Heading into the Labour Day weekend, we will see a lot of key match ups. All of the games will be crucial for position battles in the respective divisions. So without further ado, here are the power rankings heading into a weekend that will result in teams either pulling away or creeping closer to the top of their divisions and standings.
Week 10 CFL Power Rankings
1. Calgary Stampeders
Calgary continued to run over everyone else as their Stampede went into Ottawa last week for a huge 32-7 win. It was a character win, with Joe West losing his brother earlier in the morning – he led the team in receiving with 129 yards. With Jon Cornish back, Calgary is more powerful than ever, and they’re heading into a marquee Labour Day match up against intra-provincial rival Edmonton.
2. Edmonton Eskimos
Toronto showed up, got destroyed and left. That was Edmonton’s weekend at Commonwealth Stadium as they dismantled the Argonauts 41-27. Mike Reilly left the game after only one pass but Matt Nichols stepped in and saved the day for the Eskis. If Reilly is out next week against the aforementioned Stampeders, Nichols could be the man leading them to victory and slingshotting them into first in power rankings.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan, winners of five in a row, have shown they can’t be taken lightly in the West. After a key divisional win against the Lions last week, the Riders find themselves tied with Winnipeg heading into their annual home and home series. These next two games will be crucial for the Riders: if they win one they hold the tie breaker with Winnipeg; if they win both, Winnipeg will be sent to the bottom of the table and likely won’t be playing for a home game come playoff time.
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Week 9 provided an instant mental test against the blue and gold. They got the job done against the Als, with another grind-it-out-to-the-end performace. The Bombers should be proud that they are at 6-3 heading into their annual home and home against the Riders. However, they enter those two contests knowing full well what’s at stake: they need to win both to secure the tie-breaker. Lose both of them and they will be in serious trouble come the later stages of the schedule. Regina has not been kind to the Bombers; in fact, over the last ten years the Bombers have lost nine Labour Day clashes. Drew Willy will try to change that this weekend when he returns to the place it all began for him.
5. B.C. Lions
The quarterback controversy that wasn’t: Kevin Glenn got the start this week, looked pretty good, and held the game close until he went out in the fourth with an undisclosed injury. Lulay couldn’t save the game and the rushing corps fell flat this week. B.C. will have to contend with Winnipeg for the crossover spot, but with the Bombers slipping B.C. is on the hunt for post-season action.
6. Toronto Argonauts
Toronto remains the best of the worst, still atop the East and still powerless against opposition in the West. The Eskimos mopped the field with them in Week 9, and Ricky Ray looked surprisingly flat, completing barely 60% of his passes and tossing three picks. Chad Owen is back in the lineup, and is already racking up the running yards, but this team is not a consistent winner and remains low in the power rankings because of it.
7. Hamilton Tiger-cats
A disappointing season so far for Hamilton. The biggest positive storyline in Hamilton to date was the performance of QB Dan LeFevour, who went down with a season ending injury in Calgary. Former Oregon Ducks QB Jeremiah Masoli now has the keys to the Hamilton offense until Zach Collaros makes his return. Starting running back CJ Gable hasn’t lived up to the standard he set in 2013 when he ran for 782 yards and led all running backs with 598 yards receiving. Although injuries haven’t helped, there’s lots of room to improve in Hamilton.
8. Ottawa Redblacks
You could feel the QB controversy starting with Henry Burris’ struggles so far in 2014. The veteran QB has been less then impressive in leading the expansion Redblacks to a 1-7 start. Cries for QB Thomas DeMarco to take over have come to a crashing halt when the 25-year-old QB suffered a season-ending ACL injury at home against Calgary on Sunday. However, at least that leaves more clarity for the starting QB, with no true competition behind Burris. A boost at receiver is needed for Ottawa if they are to have any chance at salvaging their season. Look for Ottawa to go after former Roughriders slotback Weston Dresser in the coming weeks.
9. Montreal Alouettes
A disaster of a season for Montreal continued on Friday night when the Als suffered their 6th loss in a row at Winnipeg. Although it was a close game, moral victories can only take a team so far. At some point Montreal needs to find a way to string together a few wins. Former University of Tennessee star Jonathan Crompton looked reasonably good in Winnipeg, throwing for 266 yards in only 3 quarters of play. Maybe Crompton can help turn the team around in the second half of the season.
That’s it for our collaborative power rankings this week, our CFL panel consists of Matt Bin (@lastwordonCFL) Nick Di Giovanni (@lwosnick) Steve Gifkins (@lwossteve) Lance Keiser (@lwoslance). Thank you for reading! Leave a comment below to contribute to the conversation.
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