Saskatoon StarPhoenix

POWER RANKINGS

7 WEEK

- — Rob Vanstone

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(1). EDMONTON

The Eskimos (5-0) are an easy choice for top spot, considerin­g they’re the CFL’s only undefeated team. Edmonton is also coming off Friday’s 37-26 home-field victory over B.C., which had won four consecutiv­e games. Quarterbac­k Mike Reilly has establishe­d a nice rapport with receiver Brandon Zylstra.

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(3). CALGARY

The Stampeders eviscerate­d Hamilton 60-1 on Saturday, raising the question: How did the TigerCats manage a rouge? Perhaps they overachiev­ed. As the season evolves, watch for some compelling Edmonton-Calgary games. The Alberta rivalry could reach another tier.

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(2). B.C.

The Lions’ offence has fared well despite the absence of quarterbac­k Jonathon Jennings, who has missed the better part of the past three games. Travis Lulay had back-to-back games with 400-plus passing yards before running into the Eskimos’ defence. Despite that setback, the Lions are in the top third of the league, with a considerab­le drop-off thereafter.

4 (5). WINNIPEG

The Blue Bombers’ last two games have been CFL classics. On July 21, Winnipeg coughed up a 42-25 fourth-quarter lead and lost 45-42 to B.C. Winnipeg appeared poised for a second successive loss before staging a remarkable comeback against Montreal on Thursday. The Bombers overcame a 12-point deficit in the final two minutes and won 41-40.

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(8). SASKATCHEW­AN

The Roughrider­s move waaaaay up in the rankings at the expense of Toronto, which fell 38-27 in Regina on Saturday. Once again, the CFL looks like a two-tiered league — first the West, then the East — and the power rankings reflect that. Saskatchew­an now faces the formidable task of cracking the top four.

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(4). TORONTO

And now for the East Division. The Argonauts descend two spots after being one of the few teams to lose to Saskatchew­an since mid-September of 2014. Toronto’s Ricky Ray-led offence is piling up the passing yards, but the Argos’ defence took a few steps back while allowing Kevin Glenn to throw four touchdowns and Cameron Marshall to rush for 110 yards.

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(7). OTTAWA

The defending Grey Cup champions enjoyed a respite after playing three games in a span of 11 days, and four times within 17 days. Ottawa has scored more points (164) than anyone in the East, not that the explosiven­ess has significan­tly influenced the Redblacks’ record (1-4-1). Ottawa’s Trevor Harris has a leaguehigh 12 touchdown passes.

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(6). MONTREAL

The Alouettes are a puzzle. They raised eyebrows by knocking off Calgary 30-23 on July 14, only to lose the following two games — the most recent of which featured one of the league’s all-time collapses. Quarterbac­k Darian Durant is becoming more comfortabl­e with the Als offence, although early-game intercepti­ons are an issue.

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(9). HAMILTON

Stampeders 60, Tiger-Cats 1. What more needs to be written? Compared to Hamilton, the Donald Trump administra­tion is a smooth-running operation. It is difficult to believe a Kent Austin-coached team could become the CFL’s free space. Believe it or not, it could get worse for the shabby Tabbies. Next stop: Edmonton. Gulp.

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