I'm I the only one who thinks that they really need to due away with the east/west divisions. The CFL playoffs have been a joke for a while now. The forth place team in the west has a better record then the first in the east. I just think the two best teams should play each other in the grey cup. Top five teams make playoffs. Teams 1 to 3 get byes. 4 plays 5. If it were this season as of right now. Ottawa plays Edmonton, winner play's Calgary. BC plays Winnipeg. Doesn't that seem better then what we're going to get. I'm a die hard ticats fan and I would still rather them not make the playoffs in favour of this system. What do you think?
Um, it's called playoff revenue. Bums in the stands and tv revenue. How do you propose that they make up that money
I get that. You also have the the people that wouldn't go to a grey cup in Toronto if it were Calgary vs BC. I guess I would rather just see the best teams play and not a team like Calgary playing a team with a losing record in the final. Like you said though leauge wants to make money.
If the two best teams play in the Grey Cup, I assume the “playoffs” are just exhibition games, as a warm-up for the pre-determined Calgary-BC Grey Cup?
Yes, yes you are. Now go hang your head in shame…
The CFL is content with the East/West divisions period.
Duane Forde commented last week about "it" ,something like fans are talking (writing) about the lack of parity between the strong Western division and the East. There are a lot of tight playoff races.
If there was one division there would still be playoff races and there would be East /West rivalries they'll never go away. People would still be in the stands in Edmonton and Winnipeg for the Semifinal games if that was the final standings .
The difference would be fans in Edmonton and Winnipeg would be happy that they got to go to a playoff game for once that they earned instead of the East getting playoff games they do not earn frequently.
The result of one division would be the end of the CFL ,the east doesn't compete with the Western teams on a regular basis .Has there ever been one Eastern Team crossover to the West for the Semifinal?
The West dominates the CFL ,but teams with losing records in the East can get it together for the one game that matters, the Grey Cup. It happens ,yes ,but ,the Westerners are the ones who should be upset about all this and they are or maybe they are not fans any more after watching this East West BS.
I think if there ever is an Eastern Team cross-over to the west, that would be the end of the cross-over rule.
I think it began as a sort of 'parity' thing, in recognition of the 5 team west and 4 team east? Gives incentive to that 4th place team out west to finish out the season strongly. Probably the league, at the time, thought it might also encourage stronger play in the east, particularly the 3rd place team. If so, that part isn't working for them, at all.
The crossover was most likely put in place for competition reasons and to appease the Western Fans who are clearly frustrated by this unfairness favouring the East .
The West seems to have more Football cities and franchises than the East .
I was born a Ti-Cat fan ,attended my first game in 1961 at the East final two game total point series with the Blews.
Man that was exciting ,bring back the two game final series for the division finals.
The game seems less exciting these days,players change teams bi-annually .
The East has never crossed over ,not even close ,of course there are five teams in the West and only four here in the East.
It's a bit embarrassing how the Western teams always seems to have more money and fans.
Edit: A two game final series would increase CFL revenues and excitement !
After the two game series give the winning teams a week break to recover .
Is it the CFL Players assoc. who are against playing an extra game I wonder?
Give us more excitement ,fewer game delays , and more fans in stadiums by going back to a two game total point Final E/W!
There's something to be said for building divisional rivalries with your city-neighbours too. Most of the storied team rivalries in history (I'm thinking Canadiens - Bruins as of recent) are epic because how often they clash and the propensity of the fans to travel to the other city to jeer.
Yep , two game total point final thingy was a winner , league would have to think outside the box though to do something productive and different like this , not sure they are capable of it .
Awarding Toronto the G.C in year one of new ownership looks like it is going to be a big bust and embarassement, but hey, when you make your own bed you have to lie in it .
Let's face it, the CFL continues to have it's issues and YoY they issues float across the league and hit different teams at different times. The "East" this year has been horribly non-entertaining as a whole. It looks o be another Stampeder GC win as they a currently unstoppable. No team in the east has the caliber and consistency like the Stamps do currently.
** To the others that have commented on the GC example they are 100% correct. Both the Argosnots & the League should have known this was going to happen once the Argo jacked the pricing. Looks good on them and the Commish who has done very little to bring this game to the forefront. I'll put money on his tenure being a short one as well as the Argo ownership.