FRC – CIS Football Top 10 (#10): No. 1 Laval wraps up perfect regular season

Photo credit Yan Dublet

OTTAWA (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or top the Football Reporters of Canada – CIS rankings for the ninth straight week after receiving all first-place votes for the sixth time in 10 polls this season.

This is the final Top 10 of the 2010 campaign.

Laval (9-0), which occupies the No. 1 spot for the 56th time in 60 national polls dating back to the start of the 2005 schedule, claimed a 62-7 victory at Concordia (4-5) last Saturday to finish with a perfect conference record for the fifth time since its CIS debut in 1996.

The seven-time defending Quebec champions outscored their opponents 411 to 58 over nine regular season contests to become the first team since the 2004 Rouge et Or to lead the country in both points scored (45.7 ppg) and allowed (6.4 ppg). Laval has now led the nation for fewest points against three years running and five of the past seven seasons.

The No. 1 Rouge et Or open the playoffs Saturday when they host Bishop's (5-4) in a QUFL semifinal in Quebec City. Laval is riding a CIS-record 40-game overall winning streak at home dating back to a 14-13 conference loss to Montreal on Sept. 19, 2004.

Behind Laval, six other teams also hold on to their previous positions in the final FRC poll of 2010 including the No. 2 Western Ontario Mustangs (7-1), No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies (6-2), No. 4 Ottawa Gee-Gees (7-1), No. 5 Calgary Dinos (6-2), No. 9 Saint Mary's Huskies (5-3) and No. 10 Sherbrooke Vert & Or (5-4).

The No. 6 McMaster Marauders (7-2) and No. 7 Montreal Carabins (6-3) both move up one spot this week, while the Regina Rams (5-3) drop two places to No. 8 following a 52-29 collapse in Saskatoon last Friday that allowed provincial rival Saskatchewan to win a wild race for first place in Canada West.

McMaster was the only Top-10 team to begin its playoff run last weekend and the Marauders did it in style, defeating none other than defending Vanier Cup champion Queen's by 40-19 in an OUA quarter-final in Hamilton.

The Gaels' loss means new national champions will be crowned on Nov. 27 at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City.

The road to the 2010 Desjardins Vanier Cup resumes on Saturday with semifinal action in all four conferences.

In Ontario, unranked Wilfrid Laurier (5-4) visits Ottawa and McMaster travels to London to face former head coach Greg Marshall and his Mustangs. The Score Television Network has both contests at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.

In Quebec, the other semifinal sees Sherbrooke visit Montreal in the first-ever post-season meeting between the two programs. The 1 p.m. affair is televised on Radio-Canada.

In Canada West, Saskatchewan hosts unranked Alberta (3-5) while the Rams travel to Calgary to face the Dinos. The Regina-Calgary duel is live on Shaw TV at 1 p.m. MDT.

Finally, in the AUS, Saint Mary's overcame an 0-3 start to the season to finish first with a 5-3 mark and earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Huskies now await the winners of Saturday's Acadia (4-4) at Mount Allison (4-4) semifinal, a game than can be seen on EastLink starting at 1 p.m. ADT.

No. 1 Laval (9-0): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: 62-7 win at Concordia (4-5)... This week: Host Bishop's (5-4) in QUFL semifinal on Saturday... Heads-up: Laval blanked Bishop's 68-0 on Oct. 17 in Quebec City in the lone head-to-head matchup of the regular season... Laval and Bishop's have met twice in the past in the post-season, both times in conference semifinal action in Quebec City, with the Rouge et Or prevailing 48-12 in 2001 and 17-14 in 2000... Laval later forfeited the 2001 win due to the use of an ineligible player...

No. 2 Western (7-1): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: Bye in first round of OUA playoffs... This week: Host No. 6 McMaster (7-2) in OUA semifinal on Saturday (The Score, 4:30 p.m.)... Heads-up: Western dominated McMaster 50-19 on Sept. 11 in London in the lone head-to-head matchup of the regular season... Western is 2-2 all-time in the playoffs against McMaster, all in conference semifinal action, including a 40-23 road loss in 2004, a 46-20 road loss in 2001, a 34-32 home win in 1998 and a 30-15 home win in 1986...

No. 3 Saskatchewan (6-2): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: 52-29 home win over then-No. 6 Regina (5-3)... This week: Host Alberta (3-5) in Canada West semifinal on Saturday... Heads-up: Saskatchewan beat Alberta 30-9 on Sept. 24 in Edmonton in the lone head-to-head matchup of the regular season... Saskatchewan is 2-1 all-time in the playoffs against Alberta (since start of WIFL in 1964) including a 30-17 Hardy Cup win at home in 2005, a 21-20 Hardy Cup victory on the road in 2004 and a 10-4 semifinal loss at home in 2003...

No. 4 Ottawa (7-1): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: Bye in first round of OUA playoffs... This week: Host Laurier (5-4) in OUA semifinal on Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up: The Gee-Gees outscored Laurier 44-21 on Oct. 9 in Ottawa in the lone head-to-head matchup of the regular season... Ottawa is 1-4 all-time in the playoffs against Laurier including a 32-14 Yates Cup win at home in 2006, a 46-7 semifinal loss on the road in 2004, a 38-18 quarter-final loss on the road in 2003, a 48-4 Yates Cup loss on the road in 1973 and a 23-10 semifinal loss at home in 1972...

No. 5 Calgary (6-2): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: 37-5 home win over Alberta (3-5)... This week: Host No. 8 Regina (5-3) in Canada West semifinal on Saturday (Shaw TV, 1 p.m. MDT)... Heads-up: The Dinos have won both head-to-head matchups so far this season, edging the Rams 24-21 on Sept. 10 in Calgary and prevailing 35-27 on Oct. 22 in Regina... Calgary is 1-2 all-time in the playoffs against Regina, all in conference semifinal action at home, including a 24-17 win in 2008, a 39-17 loss in 2002 and a 33-32 loss in 2000...

No. 6 McMaster (7-2): Top 10 ranking: Up one position... Last week: 40-19 home win over Queen's (3-6) in OUA quarter-final... This week: Visit No. 2 Western (7-1) in OUA semifinal on Saturday (The Score, 4:30 p.m.)... Heads-up: McMaster is looking for its first-ever playoff win in London and for a first Yates Cup appearance since 2004, when the Marauders lost 31-19 to Laurier in the OUA final...

No. 7 Montreal (6-3): Top 10 ranking: Up one position... Last week: 37-7 home win over Bishop's (5-4)... This week: Host No. 10 Sherbrooke (5-4) in QUFL semifinal on Saturday (Radio-Canada, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up: The Carabins edged Sherbrooke 33-29 on Sept. 2 in Montreal in the lone head-to-head matchup of the regular season... This will mark the first playoff duel in history between Montreal and Sherbrooke...

No. 8 Regina (5-3): Top 10 ranking: Down two positions... Last week: 52-29 loss at No. 3 Saskatchewan (6-2)... This week: Visit No. 5 Calgary (6-2) in Canada West semifinal on Saturday (Shaw TV, 1 p.m. MDT)... Heads-up: Regina is 5-7 in Canada West playoff action since joining the league in 1999 including semifinal wins over Calgary in 2000, Saskatchewan in 2001, Calgary in 2002 and Saskatchewan in 2007...

No. 9 Saint Mary's (5-3): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: 21-0 win at Acadia (4-4)... This week: Bye in first round of AUS playoffs... Heads-up: Will host Acadia (4-4) or Mount Allison (4-4) in AUS final on Nov. 13...

No. 10 Sherbrooke (5-4): Top 10 ranking: No change... Last week: 43-8 home win over McGill (0-9)... This week: Visit No. 7 Montreal (6-3) in QUFL semifinal on Saturday (Radio-Canada, 1 p.m.)... Heads-up: Sherbrooke has made two previous playoff appearances since its return to university football in 2003 and is still looking for its first post-season win, having lost semifinals on the road to Concordia (41-20) in 2008 and Laval (72-14) in 2005...

FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#10 – last poll of season)

                                                 Pts (1st place) - Last week

1. Laval (9-0)                                     500 (41)            1
2. Western (7-1)                               421                    2
3. Saskatchewan (6-2)                      419                   3
4. Ottawa (7-1)                                 332                   4
5. Calgary (6-2)                                 322                   5
6. McMaster (7-2)                              211                   7
7. Montreal (6-3)                               202                   8
8. Regina (5-3)                                  121                   6
9. Saint Mary's (5-3)                            96                   9
10. Sherbrooke (5-4)                           86                 10

Other teams receiving votes: Wilfrid Laurier (24), Bishop's (1), Mount Allison (1).

CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

Note: Complete webcast and radio schedules at http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/schedule

November 6
13:00 AUS semifinal: Acadia (4-4) at Mount Allison (4-4) (TV & Web: EastLink)
13:00 QUFL semifinal: No. 10 Sherbrooke (5-4) at No. 7 Montreal (6-3) (TV & Web: Radio-Canada)
13:00 QUFL semifinal: Bishop's (5-4) at No. 1 Laval (9-0)
13:00 OUA semifinal: Laurier (5-4) at No. 4 Ottawa (7-1) (TV & Web: The Score)
13:00 CW semifinal: Alberta (3-5) at No. 3 Saskatchewan (6-2)
13:00 CW semifinal: No. 8 Regina (5-3) at No. 5 Calgary (6-2) (TV: Shaw)
16:30 OUA semifinal: No. 6 McMaster (7-2) at No. 2 Western (7-1) (TV & Web: The Score)

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