Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The CFL’s playoff picture continues to come into focus.
With the BC Lions’ 33-30 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night, the Montreal Alouettes have benefited in the form of securing the right to host the Eastern Semi-Final on Nov. 4.
The Als will host the Eastern Semi-Final for the second consecutive year and will also host the Tiger-Cats for the second year in a row.
The Calgary Stampeders kept their playoff hopes alive in the second half of Friday’s double-header with a 26-19 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at McMahon Stadium. A Riders win would have given the team third place in the West Division and a spot in the Western Semi-Final on Nov. 4.
The Lions’ Friday night win keeps the race for the top seed in the West Division open. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hold the top spot in the division and won the season series over second-place BC last week.
Here are the 110th Grey Cup playoff scenarios for Week 19:
WEST DIVISION
- Saskatchewan WIN = Saskatchewan secures third place in the West Division and will travel to BC or Winnipeg for the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
- BC LOSS = Winnipeg claims the West Division title and will host the Western Final at IG Field on Saturday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET. BC Lions will finish second place and host the Western Semi-Final at BC Place on Saturday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
EAST DIVISION
- Montreal WIN OR Hamilton LOSS = Montreal will host the Eastern Semi-Final at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 4 at 3 p.m. ET.
NOTE:
- A Calgary win this week would secure the season series over Saskatchewan and make them even with 11 losses each.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
- Toronto clinched the East Division title for a third straight season in Week 15
- Winnipeg secured a playoff spot for a seventh consecutive year in Week 14
- BC clinched a postseason berth for a second straight year in Week 16
- Montreal booked a trip to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year in Week 17
- Hamilton clinched a playoff berth for a fifth straight season in Week 17.
CROSSOVER RULE
If the fourth-place team in division A – A4 – has more points than the third-place team in division B – B3 (they cannot be tied), A4 will cross over and take the place of B3 in terms of playoff seeding. A4 will then compete against B2 in the division B Semi-Final.
