Photo credit Yves Longpré
OTTAWA (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or top the Football Reporters of Canada – CIS rankings for the third time in as many polls this season but for the first time this fall, the reigning Vanier Cup champions were not a unanimous choice for the number one position.
Laval (2-0) received 29 of 30 first-place votes and 299 points from the FRC panel this week, with the remaining first-place nod going to the impressive Western Mustangs (3-0), who move up one spot to No. 3 in the new poll.
Rounding out the third Top 10 of 2013 are the No. 2 Queen’s Gaels (3-0 / no change), No. 4 Montreal Carabins (2-0 / down one), No. 5 Calgary Dinos (2-0 / no change), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (2-0 / up two), No. 7 Guelph Gryphons (2-0 / no change), No. 8 Manitoba Bisons (1-1 / up one), No. 9 McMaster Marauders (1-2 / down three), as well as the previously unranked Saint Mary’s Huskies (1-0).
Top-ranked Laval improved to 2-0 on the season last Saturday thanks to a 20-0 road win over Sherbrooke (0-2). The Rouge et Or now get ready for an interlock confrontation against the two-time defending AUS champ Acadia Axemen (0-1), a rival they dominated 42-7 in last year’s Uteck Bowl national semifinal.
Laval sports an all-time overall record of 16-3 versus opponents from the Atlantic conference, including 7-0 against Acadia.
Meanwhile in the OUA, Queen’s and Western both moved to a perfect 3-0 over the past weekend. The Gaels won a 49-34 shootout at home against Windsor (1-2), while the Mustangs crushed two-time conference champion McMaster 58-15, handing the Marauders their first home loss in 13 contests dating back to September of 2011.
Western has outscored its opponents 179 to 33 in its first three outings, with sophomore quarterback Will Finch completing a CIS-best 76 percent of his passes for 1,164 yards, 10 touchdowns and only one interception.
Other Week 3 results from Top-10 teams included Montreal 44, Bishop’s 18 (at Montreal); Calgary 34, Regina 27 (at Regina); Saskatchewan 36, Manitoba 34 (at Manitoba); Saint Mary’s 14, Acadia 11 (at Saint Mary’s).
Seventh-ranked Guelph enjoyed a bye week in the OUA.
Thirteen games are on the schedule this coming weekend, all on Saturday, including four RSEQ-AUS interlock duels. Highlighting Week 4 are Top-10 matchups between No. 10 Saint Mary’s and Montreal, as well as No. 6 Saskatchewan and No. 5 Calgary.
The Saint Mary’s at Montreal contest is televised on Radio-Canada at 1 p.m. ET, while the Sportsnet 360 game of the week is Guelph at Toronto (1-2), also at 1 p.m.
FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#3)
Pts (1st place) Last week
1. Laval (2-0) 299 (29) 1
2. Queen’s (3-0) 245 2
3. Western (3-0) 241 (1) 4
4. Montreal (2-0) 224 3
5. Calgary (2-0) 165 5
6. Saskatchewan (2-0) 141 8
7. Guelph (2-0) 131 7
8. Manitoba (1-1) 76 9
9. McMaster (1-2) 58 6
10. Saint Mary’s (1-0) 26 NR
Other teams receiving votes: Ottawa (11), Sherbrooke (11), Bishop’s (7), Regina (3), McGill (3), StFX (3), Acadia (1), Windsor (1).
WEEK 4 SCHEDULE (all times local)
September 14
13:00 No. 7 Guelph (2-0) at Toronto (1-2) (Sportsnet 360)
13:00 Carleton (0-2) at Windsor (1-2) (TVCOGECO & live webcast)
13:00 York (1-1) at No. 9 McMaster (1-2) (Cable 14 TV & live webcast)
13:00 StFX (1-0) at Concordia (0-2) (live webcast)
13:00 Ottawa (2-1) at No. 3 Western (3-0) (Rogers TV London)
13:00 No. 10 Saint Mary’s (1-0) at No. 4 Montreal (2-0) (Radio-Canada TV & live webcast)
14:00 No. 1 Laval (2-0) at Acadia (0-1) (live webcast English & live webcast French)
14:00 McGill (1-1) at Mount Allison (0-1) (Eastlink TV & live webcast)
14:00 No. 8 Manitoba (1-1) at UBC (1-1) (live webcast)
17:00 No. 6 Saskatchewan (2-0) at No. 5 Calgary (2-0) (live webcast)
17:00 Regina (0-2) at Alberta (0-2) (SHAW TV & live webcast)
19:00 Laurier (0-3) at Waterloo (1-2) (live webcast)
19:00 Bishop’s (1-1) at Sherbrooke (0-2)
About Football Reporters of Canada
Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958, Football Reporters of Canada has been an organization of media members who have covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the league’s outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC) to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with amateur and college football. FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines and working conditions for the men and women who report on the game. Selected members of FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 55 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CIS_SIC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cissports
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/universitysport
-CIS-