CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA — The Laval Rouge et Or return to a familiar place this week as the seven-time defending Quebec champions climb up one position to top the second Football Reporters of Canada – CIS national poll of the season.
The Rouge et Or, who had opened at No. 1 five years running before opening in second place behind the Calgary Dinos last Tuesday, received 24 of the available 40 first-place votes and 439 points in the new rankings to edge the Saskatchewan Huskies, who are also up one spot to No. 2 this week after earning the remaining 16 first-place nods and 432 points from FRC members.
Laval (1-0) kicked off conference play on Sunday with a dominating 50-9 home win over McGill (0-1). The perennial QUFL powerhouse got off to a somewhat slow start and was only leading 10-2 at halftime but exploded for 40 points after the break.
The Rouge et Or is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the 48th time in 52 polls dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign.
Saskatchewan (1-0) opened the Canada West schedule on Saturday night with a convincing 34-13 road win over Calgary (0-1), which drops all the way to No. 5 following the lopsided result.
Rounding out this week’s Top 10 are No. 3 Ottawa (2-0), No. 4 Saint Mary’s (0-0), No. 6 McMaster (2-0), No. 7 Montreal (1-0), No. 8 Western Ontario (1-1), No. 9 Regina (1-0) and No. 10 Concordia (1-0).
Ottawa and McMaster are both off to 2-0 starts in OUA play.
The No. 3 Gee-Gees – who were ranked No. 5 last week – went on the road last Tuesday to defeat Windsor (0-1) 23-14, before scoring a 20-19 comeback win over Western in their home opener on Labour Day Monday.
The No. 6 Marauders – ranked No. 10 a week ago – got a pair of home wins against teams that dropped out of the Top 10 this week. They edged defending Vanier Cup champion Queen’s (0-1) 23-18 last Tuesday, before erasing a 22-0 deficit to beat Laurier (0-2) on Labour Day Monday.
A trio of Top-10 matchups highlight the upcoming weekend of CIS football: No. 9 Regina at No. 5 Calgary on Friday; No. 6 McMaster at No. 8 Western on Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m.); No. 7 Montreal at No. 10 Concordia on Saturday (SRC, 1 p.m.).
No. 1 Laval (1-0): Top 10 ranking: Up one position from No. 2… Last week: Opened season with 50-9 home win vs. McGill (0-1)… This week: Visit Sherbrooke (0-1) on Saturday.
No. 2 Saskatchewan (1-0): Top 10 ranking: Up one position from No. 3… Last week: Opened season with 34-13 road win vs. No. 5 Calgary (0-1), which was ranked No. 1 prior to the game… This week: Host UBC (0-1) on Friday.
No. 3 Ottawa (2-0): Top 10 ranking: Up two positions from No. 5… Last week: Opened season with 23-14 win at Windsor (1-1), before edging No. 8 Western (1-1) 20-19 at home on Labour Day Monday… This week: Visit York (0-1) on Saturday.
No. 4 Saint Mary’s (0-0): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Did not play… Open regular season at Acadia (0-0) on Saturday (EastLink, 2 p.m. Atlantic Time).
No. 5 Calgary (0-1): Top 10 ranking: Down four positions from No. 1… Last week: Opened season with 34-13 home loss vs. No. 2 Saskatchewan (1-0)… This week: Host No. 9 Regina (1-0) on Friday.
No. 6 McMaster (2-0): Top 10 ranking: Up four positions from No. 10… Last week: Opened season with 23-18 home win vs. defending Vanier Cup champion Queen’s (0-1), before edging Wilfrid Laurier (0-2) 26-24 at home on Labour Day Monday… This week: Visit No. 8 Western (1-1) on Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m.).
No. 7 Montreal (1-0): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Opened season with 33-29 home win vs. Sherbrooke (0-1)… This week: Visit No. 10 Concordia (1-0) on Saturday (SRC, 1 p.m.).
No. 8 Western (1-1): Top 10 ranking: Up one position from No. 9… Last week: Opened season with 46-1 home win vs. Wilfrid Laurier (0-2), before losing 20-19 at No. 3 Ottawa (2-0) on Labour Day Monday… This week: Host No. 6 McMaster (2-0) on Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m.).
No. 9 Regina (1-0): Top 10 ranking: Unranked last week… Last week: Opened season with 45-11 home win vs. Manitoba (0-1)… This week: Visit No. 5 Calgary (0-1) on Friday.
No. 10 Concordia (1-0): Top 10 ranking: Unranked last week… Last week: Opened season with 17-14 win at Bishop’s (0-1)… This week: Host No. 7 Montreal (1-0) on Saturday (SRC, 1 p.m.).
FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#2)
| Team | Pts | 1st | Last Week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Laval (1-0) | 439 | (24) | 2 |
| 2. | Saskatchewan (1-0) | 432 | (16) | 3 |
| 3. | Ottawa (2-0) | 300 | – | 5 |
| 4. | Saint Mary’s (0-0) | 271 | – | 4 |
| 5. | Calgary (0-1) | 271 | – | 1 |
| 6. | McMaster (2-0) | 209 | – | 10 |
| 7. | Montreal (1-0) | 201 | – | 7 |
| 8. | Western (1-1) | 168 | – | 9 |
| 9. | Regina (1-0) | 70 | – | NR |
| 10. | Concordia (1-0) | 33 | – | NR |
Other teams receiving votes: Wilfrid Laurier (32), Sherbrooke (26), StFX (12), Alberta (8), Guelph (3), McGill (2).
