As a voter on the CIS top 10 football poll I’m tasked with ranking Canada’s elite university programs on a weekly basis. My personal criteria is deciding who would win a neutral-site game based on the teams’ current body of work alone. Here’s the ballot I submitted this week.
1. Calgary (Last week: 1)
How many teams can rest starters and get minutes to depth players with two weeks left to play? One, Calgary—that’s how far ahead of the pack the Dinos are in the Can West. They’ve already wrapped up home field in Canada’s most competitive conference from top to bottom. What was this week’s outcome with some new players in the lineup? Another 50-point victory and 300-yard passing day for Andrew Buckley.
2. Western (LW: 2)
Greg Marshall got his 100th career win in the Mustangs’ most complete performance of the season on the road at McMaster. Marshall becomes just the fifth CIS coach to reach the 100-win plateau. This is unquestionably Marshall’s best offensive team, which set CIS records for points and touchdowns in a season along with an OUA record for rushing yards.
3. Montreal (LW: 3)
The Carabins scored TDs on four consecutive drives on the road against Bishop’s before ultimately turning on the cruise control. Their 52–3 victory over the Gaiters was yet another example that the RSEQ is a two-tier league. The defending Vanier champs are peaking at the right time, much like they did on their championship run last year.
4. Laval (LW: 4)
A win this week and the Rouge et Or once again are the No. 1 seed in the RSEQ playoffs. With a loss (no matter what the margin) and a Montreal win, they lose the tiebreaker with the Carabins and are the No. 2 seed. Their win against Sherbrooke on the weekend underscores just how much home field matters as Laval goes from good to great when at home. In the second week of the season it took Laval until overtime to beat the Vert et Or by 3. At homeat Stade Telus, Laval beat Sherbrooke on Sunday by 29 points.
5. Sherbrooke (LW: 5)
Sherbrooke faces off against Bishop’s for the first time this year in the last week of the RSEQ. The Gaiters have yet to win a game this year against another RSEQ opponent so the Vert et Or are heavy favourites. Sherbrooke can’t drastically alter their playoff seeding for better or worse, though, which makes this week a glorified exhibition game. It also makes the use of Jeremi Roch intriguing as the CIS all-time passing leader can further pad his record numbers, but needs to be healthy if Sherbrooke has a chance to upset Montreal and Laval in consecutive weeks on the road.
6. Guelph (LW: 6)
After a demoralizing loss to the Gaels, the Gryphons had a bounce-back performance this week securing a home playoff game and first-round bye in the OUA playoffs. Many are down on Guelph because of lacklustre performances over the last month of the season. But despite their struggles, their defence has remained constantly strong and given them a chance to win. Five times this year they’ve held their opponents scoreless in the first quarter.
7. Manitoba (LW: 8)
The Bisons have quietly won four straight after dropping their first two games of the year and are one of the hottest teams in the CIS. They’re also the best bet to upset Calgary in the Can West playoffs. First they have a road rematch with the UBC Thunderbirds—the only team other than the Dinos to beat them thus far—for sole possession of second place and a home game.
8. McMaster (LW: 7)
The Marauders started in a deep hole against the Mustangs—not so much due to a difference in talent but a difference in discipline. The Maruaders’ 29 accepted penalties are a big reason why they were down 39–3 going into the fourth quarter. There was a silver lining, though, as they scored 21 fourth-quarter points, including two TD passes from Asher Hastings, which gave him the single-season record with 31.
9. UBC (LW: 9)
It will be interesting to see how Blake Nill manages his Thunderbirds squad this week. The T-Birds have a home game against a Bison squad they’ve already beaten. A win will secure a home playoff date, quite the accomplishment in his first year at the helm. No matter the outcome, the two teams will face each other the following week in the Can West semi-finals. How much will UBC show schematically in order to win? It’s hard to beat an equally matched team three times in a year.
10. Concordia (LW: 10)
The Stingers narrowly make the top 10 as they snuck into the RSEQ playoffs this week. Fifth-year senior Concordia place kicker Keegan Treloar kicked a game-winning FG with time expiring versus McGill to secure an RSEQ playoff spot. The two-point come-from-behind Stingers victory ruined McGill’s homecoming and won the 47th Shaughnessy Cup for Concordia.
Honourable mentions: Carleton (LW: honourable mention), Laurier (LW: not ranked)
Dropped out: Saskatchewan (LW: honourable mention)