SAFIMOD’S 2019 POWER RANKINGS – WEEK 18 EDITION

SAFIMOD’S 2019 POWER RANKINGS – WEEK 18 EDITION

Published: Tuesday, Oct 15th 2019, 3:10pm

By: Stephen Safinuk (@Safimod)

1 – Hamilton Tiger-cats (12-3) (LW: 1)

2 – Calgary Stampeders (10-5) (LW: 4)

3 – Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-5) (LW: 2)

4 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6) (LW: 6)

5 – Montreal Alouettes (8-7) (LW: 3)

6 – Edmonton Eskimos (8-8) (LW: 7)

Good news, REDBLACKS fans – you won’t have to see me mock your team’s ineptitude on my rankings for the remainder of the year. This weekend, the 6^th and final playoff spot was snapped up by the Edmonton Eskimos after they defeated the BC Lions to clinch a likely crossover. As I did last year, my rankings will only consist of the teams still fighting for the playoffs/in the playoffs as we close out the year.

Hamilton holds on to the top spot on their bye week, but none of the remaining 5 teams end up in the same spot as they finished the previous week.

The Calgary Stampeders jump up 2 spots and leap frog the Riders after their 30-28 victory over the Roughriders. Takeaway the Brett Lauther donk or the Shaq Evans drop on the opening drive, and we’re likely talking about the Riders effectively clinching 2^nd place. Instead, we are back to our 3-way battle for the Western Division.

The Riders drop to 3^rd spot with their 2^nd loss in the last 11 games. Their 9-1 stretch was their best 10 game stretch since the 70s, so its really hard to get upset with this loss.

The Bombers jump from 6^th to 4^th as they defeat the Stanbackless Montreal Alouettes 35-24. I’m sure Bombers fans had some flashbacks to the last time they held a 4^th quarter lead over Montreal, but their defence managed to hold on to this one.

The Edmonton Eskimos jump from 7^th to 6^th after clinching their spot vs BC on Saturday night. They will most likely travel East through Montreal and Hamilton, but they do have an outside shot at catching the Riders/Bombers if they sweep the Riders to close out the year, and both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg lose out. They would finish 3rd, with the Riders travelling to Montreal. Edmonton still feels like the “also ran” in the list of playoff teams, but they have a few weeks to change my mind.

With 3 weeks left in the CFL season, all that’s left to play for is placement. Calgary can finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd. Saskatchewan anywhere from 1st to 4th. Winnipeg anywhere from 1st to 3rd. Edmonton can do no better than 3rd.