POWER RANKINGS 21 WEEK

1. Winnipeg (T1)

Five straight wins make the Bombers the hottest team in the league, and they have recently dispatched both the Riders and Stampeders. So, when the Bombers travel to Regina or Calgary for the West semifinal, they should do so with confidence. Then again, they’re a 4-4 road team while the Stamps are 7-2 at home, and the Riders are 6-3.

2. Saskatchewan (3)

The Roughriders’ regular season is done, so they need help from B.C. to lock up an improbable West Division title. They will also need QB Zach Collaros in the post-season, but he was knocked out of last week’s win over the Leos. The bye week should help, but will it be enough to get Collaros healthy?

3. Ottawa (5)

With back-to-back wins over Hamilton that put an East Division title in the bag, the Redblacks made an emphatic statement. QB Trevor Harris has refined his game and has a healthy, lethal corps of receivers at his disposal, with Brad Sinopoli, Greg Ellingson, R.J. Harris and Diontae Spencer foremost among them. They’re so confident on offence now that they sat the CFL’s leading rusher, William Powell, for last week’s win in Hamilton.

4. B.C. (T1)

No West Division team has navigated through two playoff games out East to get to the Grey Cup as a crossover squad. It would be a fine parting gift for Wally Buono, but the Leos are a 2-7 road team and looked awful in a loss in Regina last week.

5. Calgary (4)

An injury-fuelled three-game losing skid hasn’t cost them the West title. Yet. They’re in B.C. next to close out a disappointing second half.

6. Hamilton (6)

The Tabbies are also feeling the effects of a lengthy injured list. Most of their walking wounded won’t heal in time for the East semifinal and their replacement receivers won’t make anybody forget Brandon Banks or Jalen Saunders.

7. Edmonton (7)

Somebody has to pay with his job for a 3-6 second-half skid out of the playoffs. If the Eskimos decide to tinker instead of blowing it up, they could force head coach Jason Maas to give up his OC duties and hire somebody with more creativity and less of a temper. Maas’ short fuse helped create a culture that gave rise to one of the CFL’s most penalized teams.

8. Montreal (9)

So, Jean Football is not their guy? They ship two draft picks and two players to Hamilton for Johnny Manziel, then make him watch the second half of his first CFL win. And head coach Mike Sherman claims he wants another season at the helm?

9. Toronto (8)

If QB Ricky Ray is done and neither James Franklin nor McLeod BethelThompson is capable of replacing him — all of which seems likely — could the Argos dangle enough free agent money to convince Mike Reilly to leave Edmonton? He might like to work with Marc Trestman and Anthony Calvillo, assuming they keep their jobs in the wake of a disastrous campaign as defending champs.