There’s only two weeks left in the CFL regular season, but there’s still a lot up in the air heading towards the playoffs. In the West, Winnipeg has first place locked up, Saskatchewan has clinched a playoff spot, and Edmonton has been eliminated from the playoffs, but it’s still not clear whether Calgary or British Columbia will get the last playoff spot. In fact, Calgary still has a chance of finishing second and getting themselves a home playoff game. In the East, Ottawa has been eliminated, and Montreal can’t win the division, but the other playoff positions are still up for grabs.
There were two games on Friday and two on Saturday this week. In the first Friday game, British Columbia travelled to Hamilton. The Ticats defeated the Lions, 26-18. British Columbia scored a field goal on the first possession of the game, after a drive that used up half of the first quarter. But Hamilton came back and also kicked a field goal on their first possession, and never trailed after that. Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli passed for 258 yards, passing the 15,000 yard career mark and becoming only the fourth Hamilton player to do so. In a losing cause, BC quarterback Michael Reilly went 33-for-43 for 330 yards, but it wasn’t enough. It was BC’s sixth straight loss.
On Friday’s second game, Saskatchewan travelled to Edmonton for a late evening November ballgame on the Prairies. But, surprisingly, it was a beautiful night for football, with the temperature above zero at the start of the game and a very light wind. Saskatchewan beat Edmonton 19-17, their third straight road win. With the loss, the Elks finished their home season with an unblemished 0-7 record, the first time in their history that they haven’t won a game at home. Saskatchewan led 16-3 after the 3rd quarter, and Edmonton made it close, but Elk QB Taylor Cornelius, who ended the game with 322 passing yards, couldn’t finish the comeback. Saskatchewan, despite being ranked 2nd in the McDonald CFL Power Rankings, only scored one touchdown against the 8th-ranked Elks. Perhaps the most exciting play of the game for the Riders was when they scored a rouge late in the 2nd quarter after a 53 yard punt into the end zone couldn’t be run out by Edmonton. Saskatchewan was flagged for a 5 yard no yards call, but rather than not giving up the point and taking possession of the ball deep in their own end, Edmonton chose to decline the penalty and give up the single point. And that WAS Saskatchewan’s most exciting play of the game, in the eyes of this observer.
In Saturday’s first game, Toronto defeated the hapless Ottawa RedBlacks 23-20. Despite the close score, rookie Ottawa quarterback Devlin Hodges went 8 for 22 for a total of 90 yards, but in his part, Argo quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw 3 interceptions. Ottawa must be looking forward to the end of the season, and hope to be more hapful next year. Making the score close was Ottawa’s exciting kick returner DeVonte Dedmon, who returned 3 kickoffs for 126 yards, including a 100 yard touchdown return, and two punts for 30 yards, one of which went for 24 yards. He’s an exciting player to watch!
The final game of the weekend saw Montreal travel to Winnipeg to take on the top-ranked Blue Bombers. The home team didn’t disappoint their fans, as Winnipeg won 31-21 over Montreal. It was Winnipeg’s 9th straight win, and they finished their home season at 7-0. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and Bomber running back William Stanback rushed for 106 yards, a 6.6 yards per carry average. The game was tied 21-21 after three quarters, showing that Winnipeg can be beaten, but they shut down the Als in the fourth quarter to take the win.
On a sad note, CFL Hall of Famer Angelo Mosca died this week after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was a feared defensive lineman who won 5 Grey Cups and eventually became a professional wrestler. His best known fight, though, may have been at a 2011 CFL Alumni gathering, when he and Joe Kapp, former BC Lions quarterback, battled over a perceived dirty hit in the 1963 Grey Cup game. You can watch the fight on YouTube.
Week 14 Results
British Columbia 18 at Hamilton 26
Saskatchewan 19 at Edmonton 17
Toronto 23 at Ottawa 20
Montreal 21 at Winnipeg 31
McDonald CFL Power Ratings
There was very little change in the rankings this week. With Calgary idle and Toronto beating Ottawa, Toronto has moved past Calgary into 4th place in the McDonald CFL Power Rankings. Winnipeg remains on top, far ahead of second place Saskatchewan. Despite Toronto leading the East, we still have Hamilton as the Eastern team. Montreal has now dropped below the magical 1500 mark.
| Ranking | Team | Rating | Record |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1626 (▲7) | 11-1, 1st West |
| 2 | Saskatchewan | 1564 (▲10) | 8-4, 2nd West |
| 3 | Hamilton | 1538 (▲8) | 7-5, 2nd East |
| 4 (▲1) | Toronto | 1525 (▲10) | 8-4, 1st East |
| 5 (▼1) | Calgary | 1524 | 6-6, 3rd West |
| 6 | Montreal | 1499 (▼7) | 6-6, 3rd East |
| 7 | British Columbia | 1446 (▼8) | 4-8, 4th West |
| 8 | Edmonton | 1424 (▼10) | 2-9, 5th West |
| 9 | Ottawa | 1379 (▼10) | 2-11, 4th East |
Grey Cup Predictions
Winnipeg remains the favourite to win the Grey Cup, with them winning in 40% of our simulations. Why only 40%, when they are clearly the strongest team in the CFL? Well, they do have to win the games on the field, not just on paper. As could be seen with their game this week against Montreal, they are vulnerable.
| Grey Cup Ranking | Team | Rating | Win Grey Cup |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1626 | 40% (▲1) |
| 2 | Hamilton | 1538 | 18% (▲1) |
| 3 | Toronto | 1525 | 18% (▲1) |
| 4 | Saskatchewan | 1564 | 12% (▲1) |
| 5 | Montreal | 1499 | 6% (▼3) |
| 6 | Calgary | 1524 | 5% (▼1) |
| 7 | British Columbia | 1446 | 1% |
| 8 (tie) | Edmonton | 1424 | — (▼1) |
| 8 (tie) | Ottawa | 1379 | — |
Our Full Predictions
Edmonton has now been eliminated from the playoffs, and Montreal can’t win the East. British Columbia still has a chance to make the playoffs, but can’t finish higher than 3rd in the West. Calgary could still finish second in the West, but they need to win their last two games and Saskatchewan needs to lose their last two.
| Team | Rating | Make Playoffs | Host Playoff Game | Win Division | Make Division Final | Make Grey Cup | Win Grey Cup |
| Winnipeg 11-1 1st in West |
1626 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 66% | 40% |
| Hamilton 7-5 2nd in East |
1538 | ✔ | 92% | 31% | 72% | 37% | 18% |
| Toronto 8-4 1st in East |
1525 | ✔ | 96% | 69% | 87% | 46% | 18% |
| Saskatchewan 8-4 2nd in West |
1564 | ✔ | 97% | — | 63% | 22% | 12% |
| Montreal 6-6 3rd in East |
1499 | ✔ | 12% | — | 41% | 16% | 6% |
| Calgary 6-6 3rd in West |
1524 | 84% | 3% | — | 32% | 11% | 5% |
| British Columbia 4-8 4th in West |
1446 | 16% | — | — | 5% | 1% | 1% |
| Edmonton 2-9 5th in West |
1424 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ottawa 2-11 4th in East |
1379 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Week 15 Game Predictions
Friday: Hamilton (45%) at Toronto (54%)
Friday: Calgary (53%) at British Columbia (46%)
Saturday: Winnipeg (60%) at Montreal (39%)
Saturday: Edmonton (25%) at Saskatchewan (74%)