TORONTO — Well folks, we have a new No. 1.
The Montreal Alouettes have taken over as the top team in the CFL Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL, reclaiming the throne for the first time since Week 5.
With the best record in the CFL (7-1) and two wins under their belt without their starting quarterback, Cody Fajardo, the Alouettes have more than earned their place atop the mountain.
Where did the rest of the teams land? Let’s get into this week’s rankings.
1. Montreal Alouettes (7-1)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: 33-16 win over Hamilton
Next Game: Vs. Hamilton, Saturday, August 10
Worth noting: It’s safe to say that the Montreal Alouettes are the best team in the CFL. Sure, they hold league’s best record at 7-1 but they were also able to string two wins together over the last few weeks without starting quarterback Cody Fajardo. Fajardo was the early candidate for MOP and when he was injured, some may have questioned if the Als would continue to win games. Enter: Davis Alexander. He came into the game in relief of Caleb Evans two weeks ago and orchestrated a come-from-behind win over the Riders and last week, in Alexander’s first start of the year, he threw for 262 yards and a touchdown en route to a win over Hamilton. Montreal’s the team to beat and are deserving of the No. 1 spot in our rankings.
2. BC Lions (5-3)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: 25-0 loss to Winnipeg
Next game: At Edmonton, Sunday, August 11
Worth noting: BC not only lost their Week 9 contest against the Bombers but they also lost their starting quarterback, for now. Vernon Adams Jr. was injured at the end of their contest and it was announced that he’s going be out week-to-week. The good news is that he’s not going to be on the sideline long term but the bad news is he was the catalyst in the Lions exceptional offence. Now the reigns will likely be handed off to Jake Dolegala as the Lions head to Edmonton to take on Tre Ford and the Elks. BC will want to forget their shutout loss to the Bombers as quickly as possible. Can Dolegala lead the offence to a win and how will the Lions defence contain the explosive rush attack of the Elks?
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: 42-31 loss to Edmonton
Next game: At Ottawa, Thursday, August 8
Worth noting: The league’s best run defence had a not-so-great day against the Elks as Javon Leake and Tre Ford ran right through them in the Riders loss to Edmonton. Mario Alford started the game with a bang for the home team as one of the CFL’s most dangerous returners scored on the opening kickoff. However, the start of the game was very different than the ending of it as the Elks outscored the Riders 22-10 in the final frame. It’s not time to panic though, the Riders still sit second in the West Division (5-3) and will want to try to take the top spot away from the BC Lions. A win against the REDBLACKS this weekend will be the first step in doing so.
4. Ottawa REDBLACKS (5-2)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: 33-6 win over Calgary (Week 8)
Next game: Vs. Saskatchewan, Thursday, August 8
Worth noting: Ottawa returns from a bye still reeling from their big win over the Stampeders in Week 8. The REDBLACKS’ dismantling of the visiting Stamps pushed them to 5-2 and after Week 9’s contests, they still sit second in the East Division. As they start stacking wins after a very difficult four years of being out of the playoffs, we’re seeing Ottawa come alive this season. Can they keep things going against Saskatchewan this week? Dru Brown and co. will hope so.
5. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-6)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: 25-0 win over BC
Next game: At BC, Sunday, August 18
Worth noting: It was the defence that stole the show for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the weekend, holding the league’s most potent offence to a goose egg on the score sheet. After a slow start to the season, Winnipeg has gone 3-2 in their last five games. They sit fourth in the West Division but there’s still plenty of time left in the season to make up ground. The Bombers head out on a Week 10 bye and return to take on the same BC Lions they shutout when they return in Week 11.
6. Calgary Stampeders (4-4)
Last Week: 5
Last game: 27-23 win over Toronto
Next game: At Toronto, Friday, August 9
Worth noting: Reggie Begelton told TSN’s Farhan Lalji after halftime that he and his team were going to have a better second half in Sunday’s game against the Toronto Argonauts. And they sure did. The offence that wasn’t clicking in the first two frames came alive and scored 21 unanswered points while the defence locked in and allowed just a single point on the way to victory. Now at .500, Dave Dickenson’s group can hope to play like they did in the second half in all four quarters as they head to Toronto this week in the second half of the home-and-home against the Argonauts.
7. Edmonton Elks (1-7)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: 42-31 win over Saskatchewan
Next game: Vs. BC, Sunday, August 11
Worth noting: Fans of the Edmonton Elks can read these rankings with a smile on their face today after their team won their first game of the season last week and moved up two spots. Tre Ford stepped into his first start of the season and was impressive, using his legs when he needed to but also looked comfortable throwing strikes from the pocket in his team’s win over a difficult defence in Saskatchewan. Even more impressive was the team’s rush attack, running for a combined 276 yards between Ford and running backs Javon Leake (three touchdowns and 169 yards) and Justin Rankin. Coming into the week, Saskatchewan’s defence had only allowed 47.9 yards per game on the ground. With a playoff spot still very much in the conversation for the Elks, they’ll need to start stringing together wins starting with a visit to BC Place to take on the Lions.
8. Toronto Argonauts (4-4)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: 27-23 loss to Calgary
Next game: Vs. Calgary, Friday, August 9
Worth noting: It was a tale of two halves for the Argonauts in Week 9. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie was likely happy with his group’s performance in the first half – they led 22-6 at the break – but we’re sure that feeling floated away in the final two frames. Cameron Dukes looked like the Cameron Dukes we saw early in the season in the first two quarters, using his legs and arm to put points on the board. His second half of work wasn’t quite the same though, with the Stampeders making some adjustments defensively to all but shut down his offence. Toronto will hope to play a full 60 minutes on Friday as they welcome the same team they were just defeated by to BMO Field.
9. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-6)
Last Week: 6
Last game: 33-16 loss to Montreal
Next game: At Montreal, Saturday, August 10
Worth noting: Hamilton’s game against Montreal was a measuring stick contest for the Ticats after going on a two-game winning streak (wins against the Argonauts and Elks). It was a tough task going up against the Als defence and Bo Levi Mitchell and the offence didn’t score a point until late in the fourth quarter. After putting up impressive numbers this year, Mitchell threw for a season-low 240 yards and two interceptions. A pick-six from the defence was a bright spot in the game, but it wasn’t enough for Hamilton to win against their East Division foes. They won’t have to wait long to try to get revenge, however, with the Tabbies heading to Montreal on Saturday and try to climb up both the standings and the Power Rankings.