LOW RANKING COULD SIGNAL HIGH TIMES FOR ROUGHRIDERS
The good news, for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, is the projected bad news.
Consider 3Downnation.com’s most-recent CFL power rankings, in which Saskatchewan was sixth overall — and fifth (or last) among five West Division teams.
Some Roughriders fans have perceived this as a slight or an insult.
Actually, it’s a blessing. After all, history shows that the best Saskatchewan teams do not win Grey Cups. Instead, the championship seasons have been ones in which the Green and White has overcome adversity and, in so doing, silenced the skeptics. To recap:
1966: Saskatchewan won the Western Conference’s regular-season title, albeit with an unremarkable 9-6-1 record, en route to advancing to the Grey Cup against the Ottawa Rough Riders. Ottawa was such a prohibitive favourite that champagne was stored and CBC’S TV cameras were set up near the Rough Riders’ dressing room. Saskatchewan upset those plans, and Ottawa fans in general, by winning 29-14.
1989: The 9-9-0 Roughriders were supposed to be easy prey for the 16-2-0 Edmonton Eskimos in the West Division final. So much for assumptions. Saskatchewan won 32-21 at Commonwealth Stadium and, one week later, posted a 43-40 Grey Cup victory over the 12-6-0 Hamilton Tiger-cats. 2007: Although Saskatchewan enjoyed a 7-2-0 start and finished second in the West at 12-6-0, the B.C. Lions (14-3-1) were the league’s dominant team in the regular season. Not that it mattered, ultimately. Saskatchewan claimed the West title with a 2617 victory in Vancouver.
2013: A talent-laden Saskatchewan side was 11-7-0 — impressive, but not eye-popping — before rallying to defeat B.C. 29-25 in the West semifinal. That game proved to be the Roughriders’ toughest test of the playoffs, even though Calgary (14-4-0) was the league’s runaway regular-season champion. The Roughriders won the West final, 35-13, at Mcmahon Stadium. A 45-23 Grey Cup victory over the visitors from Hamilton ensued.
Now, compare those seasons to 1970, when Saskatchewan went 14-2-0 — establishing an enduring franchise record for victories — and didn’t even reach the Grey Cup.
Also keep in mind the 1968 season, in which the Roughriders (12-3-1) placed first in the West before being swept by Calgary in the best-of-three conference final.
The Roughriders of 1967 (12-40) and 1969 (13-3-0) did advance to the Grey Cup, only to lose handily both times.
Let’s not forget the 1976 Roughriders, who posted the CFL’S best record (11-5-0) before falling 23-20 to Ottawa (9-6-1) in the Grey Cup. (See: Gabriel, Tony.)
When the Roughriders next finished first in the West — a mere 33 years later — the protracted drought was snapped by a team that was widely discounted.
The Roughriders entered the 2009 season with a quarterback, Darian Durant, who had just four professional starts to his credit.
Suffice to say that there was uncertainty at quarterback — as is presently the case, with Zach Collaros coming off an uninspiring 2018 season.
Durant proceeded to earn West Division all-star honours while guiding Saskatchewan (10-7-1) to top spot. In fact, the Roughriders were one infamous gaffe away from upsetting the 15-3-0 Montreal Alouettes in the championship game.
And to think that one local columnist, who shall remain aimless, had the temerity to pick the Roughriders to finish fifth — dead last — in the West.