lets talk about the CFL standings so far after week 7. any surprises?
West Divsion
TEAM
G
W
L
T
PTS
F
A
HOME
AWAY
DIV
BC Lions
6
5
1
0
10
155
94
3-0-0
2-1-0
4-0-0
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
7
5
2
0
10
190
147
3-1-0
2-1-0
3-1-0
Saskatchewan Roughriders
6
3
3
0
6
125
147
1-2-0
2-1-0
3-3-0
Calgary Stampeders
6
2
4
0
4
152
167
0-3-0
2-1-0
1-3-0
Edmonton Elks
7
0
7
0
0
105
185
0-3-0
0-4-0
0-4-0
East Division
TEAM
GP
W
L
T
PTS
F
A
HOME
AWAY
DIV
Toronto Argonauts
5
5
0
0
10
186
111
2-0-0
3-0-0
3-0-0
Ottawa REDBLACKS
6
3
3
0
6
140
142
2-1-0
1-2-0
0-2-0
Alouettes de Montréal
5
2
3
0
4
106
111
1-2-0
1-1-0
2-1-0
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
6
2
4
0
4
130
195
1-2-0
1-2-0
1-3-0
for me the big surprise is the REDBLACKS hanging in there with no Masoli. impressed with top 3 of the east (for a change). but the west is shaping up pretty much just how i thought it would be - Lions and Bombers, then Stamps and Riders battling out while Elks are nowhere to be found.
This is more like the standings should be. A 3 way battle for the 2 byes. That would be way more interesting, exciting and fair. It’s looking like Toronto may actually qualify for the bye this year but I won’t be happy if the top two teams are from the West again and only one of them gets the bye because of where they are on a map.
The surprise for me (so far) is that if the season ended today… there’s no crossover possibility. All three teams at the top of the standings in the East are every bit as good as the top three teams in the West.
Right now as I see it the league only has 3 elite teams in Toronto, BC and Winnipeg . At the bottom of the scale there is 2 god awful teams in Edmonton and Hamilton . Somewhere in between you will find 4 very mediocre teams that will struggle to finish the season at .500 football in
Montreal, Ottawa,Saskatchewan and Calgary .
REDBLACKS look like the read deal with Crum back there. i still don’t get how he was so far down the depth chart earlier in the season. but they have some warts on defense.
I don’t think they realized how good he was until thrown in there and he’s looked better in each game.
The warts on defense seem to be the DBs a few backups there, you can’t fault their D line or LBs.
Wait until Hakeem Bailey, Baltimore, Justin Howell, Money Hunter, Santos-Knox all return from injury.
Of the four mediocre teams you mentioned, one of them is holding its own (Montreal) while another is improving (Ottawa).
Ottawa… Dustin Crum. Your honor, I rest my case.
Montreal just amped up their pass rush with the signing of Shawn Lemon.
Calgary is about to ‘make changes’ and that means Hufnagel’s pissed. If there’s only one GM outside of soon-to-be-available Kyle Walters who can bring in fresh bodies that make a difference it’s gotta be John Hufnagel.
Meanwhile Saskatchewan is knee deep in injuries AGAIN, and Head Coach Craig Dickenson can’t stop putting his starting quarterback in danger. I think they’re going the wrong way.
I am an optimist and also don’t believe thet the CFL is perfect. If it is pointless to talk about competetive integrity then it is pointless to talk about expansion and rule changes and ratio changes that will never happen. But talking about these issues is one of the main reasons this forum exists. I would argue that switching to one division is easy and an instant fix to the competetive integrity issue.
It is especially egregious when this happens in a nine team league which tilts the balance even more in favour of the East. No other league I am aware of has this horrific competetive imbalance that punishes a better team virtually every year and costs them money so that a lesser team can receive the undeserved home game and $ that go with it because of their IP address. Maybe the teams in the West should start using VPN to make the league think they are in the East and therefore worthy of playoff pit passes.
I’m not even aware of the format that either of those true minor leagues use and i don’t see how that matters.
The CFL needs to retain their separation from the play and set up in those leagues and maintain their well earned reputation that they are the second best football league in the world which they are. If those two leagues use geographical playoff formats with fewer than 30 teams then even more opportinty for the CFL to distance itself as a better league. They could sell themselves as having the best playoff format in North American professional football should they ditch the address based playoff requirements. In any event, even if the two leagues you mention also have a horrific playoff format there is no reason the CFL has to keep theirs.
BC Lions 
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Calgary Stampeders
Edmonton Elks
Toronto Argonauts
Ottawa REDBLACKS
Alouettes de Montréal
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
.