Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
The fascinating thing about the final week of the CFL season is we simultaneously know everything about all the teams involved and we also know nothing.
We know that Calgary will get a week off and that BC, Montreal and Hamilton will get about 32 weeks off. Beyond that, everything is still up in the air. Ottawa and Toronto are both alive to win the East, while in the West, we’ll have to wait until the conclusion of the Edmonton/Saskatchewan game to figure out second place, third place and who will be heading to Ontario as the annual western crossover representative.
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It appears the Bombers will have to play their season finale without Matt Nichols (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Seriously, I am starting to wonder if I will live long enough to watch a playoff game where it’s an East Division team crossing over to Alberta for the first round of the playoffs!
Moving on.
Since everything and nothing has been decided, I figured I would not dabble in the prediction game (I’ll save that for the playoffs), but instead, here is my ultimate wish list for what I would love to see happen for Week 20.
Now I know many of you won’t believe me when I say this, but everything that I desire to occur has nothing to do with any biases that I may (do) have. Rather, this is simply about which outcomes would create the most interesting storylines heading into the post-season.
1. I want the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to beat the Calgary Stampeders.
The fans in Winnipeg deserve their first home playoff game since the Swaggerville days of 2011. After watching injuries befall Matt Nichols, Taylor Loffler and Andrew Harris last week, I think beating Calgary and securing second place would be a great pick-me-up for a city that is still waiting for the latest incarnation of their NHL team to win a single playoff game.
Also, by winning this weekend, the Bombers would become the first team in CFL history to win 12 games, lead the league in scoring and yet still possess the label of the team that “nobody believes in”.
2. I want the Saskatchewan Roughriders to beat the Edmonton Eskimos.
A Roughriders win (coupled with my above mentioned Winnipeg win) means we get a post-season edition of the Banjo Bowl! I say the league needs to bring out Troy Westwood for the ceremonial coin toss! As for the playoff game, I want to see how long Chris Jones goes with Kevin Glenn against the best ball-hawking defence in Winnipeg. I want to see Matt Nichols prove he belongs in the upper echelon and put on a show against one of the better overall defences in the league.
Also, under this scenario, the West gets to unleash Mike Reilly and the Eskimos against the East. I believe Edmonton has the best chance to become the first crossover team to make a Grey Cup. They got one playoff win last year against Hamilton before falling to the eventual champion REDBLACKS. I love seeing history happen and Edmonton ending up as the “East” team in the Grey Cup would be historical.
Duron Carter and the Riders could be primed for a Banjo Bowl rematch in the playoffs (The Canadian Press)
3. I want Toronto to win the East Division.
Apologies to both the BC Lions and Ottawa REDBLACKS fans, but I want to witness a fully-rested Ricky Ray in the Eastern Final. The emergence of James Wilder (197 total yards and two TDs against Winnipeg two weeks ago) has given the Argonauts all the tools they need to scare anyone in the playoffs. As matter of eastern pride, a Toronto win means that at least one team west of Winnipeg did NOT finish with a losing record.
Oh sure, none of them will technically have a winning record, but hey, baby steps for this division. Finally, in this scenario I get the re-match between Ottawa and Edmonton, which would be a fantastic Semi-Final game.
4. I want everyone playing in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats/Montreal Alouettes game to have career highs!
I mean, Alouettes fans really deserve to see their team go out on a high note. Since Week 11 they have been outscored by a margin of 25 points per game. Those numbers just hurt. So in my impossible dream, I envision Darian Durant ending this dismal season in style with 453 yards passing (Hey, he threw for 452 yards in Week 5 against Ottawa) with at least two more touchdown passes than interceptions so he can finish in the plus column for TD to INT ratio. I just can’t bear to see Durant’s season end by being replaced by some dude named ‘Shiltz’.
On the other side, June Jones gives Jeremiah Masoli a game ball for keeping Hamilton relevant but inserts Zach Collaros in the game, who promptly reminds everyone he was the MOP front-runner in 2015 as he puts up more than 500 yards with at least 200 of them going to Andy Fantuz. This of course will kick-start a crazy off-season of quarterback intrigue in Hamilton as Masoli does deserve a shot to start in this league.
As I’m already on a wild greedy streak, I demand that Simoni Lawrence be mic’d up the entire game and his entire commentary go live on TSN with no censors. Naturally, this game ends in a 51-51 tie.
The Ticats have been a different team since Jeremiah Masoli took over on Labour Day (The Canadian Press)
5. I want everyone to be healthy.
There is nothing that leaves a more sour taste in your mouth than on the eve of the playoffs we see a string of debilitating injuries to key stars. All it does is create that infuriating sense of “What if” when a team destined for greatness folds early due to their backup quarterback floundering under the pressure. I want to root for healthy teams proving they deserve to win it all.
6. That I have another perfect week picking games.
As I was the only one on CFL.ca to correctly pick the Lions would beat Winnipeg last week, I somehow have the lead among all the other writers which is crazy because they are all smarter than me. My 52-24 record is a testament to the randomness of sports and the dangers of gambling!
Now, having said that, please allow me to gloat for a second. Hey Marshall Ferguson, how does it feel losing to a gas bag? You study film every day! You are literally one of the smartest minds when it comes to analyzing what is actually happening on the field and yet I have a four-game lead on you.
Now having written this I have ensured that I will be passed by Pat Steinberg and Jim Morris.
