Blue Bombers can clinch first-place finish in West Division with victory over Lions
After punching their playoff ticket last week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can solidify a shorter route to the 2021 Grey Cup.
The Bombers (9-1) can cement top spot in the West Division on Saturday with a home victory over the B.C. Lions (4-5). Winnipeg, the defending Grey Cup champion, became the first team to clinch a playoff berth Friday night with a 26-16 victory over the Edmonton Elks.
A first-place finish would secure Winnipeg the right to host the West Division final Dec. 5 versus the winner of the conference semifinal Nov. 28. But the Bombers could still clinch a home playoff game even with a loss.
If B.C. wins and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4) lose to the Calgary Stampeders (5-5), the Blue Bombers would clinch at least the right to host the West Division semifinal. The same would also apply if B.C. defeated Winnipeg by less than 21 points and Saskatchewan beat Calgary.
The Grey Cup game will be held Dec. 12 at Tim Hortons Field.
The Bombers certainly don't face an easy path to first in the West Division. Their four remaining regular-season games -- which includes two against the Montreal Alouettes (5-4) -- are versus teams with combined 19-18 record (. 514).
By comparison, Saskatchewan's five remaining games -- which includes two versus Edmonton (2-7) -- are against teams with a combined 18-28 record (. 393).
Calgary (opponents combined record of 26-21, .553 win percentage), B.C. (20-18, .526) and Edmonton (24-21, .533) all have difficult season-ending schedules also.
The Toronto Argonauts (6-3) sit atop the East Division and will finish their regular season against five opponents with a combined 17-29 record (. 370 win percentage). Second-place Montreal's five remaining games are against teams with a combined 37-17 record (. 646 win percentage).
And that will include two meetings with Winnipeg.
The third-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-5) will play their final five contests versus opponents who're a combined 19-32 (. 373) while the final four opponents for Ottawa (2-8) sport an overall 20-17 mark (. 541).
Toronto visits Montreal on Friday night while Hamilton hosts Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. In West Division action, B.C. is in Winnipeg while Saskatchewan visits Calgary, both on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.