It was a very boring weekend of games in the CFL this week. Most teams’ playoff positions were determined, so they rested quite a few starters, giving backups a chance to play. It made for very unpredictable and yet not well-played games.
It was also a rare week of 5 games, with Edmonton playing twice, due to their earlier game with Toronto rescheduled because of COVID protocols. Edmonton ended up playing three games in eight days, quite a difficult schedule. But, neither of their games this week meant anything, so it probably wasn’t a big deal.
Now, having said all that, I didn’t bother watching any of the games, so here’s the headlines and links to the game summaries from cfl.ca:
- Elks down Argos for third win of season
- RedBlacks storm back to stun Als in season finale
- Lions down Elks in dominant season finale
- Ticats wrap up reg-season with big win over Riders
- Stamps stun Bombers with late TD, FG
Week 16 Results
Edmonton 13 at Toronto 7
Ottawa 19 at Montreal 18
Edmonton 10 at British Columbia 43
Saskatchewan 3 at Hamilton 24
Winnipeg 12 at Calgary 13
McDonald CFL Power Ratings
There was very little change in the McDonald CFL Power Rankings this week. The top 3 teams remain Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Calgary; hopefully, that will make for interesting playoffs in the West, although Winnipeg is very dominant, and will play the West Final at home. Saskatchewan is rated slightly better than Calgary, but this week showed what could happen to them if they lose their starting quarterback. Toronto dropped down in the rankings, so despite finishing first in the East, we’ve got them ranked as the second-best team in the East, with Hamilton number one. Ottawa finished the season ranked last, but with their win this week, their rating did improve, but the all still below the 1400-rating-point stink line.
| Ranking | Team | Rating | Record |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1598 (▼13) | 11-3, 1st West |
| 2 | Saskatchewan | 1558 (▼12) | 9-5, 2nd West |
| 3 | Calgary | 1550 (▲14) | 8-6, 3rd West |
| 4 (▲1) | Hamilton | 1539 (▲12) | 8-6, 2nd East |
| 5 (▼2) | Toronto | 1518 (▼18) | 9-5, 1st East |
| 6 | Montreal | 1496 (▼18) | 7-7, 3rd East |
| 7 | British Columbia | 1446 (▲11) | 5-9, 4th West |
| 8 | Edmonton | 1425 (▲7) | 3-11, 5th West |
| 9 | Ottawa | 1398 (▲19) | 3-11, 4th East |
Grey Cup Predictions
Winnipeg is still the favourite to win the Grey Cup, with a 36% chance. But, remember, that’s just over a one-third chance of winning, so despite being the dominant team, anything can happen. Finishing first in your division is a big advantage; you only need to win one game to make the Grey Cup, and you play that game at home, so Toronto is our number 2 favourite to win, at 22%. Perhaps Hamilton at #3 is a bit of a surprise, but if they do make it to the Grey Cup, they’ll be playing it at home, so that will boost their chances.
We’re giving a Western team a 57% chance of winning the Grey Cup.
| Grey Cup Ranking | Team | Rating | Win Grey Cup |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1598 | 36% (▼1) |
| 2 | Toronto | 1518 | 22% (▼2) |
| 3 (▲1) | Hamilton | 1539 | 15% (▲4) |
| 4 (▼1) | Saskatchewan | 1558 | 12% (▼1) |
| 5 (▲1) | Calgary | 1550 | 9% (▲2) |
| 6 (▼1) | Montreal | 1496 | 6% (▼2) |
| 7 (tie) | British Columbia | 1435 | — |
| 7 (tie) | Edmonton | 1424 | — |
| 7 (tie) | Ottawa | 1379 | — |
Our Full Predictions
This weekend, we’re predicting wins for the home teams: Hamilton over Montreal in the East, and Saskatchewan over Calgary in the West. Hamilton are clear favourites to win the East Semi-Final (63% chance of winning), but Saskatchewan will have a tougher time facing Calgary (58%). Hopefully the friendly confines of Mosaic Stadium will be good to the Riders.
| Team | Rating | Make Playoffs | Host Playoff Game | Win Division | Make Division Final | Make Grey Cup | Win Grey Cup |
| Winnipeg 11-3 1st in West |
1598 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 61% | 36% |
| Toronto 9-5 1st in East |
1518 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 55% | 22% |
| Hamilton 8-6 2nd in East |
1539 | ✔ | ✔ | — | 63% | 30% | 15% |
| Saskatchewan 9-5 2nd in West |
1558 | ✔ | ✔ | — | 58% | 23% | 12% |
| Calgary 8-6 3rd in West |
1550 | ✔ | — | — | 42% | 16% | 9% |
| Montreal 7-7 3rd in East |
1496 | ✔ | — | — | 37% | 16% | 6% |
| British Columbia 5-9 4th in West |
1446 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Edmonton 3-11 5th in West |
1425 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ottawa 3-11 4th in East |
1398 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Division Semi-Final Predictions
Sunday: Montreal (37%) at Hamilton (63%)
Sunday: Calgary (42%) at Saskatchewan (58%)