New to the CFL. So 5 teams will qualify for playoffs here? Top overall team gets a bye? How does it work
No 6 make it...this year 3 from each divison (no crossover this year) and top team in each division get a bye... 3rd at 2nd in each division in the semifinal with winners playing the top team in division final.... winners of those finals play in GreyCup
1 Like
The crossover happens when the 4th place team in the West has a better record than the third place team in the East.
In that case they play as the third place team in the East with no home playoff games.
Ok, so Winnipeg has a bye right now, and in the east Toronto currently has that spot but could lose it to Montreal/Hamilton.
Winnipeg- Western Finals
Western Semis- Saskatchewan vs. ?
Toronto?- Eastern Finals
Eastern Semis- Hamilton? vs. Montreal?
Is this close to being correct?
3 Likes
Saskatchewan will most likely play Calgary in the first round but you got the idea.
2 Likes
Just to clarify, the 4th place team in the East could also crossover if their record was better than the 3rd place place team in the West. But that has never happened. If one day I actually get to meet Santa Claus, and I haven’t been drinking, it could happen.
4 Likes
LOL it's funny because it's true .
East crossover . 
2 Likes
I agree with the crossover, but I like when it's three teams from each division in the playoffs. Seems more pure.
I'd love it if some day there were an Eastern team crossing over: hopefully Toronto. Imagine Toronto playing Hamilton in the Grey Cup! Wouldn't the folks in Alberta be excited to see that?
3 Likes
I’m not in Alberta but would have no problem with it if they earned it. I don’t think it could ever happen until the East gets a 5th team.
If they earned their way there - then play. I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't break the ABC rule.
I got a kick out of the all-Ontario East bracket a few years back.
That should be kind of common, but it was the only time that it's happened in like the last million years or so.
The way it should have been:
Three teams plus one wildcard make the four team playoff. Semifinals are a best two-out-of-three series.
Ontario
Toronto 8-4
Hamilton 7-5
Ottawa 2-11
Prairie
Winnipeg 10-1
Saskatchewan 8-4
Montreal 6-5
Mountain
Calgary 6-6
BC 4-8
Edmonton 2-9
Playoff week 1
Calgary at Winnipeg
Saskatchewan at Toronto
Playoff week 2
Winnipeg at Calgary
Toronto at Saskatchewan
Playoff week 3
Calgary at Winnipeg (if necessary)
Saskatchewan at Toronto (if necessary)
Playoff week 4
Calgary/Winnipeg series winner vs. Saskatchewan/Toronto series winner in the Grey Cup
What about Hamilton?
Hamilton misses out.
Saskatchewan is one game better for the one and only wildcard spot (based on today's latest results).
You are going to have to wrap your head around teams with losing records and slightly above .500 winning percentages will be staying home for the holidays so-to-speak.
In your scenario Calgary makes the playoffs at 6-6 though. CFL wouldn’t do this when they publicly stated prior to the season that they considered a situation where there could be 8 playoff seeds.
Correct, as the Mountain division champion. We get all three quadrants of the CFL country landscape into the playoffs.
Lol 
Ontario is represented every year and their team gets to host at least one playoff game in the 3-game semifinal series.
I’d rather start the preseason with a pod system. Start with 4 regional teams. In BC it would be Vancouver, Victoria, Kamloops and Surrey all playing out of BC place. At the end of the 3 games we have Anne Robinson saying to the cut players. “You are the weakest link, goodbye!” The ones remaining would play for the Lions.
1 Like