POWER RANKINGS

1 (1) CALGARY

The Stampeders boast a league-best 11-1-1 record. They clinched a playoff berth in their 13th game of the season. Next …

2 (2) WINNIPEG

The Bombers (9-3) continue to impress. Quarterback Matt Nichols is entering elite territory in his first full season as a starter.

3 (3) SASKATCHEWAN

The Roughriders are coming off a 15-9 loss to Calgary, but can still feel good about their effort. Saskatchewan held the powerful Stampeders without a touchdown. The Chris Jones-choreographed defence keeps improving. Going toe-to-toe with Calgary is a progressive step, despite the outcome.

4 (4) EDMONTON

The Eskimos staved off another lost weekend by virtue of being idle. Saved by the bye! Edmonton began the season by winning seven in a row, only to lose its next five games. Saturday’s home date against Winnipeg looms as a crucial contest for the Eskimos. They can either regain some respectability or forget about a home playoff game. If they go from 7-0 to 7-6, well, ugh …

5 (7) TORONTO

The Argonauts have just finished rolling over the CFL’s version of a free space — the Montreal Alouettes — so a victory was not all that impressive. However, Argonauts running back James Wilder Jr. is certainly a player on the rise. Over his last two games, he has 21 carries for 331 yards. He is averaging (get this) 15.8 yards per carry during that span. That would be an impressive average for most receivers.

6 (5) B.C.

The Lions (6-7) are the only West Division squad with a losing record. How is this possible? B.C. was widely expected to contend for a division title. Instead, they continue to be an enigma. With the trade deadline drawing closer, perhaps the Lions could swap this year’s Jonathon Jennings for the 2016 version.

7 (6) OTTAWA

The Redblacks are coming off an ugly 29-9 loss to Winnipeg. The defeat was inevitable, considering Ottawa was starting a thirdstring quarterback (Ryan Lindley) against a red-hot Bombers team. Mind you, Lindley was hardly to blame for a succession of dropped passes — including some by Greg Ellingson, who usually catches everything.

8 (8) HAMILTON

The Tiger-Cats (3-9) have a 3-1 record since June Jones assumed the head-coaching reins from Kent Austin. That is quite a surge for a team that at one point looked like a solid bet to go 0-18. Hamilton’s defence, once a sieve, is now reliably effective.

9 (9) MONTREAL

The free-falling Alouettes are 0-2 since dumping head coach/offensive co-ordinator Jacques Chapdelaine and defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe. Over those two games, Montreal has been outscored 62-30. Kavis Reed is having a rough year as a general manager and an interim head coach.