CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA — Following their 40-27 win over Sherbrooke, the Laval Rouge et Or are once again the top ranked team in the CIS Top 10 Rankings, as voted on by the Football Reporters of Canada.
Laval, now the only undefeated team in the Quebec Conference thanks to their win over the Vert & Or, received 27-of-29 first-place votes for 288 points from FRC voters to remain in front of the Western Mustangs and the Calgary Dinos, who occupy the no.2 and no.3 spots in the rankings, respectively.
There was a lot of movement below the Big Three in the fourth poll of the CIS season, as Saskatchewan, Saint-Mary’s, Ottawa, Windsor and Sherbrooke all suffered their first losses of the young season.
The Rouge et Or sit in the no.1 spot for the 60th time in 64 national polls dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign. Last week saw Glen Constantin’s group come-from-behind to win after trailing 21-14 in the third quarter.
Laval has now strung together 16-consecutive wins dating back to the 2009 Mitchell Bowl. They need just three more to match their own CIS record that they set over the 2004-05 seasons.
Next week, they will host the McGill Redmen (0-3).
The no.2 Western Mustangs (3-0) overcame a slow start of their own to eventually down the Ottawa Gee Gees 41-13 in a rematch of last year’s Yates Cup. The Mustangs were led by freshman running back Tyler Varga, who racked up 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Kitchener, Ont. Native is now second in the nation with 374 rushing yards and leads the country with nine touchdowns.
Sitting in the three spot, the Calgary Dinos (3-0) scored early and often, en-route to a 51-1 victory over the Regina Rams (0-3). Next week, the Dinos will host the Saskatchewan Huskies in the first of two regular season matchups between the perennial powerhouses.
At no.4, the Montréal Carabins just edged no.8 Saint-Mary’s 11-10 in a defensive battle in La Belle Province. The Carabins moved up two spots in the rankings, while the Huskies remained at seven.
Despite not having starting quarterback Kyle Quinlan in the lineup, the Marauders were able to slip by the Windsor Lancers, moving up to the sixth spot in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan was upset by the Bisons in Manitoba last week, costing the Huskies three positions in the poll. The Bisons occupy the final spot of the rankings, ranking nationally for the first time since 2008.
In B.C., the Thunderbirds outscored the winless Alberta Golden Bears, 40-30 at home to return to the Top 10 after a one-week absence.
| Rank | Team | Pts. (1st place) | Last Week |
| 1. | Laval (3-0) | 288 (27) | 1 |
| 2. | Western (3-0) | 260 (2) | 2 |
| 3. | Calgary (3-0) | 230 | 3 |
| 4. | Montréal (2-1) | 180 | 6 |
| 5. | Sherbrooke (2-1) | 172 | 5 |
| 6. | McMaster (2-1) | 126 | 7 |
| 7. | Saint Mary’s (1-1) | 118 | 3 |
| 8. | Saint Mary’s (1-0) | 60 | 8 |
| 9. | UBC (2-1) | 52 | NR |
| 10. | Manitoba (2-1) | 36 | NR |
Other teams receiving votes: Windsor (23), Acadia (21), Ottawa (18), Concordia (16), Toronto (2), Queen’s (1).
