POWER RANKINGS

10 WEEK

1.

Calgary (1)

Unless and until the Stampeders lose a game, top spot is theirs. They’re 7-0, but still looking way up at the 1948 Stamps, who set the league standard for unblemished starts at 12-0.

2.

Winnipeg (3)

When it was time for the defence to win a game, they stepped up with a handful of sacks and some timely turnovers against Hamilton. That’s an encouraging sight for head coach Mike O’Shea, who hasn’t always been able to count on it.

3.

Edmonton (2)

The clock is ticking on these Eskimos — can they hang with Calgary or not — and as their fourth quarter follies in a loss to B.C. last week will attest, there are times when management of said clock is downright terrible.

4.

Ottawa (4)

A last-minute, comeback win at home over Montreal should send shudders through the Redblacks’ dressing room. Their quarterback had a career night and yet they were trailing the league’s worst team after three quarters. Though they had possession of the ball for 36 minutes, they clearly didn’t hold onto it well enough. With three lost fumbles, an interception and a turnover on downs, they dropped the giveaway/take-away battle 5-1, a stat that normally accompanies an L.

5.

B.C. (8)

When QB Travis Lulay isn’t pressured into hasty throws or risky escapes from the pocket, he’s among the league’s best at dissecting a defence. When the Lions’ defence is as fierce and ball-hungry as it was in the second half of a home win over Edmonton, talk of a turning point to this so-so season is sure to follow. The Lions may actually have found their feet, but they’ll need a win in Toronto to prove it.

6.

Saskatchewan (5)

If the release of two-way threat Duron Carter is actually addition by subtraction, and that’s how some prairie pundits are positioning the personnel move, the Riders will have one less goat on whom to pin the horns should they continue to sink into the West Division abyss. And with a visit from Calgary on tap this week, another loss is easier to envision than, say, Terrell Owens coming off the couch to save the season.

7.

Toronto (7)

Rookie quarterback McLeod BethelThompson knows how to make an entrance. How is he at encores?

8.

Hamilton (6)

The Tabbies will presumably be spending the bye week figuring out how to reverse a 1-4 slide that has put the lie to a 2-1 start. They have beaten only Montreal during their swoon, losing to Saskatchewan twice, Ottawa and Winnipeg. They commit too many turnovers (18) and don’t force enough of them (13), and as a byproduct, their average field position to start a drive is their own 30-yard line, the worst in the league.

9.

Montreal (9)

There are signs of life, some triggered by the arrival of Johnny Manziel. But this team has too many holes to patch all at once. They seem basement bound for the time being.

Dan Barnes