The Canadian Football League playoff picture will come into full focus on Saturday night.
At this point, the only things that are determined are the six teams that will play in the postseason, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will host the Western Final on Saturday, November 8.
First place in the Eastern Division could be determined tonight when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Ottawa Redblacks. Hamilton is in control of their destiny. If they pick up the win tonight, they will finish in first place.
A loss by the Tiger Cats will open the door for the Montreal Alouettes. If the Tiger-Cats lose on Friday night and the Alouettes defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday, Montreal would claim top spot and host the Eastern Final in two weeks.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will likely finish fourth in the Western Division which would mean they would cross over into the East and will face either Montreal for the second straight week or Hamilton in the Eastern Semifinal. The only scenario that would allow the Blue Bombers to finish in third place in the West is if they beat Montreal on Saturday, the Stampeders beat the Edmonton Elks on Friday, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the BC Lions on Saturday. In that scenario, Calgary would finish second, Winnipeg in third and BC in fourth.
The Calgary Stampeders will be playing in the Western Semifinal next week, but where and who their opponents have yet to be decided. If Calgary wins on Friday night against Edmonton and BC loses on Saturday, they will host the Western Semifinal. The only scenario where Calgary can clinch second place with a loss, is if BC loses on Saturday and the Blue Bombers win on Saturday, creating a three-way tie for second place with the Stampeders owning the tiebreaker.
To wrap up the regular season, the BC Lions will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders. If the Lions win on Saturday, BC will finish second place and host the Western Semifinal, but depending on Friday and Saturday’s results, a loss could see the Lions finish in second, third or fourth place in the West.
With first place locked up, the Roughriders will continue to rest some starters ahead of the West Final, including linebacker CJ Reavis and defensive lineman Mike Rose.
Quarterback Trevor Harris and running back AJ Ouellette are back in the starting lineup after missing last week’s game in Winnipeg. It remains to be seen how much playing time the Roughriders starters will see against the Lions.
The CFL playoffs begin next Saturday with the divisional semifinals. The Divisional finals are set for Saturday, November 8.
On Sunday, November 16, the season will come to an end in Winnipeg for the 2025 Grey Cup.