#CFLTC13

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO -- For the second-straight year, the CFL.ca Power Rankings will pit Matthew Cauz against The Machine. Last season, The Machine topped Cauz in a bitter competition that lasted until the final week.

Who will come out on top in 2012?

Click here for a more detailed explanation of the CFL.ca Power Rankings.

Here are the Week #17 Mathematical Power Rankings:

The Machine
Rank	Team	Points	Previous	Change
1		11.9	1
2		2.2	4
3		1.5	5
4		1.2	3
5		-2.9	2
6		-3.3	6
7		-4.8	8
8		-5.7	7

Matthew Cauz | CFL.ca Columnist

British Columbia Lions (12-4)

Gonna steal this idea from the great Dave Naylor who mentioned this to me the other day ... is Mike Reilly destined to be the starting quarterback for the new Ottawa franchise? If he continues to play well as Travis Lulay's backup, Reilly could find himself as the face of the Ottawa ________. (May I suggest "Cauz's"? Just think of all the fun possibilities ... "Our Cauz this Friday is go out there and win!" … No? I tried.)

Calgary Stampeders (10-6)

My first thought watching this game in the snow was how bad I felt for the Calgary board of tourism. Who wants to go anywhere with that much snow before Halloween? By the way, does anyone remember the last time a team won after committing seven (non "on-downs") turnovers? While Kevin Glenn's stat line isn't one he'll frame any time soon (five turnovers) he can at least take some satisfaction in knowing he beat his former team twice this year.

Montreal Alouettes (10-6)

It took 17 weeks, but it's nice to see Jamel Richardson playing like the guy I thought should have been ranked as the CFL's #1 player coming into the season. While the smart money is on the Lions making it to the Grey Cup I'm kind of hoping for a Montreal/Saskatchewan rematch. We all know how entertaining their Grey Cup clashes have been, plus just think of all the "sports-hate" between two teams that combined for 43 penalties during their two regular season matches.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-8)

Hey Roughrider fans, instead of dwelling on the negatives of two-straight losses and the fact that you're defence made old man Anthony Calvillo look like young man Doug Flutie I say you focus on your return to the playoffs! Hey, it's better to back into the playoffs than to be sitting at home bitterly watching them while eating bad chili. Trust me as an Argonaut fan I can tell you that isn't as much fun as it sounds.

Edmonton Eskimos (7-9)

Cory Boyd is back! Now let me say I hope for a speedy recovery for Hugh Charles, I’d love to see him back by the playoffs, but I'm happy to see Cory back on a roster. Is this a biased opinion based on the couple of times meeting him and having him on a couple of radio shows? You damn well right it is. Come on Edmonton if you can give him about 100 carries in the final two games he'll top a 1,000 yards! It's that or watch your quarterbacks throw incompletion after incompletion, do the right thing!

Toronto Argonauts (7-9)

Rooting for Chad Owens is like a dating a hot model who has a horrible laugh and doesn't get any of your movie references. "Really, you've never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off????”

Just look at all his hot model stats: number-one in combined yards, number-seven in yards from scrimmage and number-two in receiving yards yet, there will always be those fumbles, those horrible, horrible, crippling fumbles. Of course as a guy I'll just pretend she's actually an old soul, with real depth and character. What I'm trying to say in a non-awkward way is I can't quit on Chad yet. Damn it, that was awkward. Moving on.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats(5-11)

Now that loss has gotta hurt. This script was set for a perfect storybook/classic/cliché/Hollywood ending with quarterback Henry Burris fighting the elements to beat the team that traded him (For the record I thought it was the right move, Drew Tate’s potential called for Burris to be traded.) The Tiger-Cats managed to execute an onside kick, Burris had that brilliant pass to Chris Williams, and the ball was on the 30 yard line…comeback complete! Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-11)

My apologies to people demanding I move the Blue Bombers out of the basement, but I just can't. A great win over Toronto once again highlights just how good this team could be when they (and by "they" I mean Buck Pierce, who are we kidding here?) are fully healthy. A bigger concern now is the health of their pass rush for their upcoming game against Hamilton. With injuries to Jason Vega, Kenny Mainor and Bryant Turner they may have no choice but to turn to a retired defensive lineman with a proclivity for cured Italian meats and kissing men on the cheek.