Criss-cross who’s the boss?

With the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks officially eliminated from the playoffs, we can start talking about a crossover to the East Division.

A West Division club moving over to the East has felt inevitable for the last few weeks, but confirmation came this past weekend after both clubs suffered another loss in their struggling seasons. The focus now shifts to a four-team race for top spot in the West, with the farthest team in the standings relegated to the East.

I wrote last week I anticipated the Saskatchewan Roughriders (11-4) holding onto top spot, their grip on first place tightening with a 20-13 win over the Redblacks on Friday. Assuming the Riders don’t choke, that leaves the B.C. Lions (9-7), Calgary Stampeders (8-7) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-7) battling it out for the final three spots.

A lot of people are predicting the Lions for second place and the argument is sound. Quarterback Nathan Rourke is leading a confident Buck Pierce-led offence and the defence has finally been able to get to the quarterback, as the Lions ride the momentum of a four-game winning streak.

I caution not to rule out the Bombers making a late push. Not only does Winnipeg have the tiebreaker over the Lions, it also has the experience of five consecutive Grey Cup appearances, understanding the meaning of sacrifice at this time of year.

I don’t mean to pick on Stampeders fans but my opinion hasn’t changed. With quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. struggling to look like his dynamic self and a defence that was the class of the CFL through the first half of the season now looking average, the Stampeders could very well be making plans to head east next month.

Of course, these are just predictions and we’ll have to see how things play out. Perhaps dropping to fourth, and having to play either the Montreal Alouettes (8-7) or Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-6), is the magic ticket — or at least a more friendly path than on the road in the West.

I’ll remind readers the grass isn’t always greener in the other division, a fact made evident by the reality no team has made the Grey Cup, let alone won one, as the crossover team. There have been 12 other teams in the past — with the most recent being Edmonton in 2019 — but perhaps this will be lucky No. 13.

Now, let’s see what else caught my attention in this week’s CFL Rundown.

1) There are still weeks to go before award votes are cast, but it appears to be a two-horse race for the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

In the East, Bo Levi Mitchell feels like the obvious choice, in what will be his second consecutive MOP nod for the Ticats.

Mitchell leads the CFL in passing touchdowns (32) and yards (4,726), and has also rushed for one score and tallied 121 yards on the ground.

In the West, Rourke has distanced himself from the rest of the pack, second behind only Mitchell in TDs and yards, but with one clear distinction.

The Canadian QB is eighth in the CFL with 477 rushing yards, along with an eye-popping nine TDs on the ground. It should be a fascinating finish to the season for these two talented gunslingers.

 

2) Between the Argos and Redblacks, the Argos have less heavy lifting to do in the off-season.

Not that the season wasn’t a disappointment — Toronto ultimately ended their bid for three Grey Cups in four years, and their chance at being considered a dynasty — but they’ve won twice in the last three years, so an off-year doesn’t sting nearly as much compared to the Redblacks.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is still under contract for 2026, but if I’m the Argos, I’m inking him to a multi-year extension ASAP.

 

3) It obviously didn’t help that Toronto has been without its starting quarterback for the entire season.

While it looked like Chad Kelly would return at some point, now it feels almost like a foregone conclusion that he’ll miss the remaining three games.

It certainly was an interesting year for Kelly, who didn’t hit the six-game injured list until mid-season, a move that suggested he would be back within the first month or so.

He would finally be added to the six-game, only for Kelly to tease his return in Week 15 through a now-deleted social media post.

I suppose the silver lining was the stellar play of Nick Arbuckle, who was pretty much asked to do it all on offence with the absence of a run game.

There’s still a chance Kelly plays, but it seems kind of dumb to risk him injuring himself and doing this all over again.

 

4) The Redblacks have a lot of thinking to do.

Ownership will first have to decide what to do with general manager Shawn Burke and head coach Bob Dyce.

Both possess a losing record, which would be enough to justify both being let go.

What does Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group (OSEG) want to do? That’s the biggest question here.

Are they really invested enough to go out and look for new leadership, which would require a significant hunt and likely a long-term commitment?

Or do they give Burke and Dyce one last shot to get it done?

I wouldn’t be surprised if they take the latter approach, even though the overall consensus seems to be Burke back, Dyce done.

 

5) The other hot topic in Ottawa surrounds quarterback Dru Brown.

Brown is in the midst of another injury-riddled season, limited to nine games so far this year.

He’s suffered multiple injuries, including to his hip and knee. He’s also been turnover-prone, which is uncharacteristic of a game that has been defined by his ball security.

At 28, there’s still a ton left in the tank for Brown and the Redblacks would be ill-advised to move on.

The other question that must be asked is, if not Brown, then who?

I don’t think Dustin Crum can win a Grey Cup and while we’ve seen some improved play by backup veterans in recent weeks, there’s no obvious better option than Brown out there.

 

6) Not a ton of good news coming out of Edmonton these days, although I guess the Elks are still mathematically in the playoff race.

There was definitely reason to celebrate on Wednesday with the signing of a two-year extension for running back Justin Rankin.

Rankin has been a major bright spot for Edmonton, rushing for 838 yards and catching 49 passes for 633 yards, combining for 12 touchdowns.

 

7) The Saskatchewan Roughriders search for a kicker continues.

After bringing in Canadian Campbell Fair, who took over for an injured Brett Lauther this past week, the Riders have signed American kicker Michael Hughes.

With Lauther out with a back injury, Fair also struggled, missing both of his convert attempts and not attempting a single field goal.

Lauther is having the worst season of his career, converting on 69 per cent of his kicks. Perhaps Hughes is the key; the American connected on 83 per cent of his field goals as a standout at Appalachian State.

 

8) Finally, as we enter these final games, I’m not sure I can remember in my 10 years covering the CFL a tighter finish.

Here’s to hoping for some close games and highlight reel plays over the weekend, before we break it all down again next week.

 

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca