POWER RANKINGS 20 WEEK
1. B.C. (4)
The Lions’ road to the post-season appeared tougher than most, but they’re winning for Wally and have dispatched Calgary and Edmonton in the past couple of weeks with relative ease. With a playoff berth clinched, and games left against the Riders and Stamps, they have an outside shot at hosting the West semifinal, which would have been unthinkable three weeks ago when the winning streak started. So too this lofty perch at the top of the rankings.
1. Winnipeg (2)
Yes, it’s a first-place tie. They get the bye-week bump from the free-falling Stamps. Also, they’re on a four-game winning streak, still have a chance to host the West semifinal, and their last game was a 31-0 blowout of the Riders. Enough said.
3. Saskatchewan (6)
Blown out in Winnipeg one week, better than the Stamps in Calgary the next, the Riders are a study in inconsistency. It’s hard to argue with an 11-6 record, but the offence still doesn’t put the ball in the end zone nearly enough.
4. Calgary (1)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Stamps lost a second straight home game, and this late season 1-2 swoon is eerily reminiscent of last year’s denouement, which saw them drop the final three regular-season games before advancing to the Grey Cup. This ill-timed slump is fuelled by injuries on offence and a formerly formidable defence that’s stumbling toward the finish line.
5. Ottawa (7)
The Redblacks are an advertisement for Canadian content as receiver Brad Sinopoli and kicker Lewis Ward lead them toward an East Division crown. Also helping the cause are running back William Powell, who tops all CFL rushers, QB Trevor Harris, who got a grip on his interception problem, and Diontae Spencer, who has been a dynamite dual threat as a receiver and return man.
6. Hamilton (3)
A loss to Ottawa was debilitating enough, but the Tabbies also lost star receiver and punt returner Brandon Banks, out for the rest of the season with a broken clavicle. For those wondering how much that will hurt the Tabbies’ chances in the playoffs, the Eskimos haven’t been the same without their top receiver in Derel Walker, and the Stampeders have yet to adequately replace Kamar Jorden.
7. Edmonton (5)
They fired the special teams coach this year. They might well miss the playoffs, in a year in which the city is hosting the Grey Cup. But hey, that Grey Cup Festival zipline sure looks like a crowd-pleaser.
8. Toronto (9)
They won The Toilet Bowl in front of a crowd, scratch that, polite gathering that was so small the CFL didn’t bother to include the attendance figure on the official game sheet, for the first time all season. The win over Montreal brought to a halt the Argos’ seven-game losing streak. It didn’t win them any new fans, however.
9. Montreal (8)
Playing for a job at the end of a lost season like this one makes sense right up until the point where the GM, head coach and his entire staff get whacked, and the new regime blows up everything, and everyone associated with the losing culture that surely must permeate this franchise.