One drought is going to end on Saturday after the CFL West final.
The Edmonton Elks (13-5) will try to win their first home playoff game since 2015, while the B.C. Lions (10-8) will attempt to advance to their first Grey Cup since 2011.
It just so happens that the Lions beat the Elks in the 2011 West final en route to the Grey Cup, marking the last time these two squads met in the post-season.
The Elks, meanwhile, won their most recent playoff home game in 2015, topping the Calgary Stampeders in the West final before capturing their last Grey Cup.
It's a fresh feel for the final West Division game of the year, with the perennially contending Winnipeg Blue Bombers crossing over to the East playoffs and the reigning Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders having been eliminated last week.
Here's a capsule look at the West final.
The schedule
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.. ET / 5:30 p.m. ABT, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
The line
B.C. was favoured by 1.5 points as of Thursday, on BetMGM.
Weather
The forecast calls for a temperature of 6 C around kickoff with winds at 19 km/h and gusts up to 35 km/h. There is a 30 per cent chance of precipitation.
At stake
The winner advances to the 113th Grey Cup on Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, where the West champ will face the winner of Saturday's East final between the Blue Bombers and host Montreal Alouetttes.
Season series
The teams split two games, with each squad winning at home.
The Lions beat the Elks 36-24 on July 4 in a game played in Kelowna, B.C., while BC Place was being used for the World Cup.
Lions star quarterback Nathan Rourke, the 2025 CFL Most Outstanding Player, threw for 320 yards, while James Butler rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. B.C. held Elks star running back Justin Rankin to 19 yards on seven carries.
Thirteen days later, the Elks edged the Rourke-less Lions 19-17 in Edmonton.
Lions starting QB Chase Brice, who no longer is on the team, threw four interceptions.
Elks QB Cody Fajardo threw for 282 yards and one touchdown.
Playoff history
The Lions are making their fifth consecutive playoff appearance and are in the West final for the fourth time in five years, as they keep knocking on the Grey Cup door.
Buck Pierce led the Lions to the West final last year in his first season as the team's coach, but the Lions gave up the go-ahead touchdown in the dying seconds of a loss to Saskatchewan.
Rourke will make his third career start in a West final.
B.C. beat the visiting Roughriders 33-26 in the West semifinal last week to book a date in Edmonton.
The Elks are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Second-year head coach Mark Kilam had the Elks playing much-improved football at the end of his rookie season, with the team finishing 7-11.
The momentum carried over to this year, with the Elks jumping out to a 6-1 start and easily holding off all challengers for the division title.
Fajardo led the Alouettes to an improbable Grey Cup in 2023 before he was deemed expendable just over a year later when Davis Alexander emerged. Once again, Fajardo is at the helm of a surprising contender this year.
Three key matchups
Lions offence vs. the crowd
After years playing in front of dwindling crowds at the biggest stadium in the league, the Elks are once again a hot ticket.
The club had over 32,000 tickets sold for the West final as of Saturday, and a big push in the final hours before kickoff could see attendance push toward the 40,000-mark.
It's been a long time since there's been this kind of enthusiasm for football in the Alberta capital.
The Lions were 4-5 outside of B.C. this year, while the Elks were 8-1 at home.
Combine the crowd with colder weather and wind for a Lions team that plays many games indoors, and it should present a challenge for the visitors.
Elks RB Justin Rankin vs. Lions defensive front
Rankin, who finished second in the league in rushing yards, is a big reason Edmonton had the top ground game in the CFL this season (127.6-yard average).
He goes up against B.C.'s top rush defence in the CFL (71.3 yards), which includes Defensive Player of the Year Darnell Sankey at middle linebacker.
Rankin managed just 28 rushing yards in the two games against the Lions this year. If that trend continues, it's going to be hard for Edmonton to win.
The Lions also are going to face a stiff challenge running the ball, which they generally need to do to have success.
Bruising running back Zander Horvath leads the CFL's No. 2 rushing offence against Edmonton's second-ranked rush defence.
Lions QB Nathan Rourke vs. Elks secondary
Rourke is looking to become the first Canadian quarterback to start and win a Grey Cup since Russ Jackson with Ottawa way back in 1969.
He's certainly capable of doing so.
Rourke, who threw for 366 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the West semi, can do damage with his arm and legs. After an early-season injury, Rourke led the Lions back from a 1-5 start to second place in the West.
On Saturday, Rourke faces an Elks defence that was second against the pass this season. The Lions led the league with a plus-23 turnover ratio, including a CFL-best 27 interceptions.
The Elks have three divisional all-stars in their secondary — Tyrell Ford, J.J. Ross and Kordell Jackson.
Prediction
Lions 28, Elks 20
