the Toronto Blue Jays forced them out of their home for weeks at a time. The Argos are sharing BMO Field with Toronto FC, and as a result they have only two home games in the final eight weeks of the season. They also have one Monday and two Wednesday home contests, which isn't ideal, but at least they're during the summer months.

It would be a massive boost to the CFL, which has suffered from lagging attendance and television ratings across the league in recent years, if BMO Field is filled to the brim on June 23. Not only do the Blue Jays not play at home that night; they don't play at all. In other words, the excuses for not selling it out on opening night will be few and far between.

What kind of tone for the season will southern Ontario's CFL fans set that night?

BEST TO WORST

There are good and evil parts to every team's schedule, but some are made better than others. That being said, here is each team's schedule ranked from best to worst:

1. Saskatchewan

A big key to any CFL schedule is how many times the league subjects its poor players to quick turnarounds. Those are games played with five days of one another. The Riders have none this season. They also get the bye in the first week, which means they won't go blind into their season-opener. The only thing they're likely grumbling about is three back-to-backs.

2. B.C.

Wally Buono is back on the sidelines this season, and he has a cushy schedule to help him get the Leos back to the post-season. They don't have any quick turnarounds, and they don't have to travel farther east than Winnipeg after Sept. 1.

3. Calgary

They have two quick turnarounds, including the annual back-to-back with Edmonton around Labour Day, but nothing too drastic. The odd part is they finish off their season against five East Division opponents, and they have the dreaded bye in the final week of the campaign. Then again, that worked out just fine for the Eskimos last year.

4. Winnipeg

The Blue and Gold have a perfectly balanced schedule with no quick turnarounds for a change. One potential damaging section, however, is early on. They have to play three of the league's top teams from last season – Calgary, Edmonton and Hamilton – six games in a row after hosting Montreal to open the season. They could be in a big hole early.

5. Montreal

The Alouettes have a pretty good schedule, with their byes spaced apart nicely and only two quick turnarounds on the schedule. Then again, they have the ugliest turnaround of any team. They host the defending champion Eskimos on Oct. 10 and then have to play in Calgary five days later. That's not very nice.

6. Hamilton

There are two ways to look at the Ticats' lineup of games. Five of their first seven games are on the road, which could be rough. Then again, if they can survive that stretch they will be sitting pretty with six of their last nine at home, and one of those three road games is in Toronto. It's bad from a marketing perspective that they have no home games between July 7 and Aug. 20.

7. Toronto

It couldn't go from terrible to perfect for the Boatmen as they made the move from Rogers Centre to BMO Field. Playing six of their first nine at home, and in the summer, is great for a team trying to rebuild its fan base, but they have six of their last nine on the road and their last two home games is a quick turnaround.

8. Ottawa

Could there be an uglier start to a season? The RedBlacks have two quick turnarounds in their first four weeks, and three of those games are on the road. Overall, four of their first five are away from TD Place. The saving grace is they play four consecutive home games in the summer that are sandwiched around a bye. They just better hope their injury list isn't a mile long by that time.

9. Edmonton

10 GAMES TO WATCH

There are 81 regular season games on this year's CFL schedule, but let's be real: Not all of them will make you want to plant your rear end in front of the TV or set the PVR. There are, however, several games that already have fans pining for June to hurry up and get here. So here, in chronological order, are 10 CFL games to watch this season:

Thursday, June 23: Hamilton at Toronto

The Ticats and Argos will kick off the schedule at BMO Field, marking Toronto's first game in its new home. It will be the first time since 1989 the southern Ontario rivals will kick off a CFL campaign, it'll be a rematch of last year East semifinal, and Chad Owens will return to the Big Smoke. Here's hoping they chew up the turf real bad, too, for the soccer folks. Kidding!!!

Saturday, June 25: Ottawa at Edmonton

A Grey Cup rematch in the first week of the season is always fun. The winners get to host the runners-up, and it pits new Eskimos head coach Jason Maas against his former team, which wanted compensation for his departure. The Eskimos should let the RedBlacks keep the coin used for the pre-game toss. Problem solved!

Friday, July 8: Saskatchewan at Edmonton

The CFL is getting the drama out of the way early, as new Riders GM and head coach Chris Jones will return to Commonwealth Stadium for the first time since bolting the Grey Cup champs just eight days after winning the title. Jones took nearly his entire coaching staff and several players with him to Regina, too.

Friday, Aug. 19: Calgary at B.C.

Dave Dickenson has been back to BC Place many times as Calgary's offensive co-ordinator, but it will be interesting to watch him go head-to-head with Wally Buono for the first time as Stampeders head coach.

Sunday, Sept. 4: Winnipeg at Saskatchewan

There is no better atmosphere for a regular season CFL game than this one, and the intensity will be turned up a notch or two because former Riders fan favourite Weston Dressler will be making his return to Regina with the Blue and Gold.

Monday, Sept. 5: Edmonton at Calgary

There's still a good chance these two teams will be battling it out for top spot in the West, and the Labour Day Classic will mark their first meeting of the season. Having Maas, the former Eskimos quarterback, back in the fold will be good for the rivalry.

Monday, Sept. 5: Toronto at Hamilton

If there's going to be a sideline clearing brawl this season, it will likely occur in this contest. The CFL has moved the game from the afternoon to prime time (6:30 p.m. Kickoff), which will only add to the intense atmosphere.

Friday, Oct. 14: Winnipeg at B.C.

Andrew Harris usually isn't afraid to express his thoughts, so you can bet any frustration he might have felt with the Lions at the end of his tenure might bubble up when the running back makes his first return to the West Coast as a member of the Blue and Gold.

Friday, Oct. 21: Hamilton at Ottawa

The Ticats will make their first trip back to the nation's capital since dropping the East Division final in dramatic fashion last November. This contest could have serious playoff implications as well. Hey, Hamilton: Make sure somebody covers Greg Ellingson this time.

Saturday, Oct. 29: B.C. at Saskatchewan

Unless they improve enough to host a playoff game, this will mark the final game at 1910 Taylor Piffles Way in Regina. Park de Young/Taylor Field/Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field first opened in 1936, so there will be plenty of memories shared that day.

The defending champs get the toughest schedule. They lead the league this season with a whopping four quick turnarounds that go back-to-back on two occasions. Also, four of their last five games are on the road, including long trips to Montreal and Hamilton in the East Division.