CIS Top 10: Dinos top Huskies, hold on to #2 spot

CFL.ca Staff

OTTAWA — The University of Western Ontario Mustangs top the Football Reporters of Canada – CIS rankings for the second consecutive week. However, the Calgary Dinos are breathing down their necks.

The OUA-leading Mustangs (7-0) received 17 of 29 first-place votes – four less than a week ago – and 273 points from the FRC panel to remain ahead of the Canada West-leading Dinos (6-0), who earned 11 first-place nods and 269 points. The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 last Tuesday was 21 points.

Western clinched top spot in Ontario for the first time since 1999 – along with a bye in the first round of the OUA playoffs – last weekend with a 21-9 win at Toronto (2-5). The Mustangs wrap up the regular season at Queen’s (5-2) on Saturday (1 p.m., live on The Score) with a chance to finish with an unblemished record for the first time since going 8-0 in 1998.

Calgary downed Saskatchewan 20-8 in Saskatoon last Friday, marking their first two-game sweep of the Huskies in conference play since 2000. The Dinos can secure first place in Canada West for the first time since 1995 when they host Manitoba (3-3) on Saturday.

There are no major changes behind the two leaders in the eighth national poll of the season as nine of the 10 teams ranked a week ago added a win to their record over the weekend.

The Laval Rouge et Or (6-1) and the Sherbrooke Vert & Or (6-1) remain third and fourth, respectively. Laval rebounded from its first loss in almost two years with a 57-9 domination of Bishop’s (2-5), while Sherbrooke beat Concordia (3-4) 31-11 for its sixth win of the campaign, a team record for the program that returned to CIS football in 2003.

First place in the RSEQ will be on the line Sunday when Sherbrooke visits the reigning Vanier Cup champions in Quebec City. The Rouge et Or, who are riding a CIS-record 48-game home winning streak dating back to 2004, are 13-0 all-time versus the Vert & Or including a 40-27 road victory in the first head-to-head matchup of the season on Sept. 17 and a 22-17 home win in last year’s Quebec final.

Rounding out the new Top 10 are the No. 5 McMaster Marauders (6-1), No. 6 Montreal Carabins (4-3), No. 7 Saint Mary’s Huskies (5-1), No. 8 UBC Thunderbirds (4-2), No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees (5-2) and No. 10 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-3).

McMaster leapfrogs Montreal for fifth place thanks to a one-point edge in the FRC voting (163-162), marking the second-straight week the Marauders and Carabins switch positions without suffering a loss. Despite the setback, Montreal received the remaining first-place vote for the second week in a row.

Saint Mary’s, UBC and Ottawa are all up one spot in the poll, while Saskatchewan drops three positions following its loss to second-ranked Calgary.

In addition to the Sherbrooke-Laval duel, other games to keep an eye on this weekend include No. 9 Ottawa at No. 5 McMaster on Saturday – with second place in the OUA on the line – and No. 7 Saint Mary’s at Acadia (5-1), also on Saturday – with the winner taking sole possession of first position in the AUS standings.