POWER RANKINGS

9 WEEK

1. Calgary (1)

The Stampeders remain at No. 1 and that won’t change going into next week — they have a bye. With a 7-0 record, Calgary has been dismantling opponents on the defensive side of the ball, although they have given up season-high totals of 22 to Saskatchewan and 18 to B.C. the last two weeks.

2. Edmonton (2)

The Eskimos have lost just twice this season, to East opponents Toronto and Hamilton. And B.C. is up this week. Circle Sept. 3 and 8 — back-toback showdowns with Calgary — on your calendar.

3. Winnipeg (3)

The Blue Bombers are 4-3 and explosive on offence, especially with quarterback Matt Nichols getting sharper following a knee injury that put him on the six-game injured list.

4. Ottawa (4)

The Redblacks had a 24-point lead Aug. 2 versus the Argos. There was no way they were going to lose that game. Somehow they did. Give the Argos plenty of credit for a terrific fourth-quarter comeback that saw the winning points in a 42-41 slugfest coming with one second remaining. Still not sure, though, that the Argos are a better team.

5. Saskatchewan (5)

A good thing: Quarterback Zach Collaros is back. After a few weeks of juggling between Brandon Bridge and David Watford, Collaros, who was injured (concussion) back in Week 2 against the Redblacks, gives them a clear No. 1. The Roughriders are coming off a tough 26-19 loss to Edmonton.

6. Hamilton (7)

A team that’s tough to figure — coming off two losses to Saskatchewan and another to Ottawa — the Ticats took out their frustration on the Montreal Alouettes last week, walloping the Als 50-11. The Tiger-Cats have been putting up big offensive stats all season, but too often the stats haven’t translated into touchdowns.

7. Toronto (8)

The Argos have won just twice, but they are the defending Grey Cup champs. Just look back at a year ago when the Redblacks were 1-6-1 and went on a second-half surge that saw them win seven of their last 10 games. The Argos, now 2-5, have momentum after an amazing comeback win over Ottawa.

8. B.C. (6)

Quarterback Travis Lulay gives them a proven slinger at quarterback, but the team has to put it all together and start scoring points (they have 126 in six games). Solomon Elimimian, one of the top defensive players in the league, has been out since mid-July with a wrist injury.

9. Montreal (9)

Bringing in Johnny Manziel should be a good thing to get fans in the seats and maybe it will help improve the product on the field. But the Als aren’t there yet. They’ve won just once this season (against Saskatchewan), scoring just 103 points in seven games. That’s not going to get it done in this league.

— Tim Baines