Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — After calling for Saskatchewan and Edmonton victories in the semi-finals, the CFL.ca writers are hoping to repeat their success on Sunday.
The Division Finals this weekend will finally determine the Grey Cup pairing, which is currently anyone’s guess with two even matchups going in.
First comes a meeting between the East Division-winning Argos and the crossover Riders, two teams that caught fire over the later stages of the season. While the Riders have won nine of their last 13, including a convincing win in the nation’s capital, the Argos enter the post-season on a 5-2 run.
Out west, the Battle of Alberta will commence for the fourth time this season, as prospective Most Outstanding Player Mike Reilly looks to settle the score once and for all with the CFL-leading Stampeders. That matchup pits the league’s most productive offence the last several weeks against the top-ranked defence.
Will the playoff picks prevail or will Sunday be for the upsets?
CFL.ca Pick ‘Em Leaders: Regular Season
| Writer | Record |
| Matthew Cauz | 56-26 |
| Don Landry | 55-27 |
| Pat Steinberg | 54-28 |
| Jim Morris | 54-28 |
| Marshall Ferguson | 54-28 |
| Jamie Nye | 49-33 |
| Chris O’Leary | 46-36 |
EF: SASKATCHEWAN @ TORONTO
There’s an us-against-the-world mentality in Saskatchewan, which the Riders are thriving on in their first post-season under Chris Jones.
Despite previously going into the post-season on an impressive 8-4 run, the Green and White don’t feel they’re getting the respect they deserve. That could stem from the CFL’s Simulation (which gives the Riders only a 7.99 per cent chance of winning the Grey Cup), or possibly the writer picks (with five of seven writers taking the Boatmen).
Either way, Riders are playing impressive football going into their Eastern Final visit to BMO Field. They’ve overcome their regular season issues running the football (no matter who’s at running back), while the defence continues to force turnovers at an impressive rate, last week intercepting Trevor Harris twice and also forcing a fumble in the win over Ottawa.
On the other hand, no crossover team has ever made it to the Grey Cup, a trend the Argos have no plans of breaking. Toronto’s team is getting healthy at exactly the right time, with all of Anthony Coombs, Shawn Lemon and Marcus Ball back in the lineup in time for Sunday’s matchup.
Meanwhile, Ricky Ray has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the CFL in his age-38 season, while James Wilder Jr. may be in the conversation for best running back in the country after rejuvenating the Argos’ ground game.
WF: EDMONTON @ CALGARY
Momentum has been a buzzword this week for the Stampeders and Eskimos, with the latter entering the post-season on a sluggish 0-3 run and the former owning a six-game winning streak.
Whether that has any bearing on Sunday’s outcome remains to be seen, but both arguments have credibility. The Eskimos are the most up-and-down team of the CFL this year, trading a seven-game winning streak with a six-game losing streak before their current run. Yet they’ve been an entirely different team ever since acquiring C.J. Gable from the Ticats.
Mike Reilly has leaned on his star running back along with the ‘Big 3′ of star receivers to throw 11 touchdown passes and only two interceptions his last six games, including a current four-game run without a single pick.
If anyone can slow down the Eskimos’ offence, it’s an experienced and now well-rested Calgary secondary. There’s been nothing wrong with the Stamps’ defence over their three-game losing streak, especially on the back end that is patrolled by veterans Tommie Campbell, Jamar Wall, Brandon Smith, Ciante Evans and Josh Bell.
While Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stamps’ offence have slumped over the latter half of this year, that team has brought a different mentality from a year ago — one focused first and foremost on succeeding in the playoffs and winning a Grey Cup.
