More intra-conference game (East vs East) early in the season. We play all three Eastern opponents by July 8.
HAM vs TOR games a bit more spaced out, instead of all bunched together in a span of a few weeks.
Our bye weeks are reasonably spread out.
Seems hardwired that we play WPG twice per season (this year: also BC and EDM), even though we get a couple of the Western teams only once (this year: CAL and SSK).
This ordering is probably pre-determined. Still, I'm only seeing one Grey Cup rematch (TOR-WPG), and it's not until end of Sept. Used to be set in week 1.
Hello, I'm from BC, but that being said, I am more of an overall CFL fan and am concerned that all teams should have a fair shake at the schedule.
Obviously I don't want to be nit picky, but after that horrendous scheduling from the 2022 season, I'm hoping for a vastly improved schedule - in fact, it really caused me to give up on watching some of the games after awhile because the scheduling was so crazy! Now if I remember correctly, the actual schedule that ended up being the one that we got in 2022, had to go through some amendments, so maybe there wasn't too much of choice for a "final" result. I've been involved in sports for many years, and I realize that sometimes "odd scheduling" can't be helped at times, but sometimes I have to admit that I have to scratch my head when I do see such things taking place.
Now did not Toronto have a bye in week 1 of the schedule in 2022? Why do they have to have that again, in 2023? What really concerns me, however, is that their last pre season game is on June 1, and then their first game is played on the 18th (almost 3 weeks later?). If you ask me, the schedule needs to be "spaced" a lot better than this.
I can understand that no team wants to have a bye in the first week, unless Pin Ball Clemons asked for this? But then as I just pointed out, their first game is almost 3 weeks later? If I was a true Argos fan, I would be furious!
I don't understand how the schedule makers can't at least get this initial start to the 2023 CFL schedule off to a better start???
Anyway, all in all, I hope things work out better this season.
Thatās the worst of it, for sure, with just 100 hrs. between kickoffs, while OTT has 288.5 hrs.
The Cats have a couple of other nasty short periods between games ā 5 days between playing OTT here and the Elks in EDM and, not quite as bad, 5 days also between the early season game @ TOR and MTLās visit.
The good points:
of the 17 periods between their games, the TiCats have 13 which are a full week or more
Game time, in Vancouver, for the TiCats, and the two other Eastern teams scheduled to play there, is 7:00 p.m. our time, not the norm, for so long, 10:00 p.m.
I like this schedule. I'm glad they've kept it so that the majority of games are against teams in the same division. Makes the divisional games that much more important while at the same time reduces the likelihood of a western team crossing over.
When (of if) the CFL ever gets to 10 teams, I suspect they will keep this formula - but with each team playing 12 divisional games and 6 games against the other division.
Chris O'Leary, writing for cfl.ca, makes some observations on the overall schedule, that many fans, most likely, wouldn't pick up on:
*This is one of the most consistent schedules the league has produced.
*There are a total of 21 Saturday games that kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.
*There are 11 Sunday summer games that all kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.
*There are fewer instances of teams having multiple games against the same opponent in a short period of time,.
*There are half as many back-to-back games in this yearās schedule.
*There are only four instances of teams playing home games on consecutive weeks.
Perhaps the first week bye and starting late is due to Argos not wanting to compete with the Blue Jays.
Love the fact weāre not playing all these western teams at beginning of seasonā¦less likely we start with an 0-4 record like have done many times.
Sat/Sun evening games great.
Donāt like Sask is not coming to town and we not going to Calgary.
Hate we play Argos 4 times. (Partially probably done to increase Torontoās attendence).
Rest is Ok.
Here we go again supporting the Argos with 4 games . 3 against the Als and 3 versus the Redblacks . The Ottawa game after Labour Day is a joke . We get the Als twice and Ottawa once at THF .
We meet the Grey Cup finalists in the first 2 weeks of the season ? The schedule makers certainly don't like us .
Unfortunately they started making the schedule in the summer and were mostly done before the playoffs. Match-ups will be like playing Russian Roulette from now on.
What concerns me, on that, is the Ticats being the visitors for that first Toronto game on June 18th. with the disadvantage of having no '23 video, other than pre-season, to prep for the Grey Cup champs.
Interesting that, while HAM plays their closest rival 4 times, again in '23, and each of the other teams in the East 3 times, out West CGY only plays EDM twice in the normal back-to-back games during Labour Day week. The Stamps play each of the other Western teams more than they do their in-province rival, 3 times each.
It appears that Western teams play 11 games in their division and 7 vs. teams from the East.
(I donāt know why that one sentence comes out big and bold and I donāt know how to correct it.)
