Arden Zwelling
CFL.ca
It’s a week shy of the official half way point of the CIS football season and the playoff picture couldn’t be any less clear. Every conference is still up for grabs as we creep closer to the start of the playoffs in early November – here’s where each conference stands.
OUA
The Ottawa Gee Gees have made it clear they’re the team to beat this year, winning cakewalks against lowly Windsor and York but also earning victories over quality opponents McMaster and Western. The 4-0 Gee Gee’s have a playoff spot all but locked up at this point, considering they have games against a weakened Queen’s Gaels squad, the struggling University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the offensively challenged Guelph Gryphons still on their schedule.
But in a surprise twist, it’s the Gryphons who are currently undefeated and in second place after wins over Toronto, York and Queen’s. The worst of their schedule is still to come, however, with games against Western, McMaster and Ottawa on the horizon.
The Western Mustangs are still in the conversation for a top-two finish and a playoff bye – they’re 3-1 and are through the worst of their schedule with games against Toronto, York, Guelph and Queen’s to follow in their second half.
The hobbled McMaster Marauders, who got off to a great start with wins over Queen’s and Laurier, have now dropped two in a row and are in danger of letting their litany of injuries sink what looked like a promising season for Stefan Ptaszek’s squad.
QSSF
Maybe the only conference where things are going the way they’re supposed to, the Quebec league sees perennial Vanier Cup favourite Laval and the University of Montreal Carabins leading the way while the rest lag behind. Both teams are 3-0 and could very well be 5-0 when they go into their Oct. 9 matchup in Montreal.
In 2009 it was Montreal who beat Laval in the regular season but couldn’t top the Rouge-et-Or in the playoffs.
But it’s never wise to bet against Laval, who have looked unstoppable this season. And considering the Rouge-et-Or have held their opponents to under 10 points in their first three games, Montreal will be hard pressed to slay the giant.
CANADA WEST
The Saskatchewan Huskies were neck-and-neck with the eventual Uteck Bowl champion Calgary Dinos last season – finishing a last second field goal shy of winning the conference – and this year had high hopes to challenge the Dinos once again. But after earning a stirring victory over the Dinos in week one, the Huskies are reeling, having dropped two games in a row to unranked teams and allowing the Dinos to claim a share of first place after their 2-1 start.
In the preseason, it was an obvious choice to pick the Dinos and the Huskies to battle for the conference championship once again, but if Saskatchewan continues to slip they could be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Meanwhile, the under-the-radar Alberta Golden Bears have quietly put together a nice season, beating up on UBC and Manitoba and holding Calgary’s high-powered offence to just 23 points in a 23-14 loss in week three. Keep an eye on Regina, too, as they are also sitting among the league leaders out west.
AUS
It’s been a long time since anyone was even able to challenge Saint Mary’s dominance in the AUS, but this year it’s the Huskies who are tied for last place with another traditionally good team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. Meanwhile, the Acadia Axemen and Mount Allison Mounties – two teams who weren’t even considered threats coming into the season – are tied for first after Acadia upset the Huskies and the Mounties edged the X-Men in the first week of AUS action.
Interlock play with the QSSF didn’t help anyone as the Quebec teams swept the AUS and, of course, all four teams still have six inter-conference games left on their schedule. Anything can happen in the month of October on the East coast.
