TORONTO — It may only be August but we’re already talking about playoffs.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers could be the first team in the CFL to punch their ticket to the post-season if they get a win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday night.
It is a bit weird that bombers can clinch the playoffs but not Toronto even if they have the same record.
Is it due to Toronto rest of season matches being against the east while Winnipeg is against eastern team to end the year or something else.
If the Bombers win this weekend, the worst record they could finish with is 10-8. Calgary and Edmonton can only finish at best with 10 and 9 wins respectively. Having lost the season series to Wpg already, the Stamp’s 10 wins don’t cut it. That guarantees Wpg 3rd in the West at worst. The current crossover team from the East is Ottawa with only 3 wins. Even if they win out the season, they would only finish with 10 wins, which is not good enough to crossover against Wpg’s 10 wins.
Toronto can still theoretically finish in 4th in the East with only 8 wins if they lose out. Won’t happen of course, and they will clinch shortly as well.
It’s because of Math. When the Bombers beat Sask Sunday night, they will have 10 wins on the season. At that point, it’d only be statistically possible for the Lions and the Riders to catch up and pass them. Calgary could catch up with 10 wins themselves (and the Bombers lose all their games), but, as Winnipeg owns the season series against the Stamps, the Bombers stay above them in the rankings. Therefore, with a win this week, the worst the Bombers can do is third in the west, and therefore would make the playoffs. (Note: the cross-over rule couldn’t catch them either because fourth in the has to pass them with wins; currently that’s Ottawa and they can only make it to 10 W’s on the season).
Think it’s possible to have seven teams finish at 10-8 and the Argos at 8-10. That would give the number crunchers something to talk about heading into week 21 lol
It’s always fun to run the numbers. But like they say, almost anything can happen in the CFL. Remember the Lions in 2011? A dismal 1-7 start. Many fans wrote them off. The team ended up taking 1st place and going on to win the Grey Cup Championship!
Last year it appeared the Lions were destined to take it all until the CFL’s best QB, Nathan Rourke, went down with an almost season ending foot injury. Lions never made it to the much coveted Grey Cup game.
A lot could change in the standings between now and the final game of the season. I’m sure the Elks are remembering what the Lions did back in 2011.
By the looks of it, barring serious injuries in key positions we may well be looking at a Toronto/Winnipeg rematch come November.
But we all know what can happen in an Eastern and Western Final. For the teams that make it to the Final, they are just one game away from their ticket to the Grey Cup game. It is amazing what players are capable of doing when they are 60 minutes away from the Championship game.
Dug a little deeper and came up with a Mars Attacks result. Hold on to your tinfoil hat.
Six teams can finish at 10-8 while the Bombers and Argos finish at 9-9. Wouldn’t that melt some heads!
Thanks for the input
You must have a lot of time on your hands SHF. 
That would be remarkable if it plays out that way. If it does, I’m going to pull up your post for all to see. Then recommend you hit the nearest casino. 
I gonna go out on a limb and predict that the Bombers and Argos will finish better than 9-9. But I get what your saying. It’s mathematically possible.
Well, at the end of the day two-thirds of the teams in the CFL make the playoffs.
Air is so thin up there i figured someone needed to take a poke at their balloons
They don’t have the same record. The Argos are 8-1 and have played 2 fewer games than the Bombers at 9-2.