CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA – For the fourth consecutive week, the Laval Rouge et Or are a unanimous choice as the top team in CIS football.
The five-time defending QUFL champions improved to 4-0 in conference play on Sunday with a hard-fought, 21-12 win over Concordia, their second victory in as many weeks against the No. 8-ranked Stingers (2-2).
Laval has led all five national rankings this season and has now been ranked No. 1 in 44 of the past 45 CIS polls, dating back to 2005. The Rouge et Or are undefeated at the midway point of the regular season for the fourth consecutive year and show a remarkable 41-3 conference record since the start of 2003.
Next up for Laval is a road date with winless McGill (0-4) Friday night at Montreal. The game will be televised live on RDS at 7 p.m. The Rouge et Or are riding a 10-game winning streak against the Redmen dating back to a 29-23 setback on Oct. 27, 2001.
Things are getting interesting in the CIS Top 10 behind top-ranked Laval as only one other team, No. 3 Saint Mary’s, maintained its position from a week ago. The 2007 Vanier Cup finalist Huskies also improved to 4-0 over the weekend with a 28-23 win over Acadia (0-4).
The Queen’s Gaels (5-0) move up two spots to No. 2 following an impressive 43-16 victory over the Western Ontario Mustangs (4-1), in what was a battle for sole possession of first position in the OUA. The loss drops Western three Top 10 spots to No. 5.
Queen’s, which received seven second-place votes and four third-place nods from the 11-member media panel, had last reached No. 2 in the final poll of the 2002 campaign.
The Saskatchewan Huskies (3-1) also gain two spots after a convincing 35-12 win over Alberta (1-4) and return to No. 4, where they started the season.
The Huskies are tied atop the Canada West standings with the No. 6 Calgary Dinos (3-2) and No. 10 Simon Fraser Clan (3-2), with one game in hand.
Calgary, which hasn’t been ranked this high nationally since 2003, was the biggest winner in the new Top 10 improving four places following a 24-11 win over UBC (2-3), while Simon Fraser is down three positions following its worst performance of the season, a 31-7 defeat at the hands of Regina (2-2).
Rounding out this week’s poll are the No. 7 Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-2), down two ranks after a surprise 40-38 loss to Windsor (3-2), No. 8 Concordia Stingers (2-2), up one spot following a valiant effort against top-ranked Laval, and No. 9 Bishop’s Gaiters (2-2), back in the Top 10 for the first time since the first poll of the season following a 15-10 defeat of cross-town rival Sherbrooke (3-1).
MITSUBISHI TOP 10 (#5)
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 (4-) | 110 (11) | 1 |
| 2. Queen’s (5-0) | 95 | 4 |
| 3. Saint Mary’s (4-0) | 89 | 3 |
| 4. Saskatchewan (3-1) | 78 | 6 |
| 5. Western Ontario (4-1) | 55* | 2 |
| 6. Calgary (3-2) | 55* | 10 |
| 7. Ottawa (3-2) | 25 | 5 |
| 8. Concordia (2-2) | 22 | 9 |
| 9. Bishop’s (2-2) | 20 | NR |
| 10. Simon Fraser (3-2) | 17 | 7 |
Other teams receiving votes: Sherbrooke (16), Montreal (12), Regina (5), Laurier (4), Windsor (2).
*Western Ontario was ranked higher than Calgary based on number of higher-placed votes.
CIS FOOTBALL WEEK 7 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
Friday, Oct. 3
7:00 pm Toronto (2-3) at McMaster (2-3)
7:00 pm No. 1 Laval (4-0) at McGill (0-4), RDS
7:00 pm Manitoba (2-2) at No. 10 Simon Fraser (3-2)
Saturday, Oct. 4
12:30 pm Laurier (3-2) at No. 7 Ottawa (3-2), The Score
1:00 pm Guelph (2-3) at Waterloo (1-4)
1:00 pm No. 2 Queen’s (5-0) at York (0-5), Rogers
1:00 pm No. 8 Concordia (2-2) at Montreal (2-2)
2:00 pm Windsor (3-2) at No. 5 Western (4-1), Rogers
2:00 pm Mount Allison (1-3) at Acadia (0-4)
2:00 pm No. 3 Saint Mary’s (4-0) at StFX (2-2), EastLink
3:00 pm Alberta (1-4) at Regina (2-2)
4:00 pm No. 9 Bishop’s (2-2) at Sherbrooke (3-1)
7:00 pm UBC (2-3) at No. 4 Saskatchewan (3-1)
