CFL.ca
The Roughriders and Blue Bombers Labour Day Weekend rivalry is no longer just about prairie bragging rights between the neighbouring provinces.
This game since 2014 has meant much more.
There were many years that the Labour Day game was the biggest game of the season because by Labour Day either the Riders or Blue Bombers were well back in a playoff race and were just hoping to win this one.
TSN analyst Glen Suitor, who played in 11 of these games, was a member of some below average Rider teams but ‘as long as we won on Labour Day’ the season wasn’t a complete loss.
For many of the 54 games, the two teams were in different divisions.
RELATED
» Hughes, Harris headline CFL.ca mid-season all-stars
» Watch: CFL Game Time gets you primed for Week 12
» The Weekly Say: Is Matt Nichols criticism offside?
There was a 7-1 Bomber team facing a 1-7 Rider team back in 2011, and the Riders surprised a team who were on their way to a Grey Cup appearance later that season.
Saskatchewan’s season was a write-off, but they won on Labour Day and Rider Nation had something over Bomber fans for another year.
But since 2014, things have changed. The Riders and Bombers were again division rivals and this season is the third time in the last four years that standings show the home and home set that finishes with the ‘Banjo Bowl’ next week could have some serious impact in the race for a home playoff game for both teams.
The Riders sit a half game up on Winnipeg with a 5-4 record as the Bombers are 5-5.
Are these two teams heading in opposite directions? Will this be a turning point in the positive for the Bombers? Can the Roughriders continue to ride up the standings in the West Division?
These are now four-point games.
And coming into this game the Roughriders have won two straight and are starting to feel like being the second place team in the West, with Calgary in their sights, is very much a reality.
In fact, they could be in second by the end of the long weekend with a win and an Edmonton loss.
The Roughriders defence is great, their special teams is among the best and now that Zach Collaros is back behind centre, the offence appears to be trending in the right direction.
A home Labour Day victory could be a huge step to carry momentum in the second half of the season and realize the potential of the pre-season hype among the Green and White.
The storyline coming in for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is quite the opposite. Quarterback Matt Nichols is answering some difficult questions and we are only two weeks removed from the boo birds coming out at Investors Group Field when Nichols re-entered a game.
There isn’t a full fledged quarterback controversy in Winnipeg … yet. But if Nichols doesn’t start putting wins on the board for this team, you know the questions won’t get any easier.
Winnipeg comes into the Labour Day Classic talking about how pulling off the rare win in Regina could spark their second half of the season.
For the fans, the party is still the same. The tailgates will start early. It’ll be five o’clock somewhere with some morning beers before the 1 p.m. local time kickoff.
The trash talk between those in green and the others in blue will be verbally thrown in each other’s direction as the gates open at Mosaic Stadium and people start making their way to their seats.
Bomber fans will talk about their 10 Grey Cup Championships to the Riders’ four. Rider fans will remind the Bombers that it’s been 28 years since Winnipeg has won that 10th championship.
The tradition continues.
However, the result on Sunday could seriously impact the Riders chances to stay on their road to try to find a fifth title and whether the Bombers can even dream of ending the longest active Grey Cup drought among the nine CFL franchises.
And we’ll tune up the banjos and get ready to do it all again next week in Winnipeg.
