A lot on the line in CFL’s final week

With only one week left in the CFL regular season, there’s still plenty to figure out before the playoffs begin.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the only club in the league that heads into Week 21 knowing its fate. At 12-5, win or lose this week, the Riders will finish with the league’s best record and atop the West Division.

We already know the other five teams joining Saskatchewan in the post-season, but we don’t know where they’ll end up. That includes figuring out which West team will be crossing over to the East Division.

While there are several different ways this weekend could unfold, it’s best to start with the teams that control their own destiny.

That includes the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who can wrap up first place in the East with a win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday. Meanwhile, the Lions can secure second place in the West with a road victory over the Riders.

If Hamilton stumbles against a struggling Ottawa outfit, the door opens for the Montreal Alouettes to steal first place in the East with a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Although the Bombers seem destined to finish fourth in the West, behind the Calgary Stampeders in third, those two clubs would flip places if the Stamps fall to the Edmonton Elks and the Bombers beat the Alouettes.

Calgary could also move into second place in the West and host the divisional semifinal

To do that, the Stamps would need a win this weekend, plus losses by the Lions and the Bombers. If B.C. and Calgary both lose and Winnipeg wins, resulting in a three-way tie at 10-8, then the Stamps would finish second, the Lions third and the Bombers fourth.

Clearly, there’s a lot on the line as we wrap up another regular season in the CFL. I look forward to breaking it all down next week for the start of the playoffs and the first step closer to Grey Cup week in Winnipeg.

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

1) The Elks put forth a valiant late-season effort, making things interesting in the final weeks of the regular season. Edmonton was once again plagued by a terrible start, opening the year with one win in their first seven games.

The growing pains of a first-year general manager and a rookie head coach were largely inevitable. While the Elks did eventually show promise, there will be pressure to build on this season and be a playoff team in 2026.

That’s not going to be easy in the West. No one is going to care about any positive steps this season if they don’t make that leap into the playoffs next year. After several years missing the post-season, the Elks’ margin for error is now extremely thin.

2) The catalyst for the Elks’ turnaround this year was undeniably the switch at quarterback from Tre Ford to Cody Fajardo after the club went 1-4. No doubt, Elks leadership has been asking what might have been had the change been made earlier.

Fajardo is clearly the quarterback of the future in Edmonton and an extension has to be imminent for the veteran pivot. As for Ford, when asked about his future with the Elks, coach Mark Kilam wasn’t very direct. He affirmed Ford still had a future in the CFL, but notably refused to say that future was in Edmonton.

Ford still possesses a ton of talent and athleticism, but he’s got work to do to earn another No. 1 job. While there will be a market for him, it will likely be for a backup role.

3) I’ve written in recent weeks about the need to respect the Bombers’ experience at this time of year.

After watching them the last few weeks — especially after the narrow win over a depleted Roughriders team — I’m no longer as confident Winnipeg can turn things around. In my 10-plus years covering the Blue and Gold, I haven’t seen them this defeated, particularly on offence.

The Bombers clinched a playoff spot, which gives them a chance, but they seem to be running on fumes and are nowhere near the playoff threat they’ve been for years.

4) We’ve seen Saskatchewan and Montreal renew the contracts of their GMs and head coaches. What’s the plan for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea? Neither is under contract for 2026.

While it isn’t unusual — and even standard — for both men to wait until their old deals are done before inking new ones, I can’t help but wonder how this down year plays into the decision-making.

5) If I’m the Redblacks, I’m considering going after Mike O’Shea to bring in a new culture.

I get the feeling that Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group (OSEG), the owners of the Redblacks, isn’t all that interested in doing an exhaustive search to replace GM Shawn Burke and head coach Bob Dyce, so bringing in an established leader such as O’Shea would be a quick solution.

There’s also Ryan Dinwiddie in Toronto, who might even be a better option than O’Shea. However, Dinwiddie would require a promotion to GM, as he’s under contract as head coach with the Argonauts for another year.

6) The Lions are roaring into the playoffs, riding a five-game win streak. This is exactly what rookie head coach Buck Pierce was hoping for when he landed in B.C. after years in Winnipeg.

He’s been preaching for months the need to stay present, put in the work and honour your teammates – pillars that led to the Bombers success in recent years. Pierce has quarterback Nathan Rourke playing at an MOP level. Just as important, the defence has shown notable improvement over the last month.

The playoffs are a different beast, though, so they’ll need to lean on those lessons even more.

7) Probe Research published a new study this week looking into the implementation of new rules for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. There were some obvious results, such as Manitoba and Saskatchewan being less receptive to the changes compared to other markets.

That said, CFL fans themselves were more likely to support the changes (42 per cent) than oppose (20 per cent). Fans were most happy with the instant 35-second clock, while only about 20 per cent would be open to more rules resembling the U.S. game.

It’s hard to know just how accurate these numbers are, considering only 30 per cent of respondents were even aware the CFL was making changes.

8) The CFL has finally announced this year’s halftime show, which will be headlined by pop music artist MGK, formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly.

The reviews have been predictably mixed, with the more traditionalist fans lamenting the lack of a Canadian act.

While I wouldn’t blame anyone over 50 for not knowing MGK, he’s popular among the younger generation and should attract eyeballs that would otherwise have no interest in the Grey Cup. And really, that’s the entire point of the halftime show.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca