Photo credit Newschool Photography (Justin Russo)
OTTAWA (CIS) – There are no changes this week in the CIS football Top 10. Only three nationally-ranked teams were in action on Thanksgiving weekend, which featured only four games in Ontario and two in the Maritimes.
The Western Mustangs (7-0) top the Football Reporters of Canada poll for the third straight week thanks to 20 first-place votes and 290 points. The reigning Vanier Cup champion Laval Rouge et Or (6-0) once again earned the remaining 10 first-place nods and 280 points from the FRC panel to remain comfortably in second position.
Rounding out the eighth national poll of the campaign are the No. 3 Calgary Dinos (6-0 / 234 points), No. 4 Guelph Gryphons (7-0 / 206), No. 5 Queen’s Gaels (6-1 / 186), No. 6 Montreal Carabins (4-2 / 146), No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies (4-2 / 110), No. 8 Bishop’s Gaiters (4-2 / 87), No. 9 McMaster Marauders (4-3 / 67) and No. 10 Windsor Lancers (4-3 / 17).
Guelph, Queen’s and McMaster were the only Top-10 squads to take the field last weekend and all registered convincing road wins. The Gryphons defeated newcomer Carleton 48-12, the Gaels crushed Waterloo 78-21, while the Marauders beat Laurier 28-5.
Guelph and Queen’s face off Saturday in Kingston in the feature match-up of Week 9, live on Sportsnet 360 at 1 p.m. ET.
Heading into the final weekend of OUA league play, the undefeated Gryphons are tied with Western atop the conference standings and would secure at least second place with a win. The Gaels can no longer finish first after losing to Western three weeks ago but would leapfrog Guelph with a victory on home turf.
Meanwhile, Western and Laval can clinch first place in the OUA and RSEQ, respectively. The top-ranked Mustangs host York (2-5) Saturday afternoon, while the Vanier Cup champs host Sherbrooke (2-4) Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET, live nationally on Radio-Canada.
Should Western and Guelph end up with identical 8-0 records in the OUA, the Mustangs would get the edge thanks to a better point differential. The Mustangs have scored a whopping 408 points in their first seven outings and need 17 more against York to shatter the single-season OUA mark set by McMaster in 2003, a tally which ranks third on the all-time CIS list (Laval, 481, 2003 / Saint Mary’s, 480, 2001).
Western kicker Lirim Hajrullahu could also make CIS history on Saturday. The fifth-year senior needs nine points in his final league game to break the CIS career standard of 410 established by former Ottawa great Neil Lumsden from 1972 to 1975.
In Quebec, in addition to securing top spot in the standings, Laval will be looking to extend a pair of impressive streaks which date back to 2003, the year their next opponent, Sherbrooke, joined the RSEQ. The Rouge et Or have won a CIS-record 61 consecutive games at home overall and are 17-0 all-time against the Vert & Or, including a 20-0 shutout on the road earlier this season.
Other games involving Top-10 teams this weekend include Regina (2-4) at No. 3 Calgary; No. 6 Montreal at McGill (3-3); Manitoba (3-3) at No. 7 Saskatchewan; No. 8 Bishop’s at Concordia (0-6); No. 9 McMaster at Carleton (0-7); No. 10 Windsor at Ottawa (4-3).
Saskatchewan can clinch second place in Canada West, while McMaster and Windsor are hoping to finish fourth in Ontario and earn home-field advantage for the first round of the OUA playoffs.
NOTES: The AUS game of the week on Eastlink TV is StFX (3-3) at Acadia (2-4) Saturday at 2 p.m. AT... The Canada West game of the week on SHAW TV is Alberta (0-6) at UBC (3-3) Saturday at 2 p.m. PT.
FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#8)
Pts (1st place) - Last week
1. Western (7-0) 290 (20) 1
2. Laval (6-0) 280 (10) 2
3. Calgary (6-0) 234 3
4. Guelph (7-0) 206 4
5. Queen’s (6-1) 186 5
6. Montreal (4-2) 146 6
7. Saskatchewan (4-2) 110 7
8. Bishop’s (4-2) 87 8
9. McMaster (4-3) 67 9
10. Windsor (4-3) 17 10
Other teams receiving votes: Saint Mary’s (11), Sherbrooke (6), UBC (5), Manitoba (3), Ottawa (2).
WEEK 8 RESULTS
Toronto 56, York 35 (at York)
Saint Mary’s 11, Acadia 9 (at Acadia)
Guelph 48, Carleton 12 (at Carleton)
Queen’s 78, Waterloo 21 (at Waterloo)
Mount Allison 42, StFX 13 (at Mount Allison)
McMaster 28, Laurier 5 (at Laurier)
WEEK 9 SCHEDULE (all times local)
October 18
18:00 Regina (2-4) at No. 3 Calgary (6-0) (video webcast)
19:00 Mount Allison (2-4) at Saint Mary’s (4-2) (video webcast)
19:00 Manitoba (3-3) at No. 7 Saskatchewan (4-2) (video webcast)
October 19
13:00 No. 9 McMaster (4-3) at Carleton (0-7)
13:00 No. 4 Guelph (7-0) at No. 5 Queen’s (6-1) (Sportsnet 360)
13:00 No. 10 Windsor (4-3) at Ottawa (4-3) (video webcast)
13:00 Waterloo (1-6) at Toronto (3-4) (video webcast)
13:00 No. 8 Bishop’s (4-2) at Concordia (0-6) (video webcast)
13:00 No. 6 Montreal (4-2) at McGill (3-3) (Radio-Canada TV, French webcast& English webcast)
13:00 York (2-5) at No. 1 Western (7-0) (Rogers TV London)
14:00 StFX (3-3) at Acadia (2-4) (Eastlink TV & video webcast)
14:00 Alberta (0-6) at UBC (3-3) (SHAW TV & video webcast)
October 20
13:30 Sherbrooke (2-4) at No. 2 Laval (6-0) (Radio-Canada TV & video webcast)
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:
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