One more week of the regular season to go, and the CFL playoff match-ups are mostly decided. There will be no cross-over team this year, so the East will play the East and the West will play the West and the best will meet up in Edmonton on November 28th to fight it out for the Grey Cup.
In the East, the Alouettes stopped caring a couple of weeks ago when they clinched the division and got a bye to the East Division finals Nov 22. They were subsequently shellacked by the Ti-Cats and then last week squeeked out a win against the Argos on this wonderfully bizarre and awesome play.
The Ti-Cats and Argos will meet in the East semis. Winnipeg has been eliminated from the playoffs.
In the West, the Stampeders have earned their way to the West Division finals, while the Rough Riders will play either the Lions of the Eskimos in the semis.
The interesting thing is that the second team in the semis will have to win against teams that already have their playoffs decided (Lions at Ti-Cats, Eskis at Rough Riders). Should be an fun weekend of football!
Midterms, homework, planning my sister’s wedding and generally unable to find new threads in the Game Room amongst the mass of NFL related ones! Off to read it now…!
I know! Isn’t it awful? I feel like I’m betraying them! At least they’ve already clinched the East, so it’s not like this game really mattered (so I tell myself to make me feel better!)
To make it worse, this weekend I was kept away from the Alouettes game and both of the Habs games! Thankfully, my husband texted me key updates throughout the evenings, or I would have gone mad! By Monday I was in serious sports withdrawal!
Went to the Riders’ season final yesterday - good game, great weather. Since the Lions won in their earlier game against the Ti-Cats, the Esks were playing hard, since a loss put them out of the play-offs.
As usual, it was a slow start, but the Riders finally won a game - good momentum for the playoffs. And the Esks new non-playoff string continues…
One chuckle during the national anthem - since 15 Wing is just down the road at Moose Jaw, we often get a couple of fly-bys from the Snowbirds, but they don’t announce them in advance - just suddenly appear out of nowhere during the anthem, often at a season-opener or closer.
And sure enough, just as Jeff Sawatsky began the anthem, there was a fly-by, straight across the field - of about 2 dozen Canada Geese in tight V formation!
I have just realized that I have 2 different homework projects planned for tomorrow but there are two CFL playoff games on TV. I predict very serious deficit in my homework-related attention span.
The Toronto Argonauts have just won the East Semi, after Kevin Glenn pulled a Farve and threw an interception on the last play of the game. The Argos will face the Alouettes next week for the East Championship. History is on the Alouette’s side, but anything can happen in the playoffs. Go Als!
About five minutes left in the Riders-Lions game. Riders just intercepted a BC pass and took it to the Lions’ 30 or so. This, after a long bomb TD by the Riders a few minutes ago.
Riders are once again proving they’re a force to be reckoned with in the fourth quarter.
ETA: Riders just kicked a field goal. Seven-point difference in Riders’ favour now. Good luck, BC! (They’ll need it if they are to have a hope at this point.)
Riders score a TD in overtime, and convert. Now BC gets a chance and they are trying. A reviewed play, a penalty, Lions with 1st and goal… Gotta hand it to the Lions; they aren’t quitting.
ETA: Lions’ TD! Now they need a two-point convert.
BC scores a field goal, but Riders score a TD. Riders win!
The last five minutes of the 4th quarter and the OT contained some of the most exciting football I’ve seen. Looking forward to Northern Piper’s comments–I’m sure he was at the game.
