There were lots of surprises in last week’s games, as the visiting teams won 3 of the 4 Mark’s Labour Day Weekend games, whereas the McDonald CFL Power Ratings team were expecting a clean sweep by the hosts. As a result, there was lots of movement in the Power Rankings and Ratings this week.
The first game of the weekend was Friday night in Ottawa, where Montreal thumped Ottawa 51-29 in the highest-scoring game of the season so far. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for four touchdowns in the victory, and there were 33 points scored in the 4th quarter!
The next game of the weekend was on Sunday, as Winnipeg visited Saskatchewan for the most highly-anticipated game of the year, as Saskatchewan was ranked #1 and Winnipeg #2. In the battle for top spot in the West, both teams managed to disappoint in a lacklustre showing, with the Blue Bombers coming out on top 23-8. For a Labour Day Classic, the game was anything but classic, as the top scorer for the Riders was kicker Brett Lauther, with 2 field goals and a rouge.
There were two games on Labour Day, with Hamilton hosting their own version of a Labour Day Classic. They didn’t treat the visiting Toronto Argonauts well, as they took a 25-4 lead into the fourth quarter and cruised to a 32-19 victory.
In the final game of the weekend, the first half of the Battle of Alberta took place in Calgary, with the visiting Edmonton Elks finishing with a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Stampeders 32-20. The game was tied 17-17 after three quarters, but Edmonton scored the last 15 points of the game. Trevor Harris was truly the star of the game, passing for 398 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
Three of next week’s games feature rematches, as Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, Hamilton and Toronto, and Calgary and Edmonton swap stadiums to face each other again. British Columbia returns from their bye week to face Ottawa in the other game.
Week 5 Results
Montreal 51 at Ottawa 29
Winnipeg 23 at Saskatchewan 8
Toronto 19 at Hamilton 32
Edmonton 32 at Calgary 20
McDonald CFL Power Ratings
With Winnipeg’s win over Saskatchewan, those two teams swap positions in the McDonald CFL Power Rankings, with Winnipeg now on top. Saskatchewan does stay in 2nd place, although Hamilton edged closer, being ranked third despite their 2-2 record. In fact, 5 teams are at 2-2 now! With their loss to Edmonton, Calgary has dropped down in the rankings, and now are ranked 7th, a big surprise for a team that has been strong for a number of years now. Their 1-4 record is worst in the CFL, although we’re still giving the lowest ranking in the league to Ottawa.
| Ranking | Team | Rating | Record |
| 1 (▲1) | Winnipeg | 1565 (▲14) | 4-1, 1st West |
| 2 (▼1) | Saskatchewan | 1543 (▼14) | 3-1, 2nd West |
| 3 | Hamilton | 1535 (▲10) | 2-2, 1st West |
| 4 (▲2) | Edmonton | 1499 (▲15) | 2-2, T-3rd West |
| 5 (▲3) | Montreal | 1495 (▲13) | 2-2, T-1st East |
| 6 (▲1) | British Columbia | 1483 | 2-2, T-3rd West |
| 7 (▼3) | Calgary | 1481 (▼15) | 1-4, 5th West |
| 8 (▼3) | Toronto | 1478 (▼9) | 2-2, T-1st East |
| 9 | Ottawa | 1441 (▼13) | 1-3, 4th East |
Grey Cup Predictions
After defeating Saskatchewan, we now have calculated that Winnipeg has the best chance of winning the Grey Cup, at 23%. Not far behind is Hamilton, who right now are the cream of the crop in the East. Despite being ranked third in the CFL, Hamilton is the mostly likely team to advance out of the East, and as they are the host city this year, the hometown crowd gives them a decent chance of winning if they make it to the final. Saskatchewan’s chances have dropped significantly in the last two weeks, from 23% to 15% currently. We’re giving Calgary the least chance of winning, at just 2%, as they are currently sitting in last place in a strong Western division.
As far as East vs. West, we’re giving a Western team a 54% chance of winning the Grey Cup, versus last week’s 55%.
| Grey Cup Ranking | Team | Rating | Win Grey Cup |
| 1 (▲2) | Winnipeg | 1565 | 23% (▲5) |
| 2 | Hamilton | 1535 | 22% (▲3) |
| 3 (▼2) | Saskatchewan | 1543 | 15% (▼6) |
| 4 (▲1) | Montreal | 1495 | 11% (▲3) |
| 5 (▼1) | Toronto | 1478 | 9% (▼3) |
| 6 (▲2) | Edmonton | 1499 | 8% (▲3) |
| 7 (▼1) | British Columbia | 1483 | 6% |
| 8 (▼1) | Ottawa | 1441 | 3% (▼3) |
| 9 | Calgary | 1481 | 2% (▼3) |
Our Full Predictions
| Team | Rating | Make Playoffs | Host Playoff Game | Win Division | Make Division Final | Make Grey Cup | Win Grey Cup |
| Winnipeg
4-1 |
1565 | 95% | 78% | 54% | 76% | 44% | 23% |
| Hamilton
2-2 |
1535 | 86% | 75% | 47% | 70% | 40% | 22% |
| Saskatchewan
3-1 |
1543 | 86% | 59% | 24% | 58% | 29% | 15% |
| Montreal
2-2 |
1495 | 76% | 57% | 23% | 51% | 24% | 11% |
| Toronto
2-2 |
1478 | 70% | 48% | 22% | 45% | 21% | 9% |
| Edmonton
2-2 |
1499 | 64% | 29% | 12% | 36% | 16% | 8% |
| British Columbia
2-2 |
1483 | 64% | 27% | 9% | 32% | 13% | 6% |
| Ottawa
1-3 |
1441 | 36% | 20% | 7% | 20% | 9% | 3% |
| Calgary
1-4 |
1481 | 23% | 7% | 1% | 12% | 5% | 2% |
Week 6 Game Predictions
Hamilton (50%) at Toronto (49%)
Saskatchewan (40%) at Winnipeg (59%)
Calgary (40%) at Edmonton (59%)
Ottawa (37%) at British Columbia (62%)