Nye: Who has the edge in the Battle of Alberta?

The time is now to determine who is the best in the West … for now.

Every time they play, the Edmonton Eskimos vs. the Calgary Stampeders has been the game to watch over the last two seasons.

The road to the Grey Cup in the West Division will go through Alberta once again and the winner on Saturday will have a huge advantage with only three games remaining afterwards.

The winner gets the season series and the tiebreaker to determine who will host the Western Final.

The matchup couldn’t be better. They are the two hottest teams in the league. Calgary riding a three game winning streak. The Eskimos haven’t lost a game since the Labour Day Classic, a four game streak that has them a win shy of landing top spot in the division.

The Eskimos also haven’t lost since Mike Reilly returned to the starting role behind centre.

The Stampeders counter with a line-up that includes running back Jon Cornish, who hasn’t been able to suit up in the Battle of Alberta all season.

But who has the edge?

Quarterback – Mike Reilly vs. Bo Levi Mitchell is nearly a saw off. They throw at a similar clip of touchdown to interception ratio, and both win more often than lose when the team has them behind centre. The only big difference right now is Mitchell’s is throwing a bit of an extra completion percentage. You can’t really give one team the edge over the other here.

Running back – With Jon Cornish back to health, this isn’t even a debate. The Cornish-led Stampeders have that extra threat in the back field, who can be a work horse and wear down and a fast and aggressive defense in Edmonton. However, Edmonton’s run game in general has been one of the most solid in the CFL. You give the edge to the Stampeders but only slightly

Receivers – While the Stampeders have Eric Rogers doing unreal things, the Eskimos have Adarius Bowman. Marquay McDaniel is the quality veteran, with the Eskimos countering with a young up and coming Derel Walker. Jeff Fuller – Kenny Stafford, and back and forth it can go. Another position that may slightly tilt toward the Stampeders but not by much.

Offensive line – The Eskimos’ run game has been successful but the Stampeders have been successful keeping Bo Levi Mitchell on his feet, allowing the second fewest sacks this season. When you consider the amount of injuries the Stampeders have suffered that is an impressive stat. The Eskimos have Matt O’Donnell back to help their depth. The Eskimos allow the second most sacks, but the offence also throws a lot more than most teams in the league. Give the Stamps another slight edge.

Defensive line – Again, the Stamps have the edge on paper. Charleston Hughes and Freddie Bishop are getting to the quarterback consistently. Marcus Howard is injured and Odell Willis has not been making the same plays he was last season.

Linebacker – Without Juwan Simpson, the Edmonton Eskimos have the edge. JC Sherritt, Otha Foster, Deon Lacey and Dexter McCoil can fly around and create so much havoc by blitzing or dropping back into coverage. They are a unit that Chris Jones can deploy however he wants.

Secondary – This is another spot that should go to the Edmonton Eskimos as Pat Watkins and John Ojo have the corners locked down and Aaron Grymes and Marcel Young have things handled at the half and throw in Cauchy Muamba at safety and you have the best secondary in the league.

Special Teams – Calgary has the best kicking game between the two teams but if Edmonton’s Kendial Lawrence returns, you can’t deny his ability taking the ball on returns. Tim Brown’s injury has impacted the way I view this because it wouldn’t have been close if he was good to go.

You see why these two teams are where they are, a win separating them with a game ahead that could matter a tonne when the final standings dictate who will host the Western Semi-Final and who will host the Western Final.

If you want to try to determine who is going to win, good luck to ya. This, like most of the positional matchups, is too close to call.

I guess all we can do is sit back and watch how it plays out and we’ll likely be right back here again in late November trying to decide who has the edge to move on to the Grey Cup.