CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA – The Laval Rouge et Or are a unanimous choice for a second straight week atop the CIS football national media poll following a 47-1 domination of the Acadia Axemen in one of four Quebec-Atlantic interlock contests played over the weekend.
With the lopsided win, five-time defending QUFL champion Laval is off to a 2-0 start for a seventh consecutive season. The Rouge et Or has led all three national rankings thus far this fall and has been ranked No. 1 in 42 of the past 43 polls, dating back to 2005.
Former Hec Crighton Trophy nominee, quarterback Benoit Groulx, back in the starting role for Laval after an injury-plagued 2007 campaign, was near perfect against Acadia completing 24 of 27 passes for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns in three quarters of action.
Next up for the Rouge et Or is a top-10 duel on the road against the No. 7 Concordia Stingers (2-0). The game airs live on RDS at 1 p.m.
Rounding out the new Top 10 are the No. 2 Western Ontario Mustangs (3-0), No. 3 Saint Mary’s Huskies (2-0), No. 4 Queen’s Golden Gaels (3-0), No. 5 Ottawa Gee-Gees (2-1), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (2-1), No. 7 Concordia (2-0), No. 8 Simon Fraser Clan (2-1), No. 9 Calgary Dinos (2-1) and No. 10 Montreal Carabins (1-1).
Western moves up two positions this week and reaches the No. 2 spot for the first time since 1999 following a 49-3 dismantling of Waterloo. The Mustangs, who a year ago overcame an 0-4 start to capture their first Yates Cup title since 1998, find themselves at 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
Saint Mary’s, ranked third for the third straight week, was the only AUFC team to come out on top in the four-game interlock weekend with Quebec. The 2007 Vanier Cup finalists, still waiting for the return of Hec Crighton-winning quarterback Erik Glavic, went on the road to beat Bishop’s 35-27.
Queen’s gains one position in the new media poll and reaches No. 4 for the first time since the late stages of the 2003 campaign after a an impressive 41-7 victory over Laurier, ranked No. 10 at the time of the contest.
The biggest surprises of the past weekend came from the wild Canada West conference.
Simon Fraser, which entered the season riding a 25-game losing streak, overcame a 16-3 halftime deficit to upset Saskatchewan 27-17. It marked the Clan’s first win over the Huskies since joining CIS in 2002, allowing them to crack the Top 10 for the first time since 2004.
At Winnipeg, the UBC Thunderbirds spoiled the Vanier Cup champions’ homecoming crushing Manitoba 28-0. The Bisons, who were held off the scoreboard for the first time since 1997, are the first defending national champions to start the season 1-2 since Toronto dropped its first three games in 1994 on its way to a 3-4 record.
MITSUBISHI TOP 10 (#3)
Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point system, with a first-place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Football Top Ten Committee is made up of 11 members of media from across Canada. A total of nine national rankings will be released for the 2008 season, with the final Top 10 being released once all teams have completed the regular season.
Pts (1st place) Last week
1. Laval (2-0) 110 (11) 1
2. Western Ontario (3-0) 93 4
3. Saint Mary’s (2-0) 85 3
4. Queen’s (3-0) 77 5
5. Ottawa (2-1) 52 6
6. Saskatchewan (2-1) 50 2
7. Concordia (2-0) 46 7
8. Simon Fraser (2-1) 27 NR
9. Calgary (2-1) 24 9
10. Montreal (1-1) 19 NR
Other teams receiving votes: UBC (13), Sherbrooke (8), Regina (1).
CIS FOOTBALL WEEK 5 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
Friday, Sept. 19
7:00 pm Mount Allison (0-2) at No. 3 Saint Mary’s (2-0)
7:00 pm Bishop’s (0-2) at McGill (0-2)
7:00 pm Manitoba (1-2) at Alberta (1-2) (Shaw TV)
7:00 pm Regina (0-2) at UBC (2-1)
Saturday, Sept. 20
1:00 pm Windsor (2-1) at Laurier (1-2) (Rogers TV)
1:00 pm Waterloo (1-2) at No. 5 Ottawa (2-1)
1:00 pm No. 4 Queen’s (3-0) at Toronto (2-1)
1:00 pm No. 2 Western (3-0) at York (0-3)
1:00 pm McMaster (3-0) at Guelph (1-2) (The Score)
1:00 pm No. 1 Laval (2-0) at No. 7 Concordia (2-0) (RDS)
1:00 pm No. 9 Calgary (2-1) at No. 8 Simon Fraser (2-1)
2:00 pm Acadia (0-2) at StFX (1-1) (EastLink)
7:00 pm No. 10 Montreal (1-1) at Sherbrooke (2-0)
