CFL.ca Staff
MONTREAL — With just one week remaining in the regular season, all six Quebec University Football League (QUFL) teams remain in contention for the playoffs, setting up one of the most exciting weekends of university football in recent memory.
There are a number of potential playoff match-ups as four teams, the McGill Redmen, Bishop’s Gaiters, Concordia Stingers and Sherbrook Vert & Or are currently tied for the final two playoff positions with identical 3-4 records.
The defending Canadian champion Laval Rouge et Or are the only team locked into a playoff seed, having clinched first place last weekend with a win over Sherbrooke. The Montreal Carabins is the only other team to have clinched an invitation to the post-season dance with a 4-3 record, but can finish anywhere between second and fourth depending on this weekend’s results.
THREE GAMES TO DETERMINE PLAYOFF SEEDING
All three QUFL games will be played Saturday at 1 pm with Radio-Canada television featuring the Sherbrooke-Montreal match-up from CEPSUM Stadium in Montreal.
Sherbrooke has won the previous two games between the institutions, including the most recent contest two weeks ago when the Vert & Or kept their playoff hopes alive with a 34-15 home field win over the Carabins. Sherbrooke is 0-3 on the road this season but Montreal has lost two straight and may be without the services of starting pivot Marc-Olivier Brouillette who suffered a concussion in last week’s loss to Bishop’s. The Vert & Or must win on Saturday in order to qualify for the playoffs, while a Montreal win will earn them second place and home-field advantage in the semi-final.
In another game featuring a pair of teams battling for their playoff lives, the Bishop’s Gaiters host the Concordia Stingers at Coulter Field in Lennoxville. The Gaiters stunned the Carabins in week 7, earning a 21-16 upset over the Montreal squad, while the Stingers topped the McGill Redmen 30-25. This is the only meeting of the season between the two sides with the squads splitting the season series a year ago. Concordia won the 2008 season opener 30-15 at Concordia Stadium while the Gaiters exacted an ounce of revenge taking the second game 33-25 at Coulter Field.
The regular season wraps up with Laval visiting Percival Molson Stadium to face the McGill Redmen. After back-to-back winless seasons, the Redmen surprised more than a couple of observers with wins over Sherbrooke, Bishop’s and Mount Allison University this year to set up a showdown with the defending national champions for a berth in the playoffs. McGill’s last win against Laval came on Saturday October 27, 2001 when the Redmen topped the Rouge et Or 29-23. On the other side of the ball, Laval has already wrapped up its fifth consecutive regular season crown after a 22-5 win over Sherbrooke in Week 7.
