1. Laval (Last week: 1)
After a 70–3 romp over McGill this past weekend, Laval has won a CIS-record 22 straight—and nobody would be surprised if they win the next 22. Like a fine wine, the program gets better with age. Even more impressive is their 67 straight wins at home, especially when you consider that streak includes multiple recruiting classes and over 1,000 players. The real recipe to their success are the 14,000-plus fans that fill up Peps. Stade Telus is not only the best place to watch a game in the CIS, it’s the best place to play a game in the CIS—if you are wearing red and gold, that is.
2. Western (LW: 2)
The best part of Western’s team is by far its front four. Despite graduating a defensive lineman to the CFL or NFL every year for the last four years, Western still has the best group in the CIS. They’ve racked up 22 sacks in just four games—that’s 10 more than the second-best tally in the country. With the pass-happy McMaster Marauders and gunslinger Marshall Ferguson up next, that pass rush will face one of the CIS’s quickest releases early and often.
3. Calgary (LW: 3)
Football is a game of inches. By the skin of their teeth, Calgary stayed unbeaten as Dallas Boath got a missed Manitoba field goal out of the end zone with no time remaining to secure a one-point victory. As well as Manitoba played offensively, Calgary uncharacteristically made countless mental mistakes to allow the Bisons to hang around. For every time the Bisons made a big play under duress there was a time when Calgary blew a coverage defensively or took a bad penalty to give the Bisons life. Ultimately their talent outweighed their mental lapses, but in a year where every game is a dress rehearsal for a re-match of last year’s Vanier loss to Laval the mental mistakes are alarming. It’s clear this team just wants to fast track to November when their real season begins.
4. McMaster (LW: 4)
The upset-alert chatter around the country had to do with this weekend’s contest in Hamilton. Could Queen’s salvage their season with a road win against Mac? Would Mac’s perfect season be derailed a week before the dream matchup of unbeatens as undefeated Western is next on the schedule? Despite the game see-sawing back and forth, Mac pulled away with a 28–19 win. The nine-point margin is a scoreline that flattered the home team as the contest was touch and go throughout the game. Although there was some thought of dropping Mac in the rankings given that they were at times sloppy, they remain at No. 4 because they showed the resilience that has become synonymous with their successful clubs during the Stefan Ptaszek era. They’ll need both in abundance as they face off against the Mustangs, who have yet to be pushed this season.
5. Mount Allison (LW: 5)
The Mounties demonstrated that their game travels as they went into Quebec and ran away with an impressive 26–3 win over Bishop’s. Forcing eight turnovers in the lone AUS victory over an RSEQ opponent this season, Mount Allison now sits atop the AUS standings with a two-game lead in the conference and proof they can compete anywhere.
6. Guelph (LW: 6)
There have been rumblings that Guelph needs a QB change to kickstart their offence. Although their offence has been far from a work of art, personnel changes are a bit misguided considering that halfway through the season they are averaging 46 points per game. If the fourth-ranked offence in the nation needs to change the quarterback who has previously led them to the Yates Cup, lots of offences around the country are in big trouble.
7. Saskatchewan (LW: 7)
With the game on the line, is there any QB you’d rather have than Drew Burko? It seems every week the Huskies are in a tight game, and every week Burko makes clutch throws to keep them in it. This week he brought Saskatchewan from behind with under two minutes left to embark on an eight-play scoring drive. As long as he is upright and healthy, U of S has a chance versus any opponent.
8. Montreal (LW: 8)
As expected the Carabins took care of business against the AUS to the tune of a 47–0 road win over StFX. Normally Montreal has a playoff position locked up by October but that’s no longer the case in a deep Quebec conference. Most years Montreal’s upcoming contest with Sherbrooke is to decide who will have home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs in the Q and who will delay a possible playoff date with Laval until the Dunsmore Cup. Yet with the resurgence of Concordia, the Carabins upcoming titlt with the Vert et Or might be for a playoff spot—not playoff positioning.
9. Concordia (LW: 9)
Still undefeated. Still getting better every week. Against St. Mary’s, the Stingers had three interceptions returned for TDs and two safeties. Arto Khatchikian is the easy candidate to follow in coach Mickey Donnovan’s footsteps and win the President’s Trophy as a linebacker and leader of the defence. But just as the program has five alum who have been named top defensive players in the country, there are about five players on the 2014 Stingers who rightfully deserve a shot at winning the award.
10. Laurier (LW: not ranked)
Every week you are waiting for the young Hawks to come back to earth and they keep playing out of their minds. Their best performance of the year was last weekend’s thrashing of the Carleton Ravens in front of a boisterous homecoming crowd. Showing off their new white helmets, the Golden Hawks were white hot. They’ve got the leading rusher in the country and a Hec Crighton favourite in Dillon Campbell. They’ve got the most improved player in the country in quarterback James Fracas, who has a 9–0 TD-to-interception ratio and has completed a league best 72 percent of his passes. They are a late TD surrendered versus Windsor away from being undefeated. Stop waiting for them to slip up—the Hawks are for real.
Honourable mentions: Manitoba (LW: 10), Windsor (LW: honourable mention)
Dropped out: Sherbrooke (LW: honourable mention)