Justin Dunk
CFL.ca
Only a couple weeks remain in the CIS regular season schedule so we’ll spin around to each of the four conferences and take a look at the playoff picture as we head towards the sudden death month of November.
AUS
Two teams seem to be on track, barring a massive upset, to meet in the 2011 Loney Bowl.
St. Mary’s and Acadia have run roughshod through east coast conference foes and sit one and two respectively in the standings with matching 5-1 records – the Huskies could officially move to 6-0 if Montreal loses their appeal for using an ineligible player in a game between the two teams on September 17.
Acadia’s lone defeat on the season came at the hands of the Huskies, an 8-3 defensive struggle on October 1.
However, the Axemen will have a chance for revenge and more importantly, a shot at hosting the AUS championship game this coming Saturday when they welcome the Huskies to Raymond Field.
Acadia must beat St. Mary’s by more than five points to hold the tiebreaker over the Huskies or the Axemen will be forced to play a semi-final home game, while St. Mary’s enjoys a bye week, before traveling to Huskies Stadium for the AUS title game.
Meanwhile, St. Francis Xavier can lock down the third and final playoff spot in the AUS with a victory over winless Mount Allison on Friday night. On the flip side, with an eight-point win, the Mounties could put themselves in the driver’s seat for the last post-season berth out east.
RSEQ
In Quebec, Laval, Sherbrooke, Montreal and Concordia all look like safe bets to claim the four playoffs positions, although it is still up in the air as to what the order of finish will be. Let’s start at the bottom of the standings and work up.
The Stingers, who currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot, play at Montreal and host McGill in the two remaining games on their schedule. Assuming Concordia loses to the Carabins and beats the Redmen, the Stingers would finish 4-5 and clinch the last post-season berth in Quebec.
Montreal is holding steady in third position. A win over Concordia this Saturday would guarantee the Carabins to finish no worse than third place.
In their season finale on October 29, Montreal will host Sherbrooke in a game that could, depending how the Vert et Or fare this weekend at Laval, decide second place in the conference and home field advantage in a possible semi-final playoff match up.
Sherbrooke has the toughest remaining schedule of any team in Quebec. The Vert et Or will travel to Laval on Sunday to play a Rouge et Or team that has won 48-straight games on home turf, before hitting the road for Montreal in the final week of the regular season.
Sherbrooke must beat Laval by 14 points to have any chance of finishing atop the regular season standings in Quebec.
It is no surprise that Laval, once again, is leading the conference, but it hasn’t been the typically dominant regular season we have come to expect from the defending Vanier Cup champions.
However, the Rouge et Or still control their fate in terms of earning home field advantage throughout the RSEQ playoffs. Sherbrooke will provide a stiff test on Sunday, but Laval will likely finish their season with a win October 29 over Bishop’s.
The race for the Dunsmore Cup has three front-runners, Laval, Sherbrooke and Montreal and the team that earns the number one seed will have a distinct advantage for two different reasons.
Number one is obvious: home field advantage. Although, number two might be even better than being able to play in the confines of your home stadium: drawing Concordia in the semi-finals and missing out on facing one of the other big three.
OUA
The Mustangs and Marauders have been a cut above the rest in the OUA. Western and McMaster were the pre-season favourites to play in the Yates Cup and both programs have shown why, with a combined 13-1 record, during the 2011 regular season.
Western has already locked down the first overall seed and home field throughout the OUA playoffs with one week left on the schedule, thanks to their 7-0 mark.
Four other teams have clinched post-season berths in Ontario: McMaster, Ottawa, Queen’s and Windsor. However, the exact order of finish behind Western will be determined during the final week of regular season play.
McMaster hosts Ottawa this Saturday in a game which will decide second place in the OUA. To the victor goes a bye into the semi-finals. The loser will fall to third or fourth place and host a quarterfinal game on October 29.
For the Gaels, who have assured themselves a home game in the quarterfinals, they can finish no better than third in the conference because McMaster and Ottawa both beat Queen’s and hold the tiebreaker as a result.
However, the Gaels would need to beat Western in week eight to even have a chance to move up to number three.
One of the most surprising teams in the country, Windsor, has locked down the fifth position and cannot move up even though a win is likely over York as they finish out their regular season schedule.
Now for the sixth and final post-season berth, Laurier has the inside track. The Golden Hawks will visit Guelph, the only other team with a shot at grabbing the sixth playoff berth in Ontario. For Laurier it’s simple, they win they’re in.
Not so for Guelph. The Gryphons must win and hope for Waterloo, a team yet to win a game in 2011, to go into Varsity Stadium and beat Toronto in order for Guelph to net the last post-season spot in the conference.
CWUAA
Out of the six teams in Canada West, two have assured themselves post-season play, one has already been eliminated from playoff contention and three squads are jockeying for the two remaining post-season berths.
Calgary, who already punched their playoff ticket, sit at 6-0 leading the conference and are considered to be the odds on favourite to take home the 2011 Hardy Cup.
The Dinos host Manitoba and travel to UBC in the final two weeks of their regular season schedule – one win would lock up home field advantage for the Dinos throughout the Canada West playoffs.
Two games behind Calgary in second place is UBC. The Thunderbirds sport a 4-2 record, which assures them a post-season spot. But their seed is still to be determined.
UBC travels to Alberta – the Golden Bears are winless on the season and already know they will watch November football from their couches – on Saturday and cap the season off by playing conference-leading Calgary at home on October 29.
Two wins would ensure the Thunderbirds of hosting a Canada West semi-final playoff game, but if they suffer one setback Saskatchewan could grab second place in the conference.
The Huskies play Regina (2-4), who they beat once already this year, and Alberta (0-6) to finish their season – two wins, a 5-3 record and a post-season berth seem very likely for the green prairie dogs.
With Saskatchewan having a favourable schedule down the stretch, it looks as though Regina versus Manitoba, in the final week of the Canada West schedule, will determine who will take the last playoff spot in the conference.
This week Regina takes on Saskatchewan, a team they were thoroughly beaten by once already this year as we mentioned earlier, making a loss likely.
Manitoba has to go on the road to play the undefeated Dinos, also a team they suffered a loss against earlier this season.
If both teams do in fact lose their seventh games, a de
facto playoff game will be played in Winnipeg when the Rams travel to face the Bisons on October 29. The winner of that game would nab the last playoff spot in the West.
As the end of the regular season nears, 21 of 26 schools around the country still have a mathematical chance of playing November football. In the CIS, gaining a ticket to continue your season into the second last month of the year means you control your own fortunes in the quest for a Vanier Cup.
