1. Laval (Last week: 1)
If Laval secures another championship ring in 2014 it won’t say “undefeated” on it. In a defensive struggle, Laval was essentially beaten at their own game. Montreal controlled the line of scrimmage and won the field-position battle. The majority of Laval’s scores came from rouges as they struggled offensively versus Montreal. The blueprint to beat Laval has been created, but most schools don’t have the talent the men in blue from Montreal boast. Laval is still a heavy favourite to win the Vanier, and is even more dangerous now that Glen Constantin is motivated to start another winning streak.
2. McMaster (LW: 3)
It would have been very interesting to watch the Mac men observe Saturday’s contests. As Laval and Calgary struggled mightily on offence and defence, respectively, McMaster could be the most well-rounded team left standing. However, the last team to beat McMaster—the Ottawa Gee-Gees—is their opponent this week. It will be interesting to see if they learned from their mistakes in the first game and if they can avoid getting caught sleeping by a heavy underdog.
3. Calgary (LW: 2)
Laval was not the only top team to be upset for the first time on Saturday. Despite the fact that the whole country had penciled in a Vanier Cup rematch of Laval and Calgary in this year’s Uteck Bowl, the Dinos lost, getting upset by Manitoba. Calgary has been less than their normal dominant selves this year, especially on defence. Given how much the Dinos blitz on D, their corners can be exposed, a major concern with the pass-happy Regina Rams and gunslinger Noah Picton heading to town.
4. Montreal (LW: 6)
Montreal has been here before. They beat Laval, but not by a wide enough margin to garner home-field advantage in the playoffs. Beating Laval at Peps is a different beast because of the difficulties caused by the crowd noise. Montreal’s greatest improvement has been the offence’s ability to create havoc by running multiple plays out of multiple formations. I expect Danny Maciocia to save as many schematic secrets as he can against Sherbrooke this week in the hopes of having a full, unseen arsenal to face Laval.
5. Mount Allison (LW: 4)
Nobody thought the Mounties would be Canada’s last unbeaten team and yet here they are, standing atop the mountain with an unblemished record and as heavy favourites to represent the AUS in the Mitchell Bowl. They’ve proven last year’s Cinderella run wasn’t a fluke and now they are out to prove the AUS champ is no longer a speed bump en route to the Vanier.
6. Guelph (LW: 5)
Stu Lang has said his program’s goal is not to “win” the Yates but to “own” the Yates. The Western Mustangs—the cup’s current owners, and winner of four of the last seven Yates Cups—are coming to his backyard on Saturday. Guelph will truly be considered among the elite class if they beat their long-time bully. They’ve proven they have the formula to do it, beating Western the last two times they’ve faced them.
7. Western (LW: 7)
Without their starting QB and multiple skill-position players on both sides of the ball they were able to hold off an improving Laurier team. Defeating a rested Guelph team on the road will be a different story. The challenge in front of them involves beating a talented, physical team with a limited playbook because of inactive players on both sides of the ball. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
8. Saskatchewan (LW: 8)
The Huskies rolled up a 31-point first-half lead to punch their ticket as the #2 seed in the Can West playoffs by defeating the UBC Thunderbirds. They’ll now host the Manitoba Bisons in the first round and are a popular darkhorse pick to make a run to the Vanier Cup. They play great defence in the secondary, and Drew Burko has done a great job manipulating opposing secondaries with his eyes and ball fakes. The Huskies will be a tough test for any team in the CIS.
9. Sherbrooke (LW: 9)
Sherbrooke notched their seventh Mayor’s Cup victory in the game’s nine-year existence, and their dominance over Bishop’s continues. They’ve now won three straight since their loss to Montreal on Oct. 4, relinquishing just 14 total points in that span. Another 5-3 finish is a positive for head coach David Lessard but he has to improve on the program’s 2-6 playoff record in order to energize the fan base.
10. Manitoba (LW: not ranked)
This might sound weird but Brian Dobie would probably have preferred to play the Calgary Dinos in the semis rather than the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Bisons would have had a great shot at beating Calgary, twice having outplayed them this season—they lost by one earlier in the year and then beat them by 19 in the final week of the season. If they want a shot at the tiebreaker they’ll have to first get a win over the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Honourable mentions: Ottawa (LW: 10), Concordia (LW: honourable mention)
Dropped out: Laurier (LW: honourable mention)