Every year I say to myself, "I'm going to really get into the UFL/USFL/XFL/etc. this year," and every year I fail to do so. There is no one more desirous than me for spring (and summer) football, and yet, the only such league with staying power in my head is the CFL. Maybe it's the history. Maybe it's the stability relative to U.S. spring leagues. Whatever the reason, I love me some CFL. Here's how things are shaping up north of the border about halfway through the season.
1. Edmonton Elks (6-2)
There are basically three teams at the top of the CFL pecking order right now, and you can even make a strong argument for four. Of those, you could order them in any position you like and have no complaints from me. The Elks get the nod in this spot from me because they handed Montreal their only loss and just split with Saskatchewan in back-to-back weeks (each game seeing the road team win in a two-point thriller). Other teams have a better point differential or statistics, but no team has the resume the Elks do. That's great for Elks fans because they have been wandering in the desert as one of the worst teams in the league for years now coming into this season.
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-2)
They have that aforementioned split with the Elks, and they hiccuped against Toronto in Week 3, but I'm still putting the defending Grey Cup champions at No. 2. They are led by their defense, which has allowed the fewest touchdowns in the league, and the ageless quarterback Trevor Harris (I lied — he has an age: 40) who in bringing home the hardware for Sask last year, won his third Grey Cup for three different teams.
3. Montreal Alouettes (7-1)
This is my adopted team, and maybe I'm being too hard on them in an effort not to be biased. I put them behind the Elks and Roughriders for two reasons: 1) They get to ply their trade in the pillow-soft Eastern Division. 2) They are 0-1 at this point against the teams above them. But man, is their offense a juggernaut: Top two receivers by yardage in the CFL, along with the 3rd-ranked rusher. No surprise, then, that they lead the league in net offense, yards per play, and first downs.
4. Calgary Stampeders (4-4)
Guess who leads the league in point differential? Nope, it's not any of the top three teams, it's the Stamps. And that's because of their quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. I am very happy for Adams. Twice, in Montreal and BC, he played great, but was nonetheless supplanted by a guy (in Montreal's case) who played out of his mind when Adams was hurt, and (in BC's case) when the league's golden calf returned (Nathan Rourke). In Calgary, he is the unquestioned No. 1, and this year he has thrown 21 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
5. Toronto Argonauts (3-4)
It's hard for me to put into words how big the drop off is between No. 4 and No. 5 in the league. The Argos get the nod at "No. 5 thanks to their win over Saskatchewan, basically. They do lead the league in passing yards and trail only Montreal in total offense and yards per play.
6. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4)
Here's a team that made four straight Grey Cups between 2019-2023 (there was no season in 2020) and won two of them. Now, they are just showing their age, and the roughest part of their schedule is still ahead of them — they have only played one game against the top three (a home loss to Edmonton). They are porous against the rush, allowing a league-worst 6.3 yards per carry, and that mitigates the work of their own running back Brady Oliveira, who for my money is the best RB in the league.
7. BC Lions (2-5)
I called their quarterback, Nathan Rourke, a golden calf earlier, and that was mean and unfair. He's a great QB. But he's hurt and the Lions have no one to turn to when he's out. When he has played, he's averaging over a yard worse per completion than he did last year. And one has to wonder if how much his years riding the pine the NFL cost him all-time great CFL status. To be fair, he is still only 28.
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5)
What made me call Nathan Rourke a golden calf is because he is a native Canadian who played lights-out in 2022, perhaps the best year ever by a Canadian QB in the CFL. Obviously, it would be huge for the league if Rourke could be the face of it. As such, Canadian quarterbacks may get more leash than their American counterparts, and that may explain why Tre Ford is still in the league after washing out in Edmonton and getting benched last week in Hamilton. He just ain't it, chief. Ford himself was filling in for Bo Levi Mitchell, who broke his ankle July 5th. Since then, the Ti-Cats have a 1-point win and three double-digit losses.
9. Ottawa Redblacks (0-7)
Oof. In terms of yards per play, they have the worst offense in the CFL and the worst defense. That's not an easy trick to pull off! It's looking for all the world like this will be their sixth year out of seven where they muster 4 wins or less in an 18-game schedule. If you want to root for an underdog, this is the ultimate underdog.
And if you want to watch the CFL in America, select games are on CBS Sports Network, and the rest are on CFL+ for free!
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