The CFL’s showcase weekend lived up to its billing this year, with great games in Montreal, Hamilton and Calgary–and an extremely ugly blowout in Regina.  With four rematches starting on Friday, I wouldn’t say there’s a clear winner in any of them, except maybe one.  After a 52-0 loss yesterday, there’s no way I’m betting on the Bombers!

Preseason Predictions

Week 2 Rankings

Week 3 Rankings

Week 4 Rankings

Week 5 Rankings

Week 7 Rankings

Week 8 Rankings

Week 9 Rankings

Week 10 Power Rankings

1. Montreal Alouettes (6-3) Last Week: 2.  And so we end Week 10 with a new team atop the rankings.  In knocking off the B.C. Lions, Montreal put up as many or more points in the first half than anyone had scored in an entire game against B.C. since the Lions’ last loss back in Week Four.  Sure, this one went down to the wire, but a big red-zone stand by the Alouettes’ D ensured the home team of a win–and the top spot on my list, at least for now.  For what it’s worth, I think B.C.’s perfectly capable of bouncing back on their home turf next week, but a win on the road would certainly cement Montreal’s top-ranked status.

2. B.C. Lions (6-3) Last Week: 1.  Despite a close loss where they just couldn’t convert at the end of the game, the B.C. Lions remain atop the West Division.  And losing to the previously second-ranked team by a mere five points isn’t going to drop them too far in my rankings, either.  If they fail to avenge the loss next weekend, well, that might be a different story…

3. Calgary Stampeders (5-4) Last Week: 3.  As per usual, the Stamps won another game that couldn’t have been any closer; barring overtime, of course.  But full credit to Kevin Glenn and the offence for bouncing back after giving up 14 points in 45 seconds–especially when that second Eskie TD came on an interception return.  If anything, this week’s performance proves that they’re *thismuch* better than Edmonton, although the rematch on Friday looms large…

4. Edmonton Eskimos (5-4) Last Week: 3.  The Eskimos came up just short on the road this evening, being a tackle in the end zone away from overtime.  Hafta give the Stamps the edge for getting the W, but the race for second place in the West remains airtight.  Kudos to Kerry Joseph for turning back the clock and chipping in a 311-yard effort.  The Esks might’ve found themselves a (soon-to-be 39-year-old) starting QB–for this season, anyways…

5. Toronto Argonauts (5-4) Last Week: 5.  Full credit where credit is due: that was an impressive fourth-quarter comeback on the road from a team that had lost its last 16 games when trailing at halftime.  For about 15 minutes, Ricky Ray looked like the Ricky Ray of old, leading a couple big scoring drives downfield.  The flipside of the coin is that they put up their 33-point effort against the CFL’s second-worst defence.  And while a win in Hamilton on Labour Day is always something for a Toronto team to hang its hat on, the Tabbies have now lost four in a row, and were already sitting in seventh place in my rankings coming in.  Thus, just as the win doesn’t advance Toronto in the East Division standings, it also keeps them in the same spot on my list.

6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-5) Last Week: 8.  Wow, what a way to snap a five-game losing streak!  The Riders beat Winnipeg from pillar to post in the Prairie edition of the Labour Day Classic, putting up both the highest point total and (by far) the largest margin of victory on this young CFL season.  Of course, they were facing the team with the worst record in the league, but that win’s still worth a two-spot jump in the rankings.

7. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-6) Last Week: 7.  The Tabbies put together three decent quarters of football today–but it all came crashing down in the fourth, where they were outscored 22-8.  Henry Burris was just 13-30 for 218 yards, with two interceptions offsetting two TDs, while the league’s second-worst defence (they’ve only given up two points fewer than Winnipeg, even after that 52-0 pounding!) could not offer much resistance when it mattered most.  That’s now four straight losses for a team that once sat atop the East Division (albeit via tiebreaker).  If there was ever a time to turn to Quinton Porter, it would probably be next week…

8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-7) Last Week: 6.  Although I stuck Winnipeg up in sixth these past two weeks, they’ve reclaimed their spot in the league’s basement with that devastating loss.  The only positive outlook after that game is that it can’t possibly get any worse next week … can it!?