The Weekly Say: Which OK Tire Labour Day Weekend rivalry is best?

TORONTO — It’s almost time for the best regular season weekend on the CFL schedule.

OK Tire Labour Day Weekend is laced with three all-time great rivalries that are loaded with history. The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers get things started for us when the meet at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday. On Monday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts renew hostilities and are followed up by the Battle of Alberta, with the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Edmonton Elks.

We asked CFL.ca’s writers, who are spread across the country, which one they thought was best. Their answers to this question and more are below in this edition of The Weekly Say.

OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
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WHAT IS THE BEST OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND RIVALRY?

Don Landry: For me, the best Labour Day rivalry is the Blue Bombers-Roughriders clash. I can’t separate the first game from the return match in Winnipeg, so the Sunday game in Regina feels like just the first half of an epic tale. And it is usually a firecracker of a first half.

Kristina Costabile: All of them feel special to me but there’s a little bit extra excitement in the Hamilton/Toronto matchup. It may be because I grew up watching that one (and going to them) with my dad, but the bitterness the teams have for each other is just so much fun to watch once the pads come on.

Pat Steinberg: I’m biased because I’m based out here, but it has to be the Battle of Alberta. The rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton never really goes away, even when there’s a disparity between teams in a given year. Oh, and the fact the all-time record is 31-31-1 makes this annual home-and-home set that much more intriguing.

Matt Cauz: I know if you just look at the overall record it’s hard to pick Hamilton versus Toronto as the Tiger-Cats have historically dominated to the tune of 37-15-1. But growing up in Toronto and going to school at McMaster, I have to go with the QEW classic.

José Ferraz: All of them are great, but I have to go with Saskatchewan vs. Winnipeg. Anything can happen when these two take the field in Regina. Bonus points due to the rematch a week later.

Marshall Ferguson: Toronto at Hamilton. The energy in the Hammer just feels dramatically different from any other rivalry game in the regular season. Plus, it’s a true turning point in the calendar with every kid in the city out to have their last hurrah before heading back to class.

Jamie Nye: I’ve grown up in it. My very first live game was sitting on what we called hemorrhoid hill at Taylor Field. Riders/Bombers has been a tradition and an atmosphere I don’t think you can top. Both fan bases travel so well that you all have to experience it for yourselves.

WHICH QUARTERBACK WILL PASS FOR THE MOST YARDS?

Landry: Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. will pass for the most yards on Labour Day weekend. With a strong, ‘keep ‘em honest’ run game that will force the Elks to pay attention to Dedrick Mills — and others — Big Play VA will get his opportunities to do lots of what he likes to do best; get large chunks on mid and deep shots.

Costabile: Nick Arbuckle. Arbuckle is coming off a monster 443-yard game and has thrown for over 300 in each of his last five starts. Going against a Hamilton team that gives up 288.1 yards per game through the air, second most in the CFL, I think the Argos pivot, who is now first in the league in passing yards, has another big game in the Battle of the QEW.

Steinberg: Vernon Adams. Jr. The Stamps quarterback has shown no fear in stretching the field, which could be a good matchup against an Edmonton team allowing more than 310 passing yards against per game.

Cauz: Bo Levi Mitchell. Mitchell’s best game of the season came against the Argonauts back in Week 5 and there’s no reason to think he can’t recreate it on Monday.

Ferraz: I’ll throw a curve ball and go with Nick Arbuckle. Might be recency bias but the veteran has been on a roll lately and will likely engage in a shootout with Bo Levi Mitchell and the Ticats.

Ferguson: Bo Levi Mitchell. He absolutely loves Labour Day, and the only thing he detests more based on their first matchup of this season is the Argos.

Nye: I’m going to say Bo Levi Mitchell. He and Arbuckle air it out and both teams don’t have much of a run game, so I think Bo will top the week with an epic Labour Day performance.

WHICH CANADIAN PLAYER WILL HAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE?

Landry: Calgary’s Damien Alford. After getting back into the lineup last week for a warmup game after a month out of the lineup, the rookie receiver gets back to the ‘wow factor’ level we saw prior to his hamstring injury.

Costabile: I feel like Brady Oliveira is going to go off again this weekend. Big time players show up in big time games and I think he builds on his performance from last week on Sunday against Saskatchewan.

Steinberg: Brady Oliveira. This guy lives for the big stage and he’s coming off his best game of the season. Even on the road, I’m expecting big things from the reigning MOP.

Cauz: The easy answer is Brady Oliveria after putting up 210 total yards and a touchdown last week against Montreal. My hipster pick will be Argonauts receiver Kevin Mital, who will see plenty of targets and had over 100 yards back in Week 5 against this defence.

Ferraz: Brady Oliveira. The reigning MOP and MOC had 100 total yards and two touchdowns on Labour Day Weekend in 2023 but was held to 51 yards and no majors in 2024. Look for the Bombers to feed him early and often coming off his best game of the season.

Ferguson: Kiondré Smith. Based on how Kenny Lawler burned the Argonauts earlier this year, I expect Toronto to roll all coverage possible the way of Hamilton’s top receivers and Smith could have another BC-esque performance from his road triumph earlier this summer.

Nye: Jalen Philpot is on my radar for this weekend against the Edmonton Elks. I think Philpot will be taking on an even larger role as the season progresses as he can make players miss and can be a duel threat in the run game too.

WHICH GAME WILL BE THE HIGHEST SCORING?

Landry: With quarterbacks that are one-two for the league lead in passing yards, I’ll go with Toronto/Hamilton as the highest scoring game of the lot. 72 points.

Costabile: Hamilton and Toronto. These two teams are the top two squads in the CFL in points, Hamilton averages 30.0 points per game while Toronto is just behind with 29.9. I think we’ll see 79 total points scored.

Steinberg: Toronto and Hamilton. We’re talking about the two highest scoring teams in the league by points-per-game AND the league’s two most prolific quarterbacks this season. I’ll go 68 points on Monday.

Cauz: Has to be the Hamilton/Toronto game that will see the two most productive quarterbacks going up against not exactly two of the most stout defences in the league. Let’s go with 58 total points.

Ferraz: Hamilton vs. Toronto. Two high-flying offences that will look to outdo one another.

Ferguson: Hamilton and Toronto hung up a boat load of points – mostly against the boatmen – earlier this season. Saskatchewan and Winnipeg have struggled at times to put up significant yardage and Calgary has the juice to run with anyone, but Edmonton might want to sit on the football a bit more on the road.

Nye: I’m going Argonauts and Tiger-Cats. The two quarterbacks with the most passing yards in the season and I think we’re going into the 80+ total point range like they did a few weeks ago.

WHAT IS YOUR BOLDEST PREDICTION FOR OK TIRE LABOUR DAY WEEKEND?

Landry: Boldest prediction? Somebody’s running a fake field goal. None of the writers can possibly out-bold me with that. Also, it’s been soooo long since we’ve seen one so I’m just trying to will it into existence.

Costabile: Every team will score a kick return touchdown. We’ve had an incredible amount of kick returns for major scores this year so why wouldn’t we see at least six more this weekend?

Steinberg: Tre Ford will have a part to play for the Elks. Cody Fajardo is the guy in Edmonton, and for good reason. But I think we’ll see Ford used for a big play or two on Monday afternoon.

Cauz: Rolan Milligan Jr. sets a career-high with his first three interception game of his five-year career. Rolan has pilfered a quarterback pass in back-to-back games and Collaros already has thrown 10 in eight games.

Ferraz: At least one quarterback will throw for 500 yards on Labour Day Weekend. All six pivots playing are more than capable of doing it.

Ferguson: Vernon Adams Jr. finds a way to break multiple Calgary Labour Day records in a monster single game performance in his first trip to Labour Day in Southern Alberta.

Nye: Bo Levi Mitchell gets close to 500 yards passing. His career single-game high is 491 and he threw five touchdowns last time out against the Argos but with Arbuckle slinging it too, I think Bo will have to keep airing it out.