Week 10 Power Rankings (with Midseason Reviews)
1. Calgary Stampeders
The Stampeders were off the radar for a while due to an impressive run by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and some early season struggles, but here we are again, with Calgary at #1, where they probably belonged all along. It was a bit of a slow start for their offense, and they didn't start blowing teams out until recently, but the Stamps continue to be one of the best run organizations in the CFL, despite what a disgruntled agent has to say about the matter. They're doing this with a lot of injuries on the offensive line, which is usually a harbinger of doom, and one of the CFL's most outstanding players in Jon Cornish. Honestly, I'm struggling to come up with much more to say about them, they just keep on ticking like the CFL's version of a metronome. They have an excellent opportunity to take a big lead in the West, with Edmonton back to back for the Labour Day matchups, and if they sweep the series, they will have a three game lead with BC coming to town followed by a trip to Winnipeg. It all lines up for Calgary if all goes well.
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Tim Horton's Field win streak has finally come to an end, but this is still one of the more impressive teams in the CFL. Zach Collaros is an excellent quarterback, and he's had to be, because Hamilton has had trouble establishing a running game. That seems to be the only area the team has had struggles, however, as the rest of the offense is impressive, the defense is not only stingy, but their ball-hawking style often sets up the offense, or the defense skips a step and puts points on the board themselves. The special teams is also excellent, with one of the league's most consistent kickers in Justin Medlock, as well as the league's most dynamic returner in Brandon Banks. This is a team that is finally playing up to their potential instead of having to play catch-up. Their main stumbling block has been Montreal, and while it may seem too early to be watching their back, Montreal is only two games behind, has won the season series, and is starting to look like they have their ducks in a row. Their road over the next month isn't easy, with the Labour Day home and home with Toronto and West contenders Edmonton and Calgary coming up. The good news? Three of the four are in the friendly confines of Tim Horton's Field.
3. Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton's defense has helped make up for the lack of Mike Reilly at quarterback this season, and the Matt Nichols experiment appears to be over, with rookie James Franklin seemingly the man of the hour. The team finally relinquished offensive touchdowns two weeks ago against Hamilton for the first time at home in nearly a full season, but besides that effort, have not given up more than 26 points in any other game this season, including four games holding their opposition under 13 points, a rather impressive feat in the CFL. The offense has been inconsistent, but rookies James Franklin and Derel Walker have impressed as of late, keeping Edmonton in the race while Reilly heals from a week 1 knee injury. The West appears to be a two horse race at this point, and the Eskimos face the Stamps three times over the next six weeks, as well as travel to Hamilton, so we will find out rather soon if the Eskimos can make a run at winning the division and hosting the West final.
4. Toronto Argonauts
I'm not quite sure what to make of the Argos. Their 6-3 record is impressive, but they haven't had any WOW moments this year, or at the very least, since week 1, when most everyone (including myself) gave them very little chance in their "home" opener against Edmonton in Fort MacMurray. Trevor Harris has handled the quarterbacking chores in the absence of Ricky Ray, and along with four young receivers has put together an impressive passing attack. The defense hasn't stood out, but has done enough to keep the Argos above .500 when the team has given up more points than they have scored, which isn't an easy thing to do. While I worry about the Argos playing down to the level of their competition against teams behind them in the standings, it's also important to note that the team has only truly played two games at home, and are under threat of having to move more of their home games out of Rogers Centre this year due to the Blue Jays possibly hosting playoff games. Their move to BMO Field next year can't come soon enough. Their next six weeks are going to tell the story of this season, with the Labour Day home and home with Hamilton, a home and home with Ottawa, a team right on their tails in the standings, a road visit to a suddenly improving Alouettes team, and a home game against Calgary.
5. Montreal Alouettes
I feel weird about ranking Montreal above Ottawa when Ottawa has a better record and has two wins over Montreal already this season, but I have the feeling that the Als are just getting started. After an early season filled with distractions and issues, the team has come together in the past two weeks and delivered impressive victories on the road, including being the first road team to win in Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton. Their defense has been dominant, and have given up less points than Hamilton's widely lauded defense, while only giving up 6 more points than Edmonton, the league's leader in the category. Their offense has been a problem, however. Rakeem Cato came out of nowhere to lead the Alouettes to a shocking win over Calgary in week 2, and since then, has been pretty low-key, doing enough to keep his team in games, but not overwhelming anyone. While that doesn't seem like much of a compliment, there are a few teams in the league that are begging for even that kind of performance. With stability potentially settling in, this is a dangerous team to underestimate, and they'll have a chance to prove it, as their next three games are against struggling teams, as they host BC, Winnipeg, and then go on the road to still winless Saskatchewan. They round out the next month in Ottawa, with one more chance to settle that score and improve their standing in the East.
6. Ottawa REDBLACKS
I'm pretty sure I'm underrating the REDBLACKS. I'm pretty sure they belong above Toronto or Montreal. Problem is, it's not very clear to me yet where these teams truly belong. They had a rough inaugural campaign last year, but this year, they have figured out how to win some of those close games they played in last year, have found receivers that can make a play when it's needed, and have done it by winning the games they are supposed to win, and pulling a surprise or two in games that they aren't given much of a chance in. The team has moved on from Chevon Walker at running back recently, putting the ball in Jeremiah Johnson's hands, assuming, of course, that Henry Burris isn't throwing it to one of their very much improved receivers. The defense is already getting a nickname and a reputation, and while I don't think they're an elite CFL team yet, they have a chance to gain some very valuable experience as an organization, especially with their upcoming schedule, going to BC in two weeks, followed by a trip to Saskatchewan, a home game against Toronto, and a home game against Montreal, who they have already beaten twice. If they can make something of this part of the schedule, they may just be contending to host their first ever playoff game.
7. BC Lions
Draw a line between Ottawa and BC. Draw another. And another. And another. I've said this before (and I've now moved a team above this line), but there still appears to be a chasm between the teams that are above that line and the teams that are below the line. BC has Travis Lulay back for the first time in a long time, but he has struggled to be the Lulay of old, and BC has struggled to put together performances worthy of their talent level. Besides a come from behind win hosting Edmonton where Edmonton all but disappeared in the second half and two close shaves with Saskatchewan, BC has struggled to put points on the board, with their best performance coming when they put up three quick touchdowns against Toronto, and then watched as Toronto clawed back to overtake them late in the game. An injury to their best defender, Solomon Elimimian, doesn't help matters either, and new coach Jeff Tedford has a lot of hard work ahead of him to get BC back on track. It won't be an easy road back, either, as they travel to Montreal, host Ottawa, and go on the road to Calgary and Edmonton in September. If they can't pull together some good peformances, it could very well be that we get the first ever East team crossing over to the West for the playoffs.
8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
It's been a rough season in Bomberland. The offense, who have been led by three different quarterbacks at this point, have scored the fewest points in the league, and there is a lot of fan anger at the offensive scheme and playcalling. The Bombers have scored less than 9 points three times, with all three of those games coming in the last five Bombers outings. They also lost their starting QB, Drew Willy, to injury in one of those losses, a 38-8 spanking at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The defense has improved quite a bit over last year, but tend to get left on the field too long lately. The team has also left points (and possibly games) on the field with special teams struggles. I'm going to stop now before I get too worked up. Their next two games, the Labour Day home and home series with Saskatchewan, will tell us if there's any redeeming qualities left in this team, or if the season is about to go the way many Bombers seasons have in the last 10 years.
9. Saskatchewan Roughriders
If this isn't the worst-case scenario for the Riders, I'm scared to think of what that might be. The team is winless, lost their starting quarterback in a first week loss to their prairie rivals at home, lost their veteran backup soon after, and is now relying on a young third string quarterback in Brett Smith to try to find a spark (when he's not pulled for veteran Tino Sunseri, not the most popular choice in Saskatchewan, to say the least). The team can't pull out the close ones, has issues tackling, was built to win now with aging veterans, and lacked depth so that when injuries did happen, there weren't enough viable replacements around to take over. As I'm writing this, it's been confirmed that they have now fired their general manager and head coach. A silver lining? They are favored by 3.5 points in Vegas over the Bombers on Sunday.
3. Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton's defense has helped make up for the lack of Mike Reilly at quarterback this season, and the Matt Nichols experiment appears to be over, with rookie James Franklin seemingly the man of the hour. The team finally relinquished offensive touchdowns two weeks ago against Hamilton for the first time at home in nearly a full season, but besides that effort, have not given up more than 26 points in any other game this season, including four games holding their opposition under 13 points, a rather impressive feat in the CFL. The offense has been inconsistent, but rookies James Franklin and Derel Walker have impressed as of late, keeping Edmonton in the race while Reilly heals from a week 1 knee injury. The West appears to be a two horse race at this point, and the Eskimos face the Stamps three times over the next six weeks, as well as travel to Hamilton, so we will find out rather soon if the Eskimos can make a run at winning the division and hosting the West final.
4. Toronto Argonauts
I'm not quite sure what to make of the Argos. Their 6-3 record is impressive, but they haven't had any WOW moments this year, or at the very least, since week 1, when most everyone (including myself) gave them very little chance in their "home" opener against Edmonton in Fort MacMurray. Trevor Harris has handled the quarterbacking chores in the absence of Ricky Ray, and along with four young receivers has put together an impressive passing attack. The defense hasn't stood out, but has done enough to keep the Argos above .500 when the team has given up more points than they have scored, which isn't an easy thing to do. While I worry about the Argos playing down to the level of their competition against teams behind them in the standings, it's also important to note that the team has only truly played two games at home, and are under threat of having to move more of their home games out of Rogers Centre this year due to the Blue Jays possibly hosting playoff games. Their move to BMO Field next year can't come soon enough. Their next six weeks are going to tell the story of this season, with the Labour Day home and home with Hamilton, a home and home with Ottawa, a team right on their tails in the standings, a road visit to a suddenly improving Alouettes team, and a home game against Calgary.
5. Montreal Alouettes
I feel weird about ranking Montreal above Ottawa when Ottawa has a better record and has two wins over Montreal already this season, but I have the feeling that the Als are just getting started. After an early season filled with distractions and issues, the team has come together in the past two weeks and delivered impressive victories on the road, including being the first road team to win in Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton. Their defense has been dominant, and have given up less points than Hamilton's widely lauded defense, while only giving up 6 more points than Edmonton, the league's leader in the category. Their offense has been a problem, however. Rakeem Cato came out of nowhere to lead the Alouettes to a shocking win over Calgary in week 2, and since then, has been pretty low-key, doing enough to keep his team in games, but not overwhelming anyone. While that doesn't seem like much of a compliment, there are a few teams in the league that are begging for even that kind of performance. With stability potentially settling in, this is a dangerous team to underestimate, and they'll have a chance to prove it, as their next three games are against struggling teams, as they host BC, Winnipeg, and then go on the road to still winless Saskatchewan. They round out the next month in Ottawa, with one more chance to settle that score and improve their standing in the East.
6. Ottawa REDBLACKS
I'm pretty sure I'm underrating the REDBLACKS. I'm pretty sure they belong above Toronto or Montreal. Problem is, it's not very clear to me yet where these teams truly belong. They had a rough inaugural campaign last year, but this year, they have figured out how to win some of those close games they played in last year, have found receivers that can make a play when it's needed, and have done it by winning the games they are supposed to win, and pulling a surprise or two in games that they aren't given much of a chance in. The team has moved on from Chevon Walker at running back recently, putting the ball in Jeremiah Johnson's hands, assuming, of course, that Henry Burris isn't throwing it to one of their very much improved receivers. The defense is already getting a nickname and a reputation, and while I don't think they're an elite CFL team yet, they have a chance to gain some very valuable experience as an organization, especially with their upcoming schedule, going to BC in two weeks, followed by a trip to Saskatchewan, a home game against Toronto, and a home game against Montreal, who they have already beaten twice. If they can make something of this part of the schedule, they may just be contending to host their first ever playoff game.
7. BC Lions
Draw a line between Ottawa and BC. Draw another. And another. And another. I've said this before (and I've now moved a team above this line), but there still appears to be a chasm between the teams that are above that line and the teams that are below the line. BC has Travis Lulay back for the first time in a long time, but he has struggled to be the Lulay of old, and BC has struggled to put together performances worthy of their talent level. Besides a come from behind win hosting Edmonton where Edmonton all but disappeared in the second half and two close shaves with Saskatchewan, BC has struggled to put points on the board, with their best performance coming when they put up three quick touchdowns against Toronto, and then watched as Toronto clawed back to overtake them late in the game. An injury to their best defender, Solomon Elimimian, doesn't help matters either, and new coach Jeff Tedford has a lot of hard work ahead of him to get BC back on track. It won't be an easy road back, either, as they travel to Montreal, host Ottawa, and go on the road to Calgary and Edmonton in September. If they can't pull together some good peformances, it could very well be that we get the first ever East team crossing over to the West for the playoffs.
8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
It's been a rough season in Bomberland. The offense, who have been led by three different quarterbacks at this point, have scored the fewest points in the league, and there is a lot of fan anger at the offensive scheme and playcalling. The Bombers have scored less than 9 points three times, with all three of those games coming in the last five Bombers outings. They also lost their starting QB, Drew Willy, to injury in one of those losses, a 38-8 spanking at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The defense has improved quite a bit over last year, but tend to get left on the field too long lately. The team has also left points (and possibly games) on the field with special teams struggles. I'm going to stop now before I get too worked up. Their next two games, the Labour Day home and home series with Saskatchewan, will tell us if there's any redeeming qualities left in this team, or if the season is about to go the way many Bombers seasons have in the last 10 years.
9. Saskatchewan Roughriders
If this isn't the worst-case scenario for the Riders, I'm scared to think of what that might be. The team is winless, lost their starting quarterback in a first week loss to their prairie rivals at home, lost their veteran backup soon after, and is now relying on a young third string quarterback in Brett Smith to try to find a spark (when he's not pulled for veteran Tino Sunseri, not the most popular choice in Saskatchewan, to say the least). The team can't pull out the close ones, has issues tackling, was built to win now with aging veterans, and lacked depth so that when injuries did happen, there weren't enough viable replacements around to take over. As I'm writing this, it's been confirmed that they have now fired their general manager and head coach. A silver lining? They are favored by 3.5 points in Vegas over the Bombers on Sunday.
Week 11 Picks
BC at Montreal
I'm taking Montreal in this game, I believe Montreal is on the upswing, BC is on the downswing, and Montreal is also at home.
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan
I can't take Saskatchewan until they've won a game. I just can't. I probably should, and maybe I'm being a homer, but I'm going with Winnipeg this week.
Toronto at Hamilton
We've already seen this matchup at this locale, and Hamilton took care of Toronto pretty convincingly. I see no reason why this one will be any different.
Edmonton at Calgary
It'd be great to see Mike Reilly healthy for an Edmonton-Calgary game, but it doesn't seem like we'll get that lucky any time soon. I have to take Calgary here, I just can't go with a rookie quarterback (even if he has been impressive so far) in Calgary on Labour Day.
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