The CFL continued into Week 8 of the schedule, highlighted by a Saturday showdown between the top two teams in the league.
On Thursday, 3rd-place Hamilton hosted 2nd-place Montreal, in what could be a battle for the last playoff spot in the East, as it’s looking increasingly likely that a team from the West will cross-over to take the 3rd-place Eastern playoff spot. Maybe the boys in the back room should calculate the odds of that! Anyways, Hamilton beat Montreal 24-17, and the teams are now tied in 2nd at 2-5. With Montreal moving down the field on the final drive and just enough time left for one play, quarterback Trevor Harris was removed from the game by the injury spotters after a hit that resulted in a roughness penalty, and backup QB Dominique Davis threw an interception to end the game.
In the Friday night game, British Columbia headed to Saskatchewan, with two teams heading in opposite directions. Despite holding a 17-4 lead in the second quarter, Saskatchewan lost to BC 32-17. Lions QB Nathan Rourke had an astounding game, completing 27 of his 33 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a third TD. The BC defense also recorded four sacks on Rider QB Cody Fajardo, who went 18 for 27 and only 168 yards.
The most anticipated game of the weekend had undefeated Winnipeg travelling to Calgary to face the second-place Stampeders. In a game that did not disappoint, Winnipeg beat Calgary 35-28. Calgary had held the lead 28-25 with four and a half minutes left in the game, but Winnipeg came through. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros went 22 for 33 for 270 yards and four touchdowns. Bombers running back Brady Oliveira broke the 100 yard rushing mark, picking up 110 yards on 15 carries.
And in the least anticipated game of the weekend, winless Ottawa headed to Toronto to face the first-place Argonauts. In a surprise, Ottawa defeated Toronto 23-13. Ottawa QB Caleb Evans completed 24 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, while his Toronto counterpart, McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 24 of 40 for 340 yards and one touchdown. Toronto failed to score in the second half of the game.
Week 8 Results
Montreal 17 at Hamilton 24
British Columbia 32 at Saskatchewan 17
Winnipeg 35 at Calgary 28
Ottawa 23 at Toronto 13
McDonald CFL Power Ratings
Winnipeg continues to be the top ranked team by far, with a huge 1630 McDonald CFL Power Ratings ratings points, with second-ranked Calgary sitting 86 points behind at 1544. British Columbia moved up the rankings with their win over Saskatchewan, swapping places with the Riders who now dropped down to fourth. Toronto is the top-ranked Eastern team in fifth place, as they are the only Eastern team above the 1500 average rating, albeit only at 1506. Despite their surprising win over Toronto this week, Ottawa remains mired at the bottom of the rankings, but they have moved above the 1400 point stink line, now sitting at 1411 points.
| Ranking | Team | Rating | Record |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1630 (▲12) | 8-0, 1st West |
| 2 | Calgary | 1544 (▼12) | 4-2, T-3rd West |
| 3 (▲2) | British Columbia | 1521 (▲15) | 5-1, 2nd West |
| 4 (▼1) | Saskatchewan | 1511 (▼15) | 4-4, T-3rd West |
| 5 (▼1) | Toronto | 1506 (▼18) | 3-3, 1st East |
| 6 (▲1) | Hamilton | 1482 (▲11) | 2-5, T-2nd East |
| 7 (▼1) | Montreal | 1467 (▼11) | 2-5, T-2nd East |
| 8 | Edmonton | 1447 | 2-5, 5th West |
| 9 | Ottawa | 1411 (▲19) | 1-6, 4th East |
Grey Cup Predictions
Winnipeg’s odds of winning the Grey Cup went up significantly this week after their win over 2nd-ranked Calgary, jumping 5 percentage points to 40%! Toronto, being the top team in the East, has been calculated to have the 2nd best chance of winning at 16%, a drop of 3% from last week. The two last-place teams, Ottawa and Edmonton, both saw their chances of winning it all doubling, from 1% all the way up to 2%! Saskatchewan, despite hosting the Grey Cup this year, have now seen their chances of winning it drop to 7%.
Overall, there’s a 68% chance of a Western team winning the Grey Cup, up 1% from last week’s report.
| Grey Cup Ranking | Team | Rating | Win Grey Cup |
| 1 | Winnipeg | 1630 | 40% (▲5) |
| 2 | Toronto | 1506 | 16% (▼3) |
| 3 | Calgary | 1544 | 11% (▼3) |
| 4 (▲2) | British Columbia | 1521 | 9% (▲2) |
| 5 (▲2) | Hamilton | 1482 | 8% (▲3) |
| 6 (▼2) | Saskatchewan | 1511 | 7% (▼2) |
| 7 (▼2) | Montreal | 1467 | 6% (▼2) |
| T-8 | Ottawa | 1411 | 2% (▲1) |
| T-8 | Edmonton | 1447 | 2% (▲1) |
Our Full Predictions
Here’s our full predictions.
| Team | Rating | Make Playoffs | Host Playoff Game | Win Division | Make Division Final | Make Grey Cup | Win Grey Cup |
| Winnipeg 8-0, 1st in West |
1630 | >99% | 98% | 87% | 95% | 62% | 40% |
| Toronto 3-3, 1st in East |
1506 | 84% | 80% | 58% | 72% | 41% | 16% |
| Calgary 4-2, T-3rd in West |
1544 | 93% | 45% | 4% | 50% | 19% | 11% |
| British Columbia 5-1, 2nd in West |
1521 | 94% | 46% | 8% | 48% | 17% | 9% |
| Hamilton 2-5, T-2nd in East |
1482 | 56% | 51% | 21% | 41% | 21% | 8% |
| Saskatchewan 4-4, T-3rd in West |
1511 | 69% | 10% | 1% | 33% | 13% | 7% |
| Montreal 2-5, T-2nd in East |
1467 | 57% | 50% | 16% | 38% | 18% | 6% |
| Ottawa 1-6, 4th in East |
1411 | 22% | 18% | 5% | 13% | 6% | 2% |
| Edmonton 2-5, 5th in West |
1447 | 26% | 1% | <1% | 11% | 4% | 2% |
Week 9 Game Predictions
Thursday: Winnipeg (65%) at Montreal (34%)
Friday: Calgary (61%) at Ottawa (38%)
Saturday: Hamilton (40%) at Toronto (59%)
Saturday: Edmonton (33%) at British Columbia (66%)