As October comes to a close, the CFL is into its second to last weekend. The playoff picture is more or less certain, with only two teams with a real fight on their hands.
It was clear from about week 4 that Edmonton and Winnipeg wouldn’t be in the post-season. It’s a shame that Mike Reilly won’t be there, because he’s proven himself an effective starter. With a strong team around him, he will have a good career ahead of him in the CFL. Winnipeg, unfortunately, doesn’t have the same reason for optimism going into the off-season, with Max Hall proving only to be the best of a bad lot.
On the other side of the coin are Toronto and Calgary, both convincingly cementing themselves as the class of their respective divisions. Toronto was smarting after being swept out of a two-game series with Hamilton late in the season, but as their key players come back from injury, they will be optimistic about their chances of repeating as champions. Ricky Ray is on the form of his life, and if Chad Owens and Chad Kackert have a strong off-season again the Argos will be nigh unstoppable.
But in the West, Calgary has left no doubt in recent weeks that they are in charge. Kevin Glenn has emerged as their permanent starter, and John Cornish is probably the most valuable offensive weapon in the league. Both Calgary and Toronto will host their respective divisional finals, and the short odds will be on both of them making it to the Grey Cup game.
The second- and third-place teams in the west have already slotted into their spots, leaving little to play for in the last two weeks. BC is struggling to stay up with the big boys, with Travis Lulay showing only middling ability when he’s not on the disabled list and replaced by a less capable Thomas DeMarco. The Riders, meanwhile, are clear favourites in the semi-final, with Darian Durant turning in good performances and Kory Sheets healthy and tearing up the turf.
On the other half of the nation, Montreal and Hamilton are locked in a battle for home field advantage in the eastern semifinal. Hamilton is up by a game, and its last two games are a home game with Montreal and an away date with Winnipeg. Montreal, meanwhile, has two away games, its second with the surging Argonauts. Montreal is turning to Troy Smith, its latest Calvillo stand-in, who was under 50% completion in last week’s outing against Hamilton.
The Cats have the league’s leading QB in Hank Burris but they seem perpetually in imminent danger of collapse, which led to their 36-5 drubbing in Montreal last week. The final standings are a toss-up between these teams, but the winners of their last contest are likely to take second place in the east, and have a much better chance of meeting Toronto in the finals.
Will a dark horse come up the outside lane and take out one of the two favourites? Will the cats or the birds prevail in the east? Will the green or the orange win out in the west? This is the CFL, so the answer, as usual, is: impossible to say. But the playoffs are shaping up with some interesting battles. Exciting times ahead.
Thanks for reading, you can leave your comments below and feel free to follow the site @lastwordonsport while you are at it and like our Facebook Page!
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Football fans…check out Thursday Night Tailgate Radio as hosts Chris Mascaro and Angelo Kane chat with current and former NFL and College players. NFL stars open up on TNT because they’re regular guys, without network influence. Access the show in the sidebar on our home page or by visiting their website at ThursdayNightTailgate.com. Learn more about the show including their upcoming schedule at their page at LWOS.
