Weekly, SportsCage.com contributors from around Western Canada collaborate to rank the Canadian Football League teams. After the final week of the regular season, the B.C. Lions remain atop the rankings, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders rebounded from a slight slip last week.
Here is how the ranking broke down:
The B.C Lions are in the top spot for a fifth week in a row, even if they only hang on by the tips of their claws. Lions. The Lions enter the post-season on a six-game winning streak, which moved them past Calgary and into second in the West, allowing the Leos to host the Stamps in Saturday’s semi-final. The contributors, however, seem concerned by how the Riders’ starters controlled the desperate Lions on Saturday night. We will see which team shows up in the playoffs.
Back up into second place despite registering their second consecutive loss, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The losing streak has an asterisk beside it as the Riders have not dressed all their starters since clinching the West in week 19 against Toronto. We will see 29 days between impactful games in the standings for the Riders on November 8, 2025.
The Montreal Alouettes are down a spot from a week ago after a loss to the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg in Week 21. The Als are undefeated when Davis Alexander starts at quarterback, and he will be back at the helm when these two teams meet this week in Montreal.
The Calgary Stampeders are steady at number four in this final week of the rankings. The Stamps needed a win in Edmonton, and they picked up one against a team looking to set a tone for next year. We will see how the Stamps’ stock fares in Vancouver in the West Semi-Final next week.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are in at number five. The contributors are split on who the TI-Cats really are, ranking as low as number six for some and as high as number three for others. Hamilton’s bye into the Eastern Final will give the contributors another week to mull it over.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the sixth spot this week. Questions around the team’s health and age will linger into the postseason. Can the Bombers make it six straight appearances in the Grey Cup? Time will tell.
The Edmonton Elks perhaps have the most promising outlook among the non-playoff teams, sorry Toronto, end the year in eighth. Ed Hervey and Mark Kilam laid a foundation in the Alberta Capital—no doubt some decisions will need to be made in the off-season. We will see if those moves will allow the Elks to climb the rankings into a playoff spot in 2025.
The Toronto Argonauts are next, in eighth. Let’s face it: The Argos were without their starting quarterback all season. It shouldn’t be an excuse, as Nick Arbuckle punched way above his weight in 2025. However, the Argos are a different team with Kelly under center.
Lastly, the changes have already started in Ottawa with the dismissal of head coach Bob Dyce. The Redblacks have work to do in the offseason on both sides of the ball and a pivot decision regarding quarterback Dru Brown’s future.
