CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA — The Laval Rouge et Or remain atop the CIS football rankings for the sixth time in as many media polls in 2008, while the No. 2 Queen’s Gaels and No. 3 Saint Mary’s Huskies also continue their quest for an undefeated season.
Laval (5-0) received all 11 first-place votes from the Top 10 committee for the fifth consecutive week following a 67-7 demolition of McGill. It was the best offensive output for the five-time defending QUFL champions since a 72-14 Quebec semi-final win over Sherbrooke on Nov. 5, 2005.
The Rouge et Or, who have now been ranked No. 1 in 45 of the past 46 CIS polls, dating back to 2005, are off to a 5-0 start for the fifth straight year and show a remarkable 42-3 conference record since the start of 2003.
Next up for Laval is a road date with Bishop’s (2-3) Saturday at 1 p.m., a duel that will be televised live on RDS. The Rouge et Or took last year’s head-to-head meeting 50-15.
Positions two through six remain unchanged in this week’s national rankings with Queen’s (6-0), Saint Mary’s (5-0), the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-1), Western Ontario Mustangs (5-1) and Calgary Dinos (3-2) following Laval in order.
The No. 2 Gaels scored the most lopsided win in school history over the weekend blanking York 80-0. Needing one victory in its final two conference outings to secure first place in the OUA, Queen’s hosts Ottawa (3-3) Saturday at 1 p.m. (The Score) before closing out the season at Waterloo (1-5) on Oct. 18.
Reigning Vanier Cup finalist Saint Mary’s managed to remain undefeated despite using a fourth starting quarterback in five games, overcoming a 23-0 deficit to beat StFX, 32-26. The AUFC-leading Huskies host Montreal (2-3) Saturday at 5 p.m. Atlantic (The Score) in interlock action.
No. 4 Saskatchewan crushed UBC, 37-3, No. 5 Western rolled over Windsor, 58-5, and No. 6 Calgary enjoyed a bye in Canada West.
Rounding out the new media poll are the No. 7 Concordia Stingers (3-2), No. 8 Simon Fraser Clan (4-2), No. 9 Sherbrooke Vert & Or (4-1) and No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (4-2).
Concordia is up one spot following a dramatic 19-18 win over Montreal, while Simon Fraser is up two positions after a 10-8 shootout victory over reigning Vanier Cup champion Manitoba.
Sherbrooke and Laurier were both unranked last week. The Vert & Or are off to their best start since joining the QUFL in 2003 thanks to a 37-19 defeat of Bishop’s, while the Hawks moved closer to home-field advantage in the first round of the OUA playoffs with a nail-biting, 22-21 win over Ottawa.
MITSUBISHI TOP 10 (#6)
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 (5-0) | 110 (11) | 1 |
| 2. Queen’s (6-0) | 99 | 2 |
| 3. Saint Mary’s (5-0) | 85 | 3 |
| 4. Saskatchewan (4-1) | 79 | 4 |
| 5. Western Ontario (5-1) | 64 | 5 |
| 6. Calgary (3-2) | 51 | 6 |
| 7. Concordia (3-2) | 44 | 8 |
| 8. Simon Fraser (4-2) | 29 | 10 |
| 9. Sherbrooke (4-1) | 20 | NR |
| 10. Wilfrid Laurier (4-2) | 9 | NR |
Other teams receiving votes: Regina (8), Montreal (4), Ottawa (3).
CIS FOOTBALL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
Thursday, Oct. 9
7:00 pm No. 5 Western (5-1) at Toronto (2-4)
7:00 pm No. 8 Simon Fraser (4-2) at UBC (2-4)
Friday, Oct. 10
7:00 pm Waterloo (1-5) at Windsor (3-3)
Saturday, Oct. 11
1:00 pm McMaster (3-3) at No. 10 Laurier (4-2)
1:00 pm York (0-6) at Guelph (3-3)
1:00 pm Ottawa (3-3) at No. 2 Queen’s (6-0), The Score
1:00 pm Mount Allison (2-3) at No. 7 Concordia (3-2)
1:00 pm No. 1 Laval (5-0) at Bishop’s (2-3), RDS
1:00 pm Regina (3-2) at No. 6 Calgary (3-2)
1:00 pm No. 4 Saskatchewan (4-1) at Manitoba (2-3), Shaw TV
2:00 pm McGill (0-5) at StFX (2-3)
4:00 pm Acadia (0-5) at No. 9 Sherbrooke (4-1)
5:00 pm Montreal (2-3) at No. 3 Saint Mary’s (5-0), The Score / EastLink
