As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca has a new series making the case for every team as a contender to win the 113th Grey Cup, highlighting three reasons why each club has a path to the championship. The series is not intended to make predictions, but to showcase the strengths and potential routes for each team entering the new campaign.<\/p>\n
SASKATCHEWAN \u2014 The Saskatchewan Roughriders enter 2026 not as contenders trying to break through, but as the team everyone else is chasing.<\/p>\n
After a 12-6 season that ended with a 112th Grey Cup victory, Saskatchewan returns with much of its core intact and an identity that proved it can win in November.<\/p>\n
Ahead of their season opener against the BC Lions on June 13, CFL.ca brings you three reasons why the Saskatchewan Roughriders could win the 113th Grey Cup.<\/p>\n
RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n 1. CONTINUITY OF A CHAMPION<\/p>\n Free agency often forces teams to reshape their identity, but the Roughriders had no reason to. With a championship roster already in place, general manager Jeremy O\u2019Day made continuity the focus this off-season.<\/p>\n \u201cJ.O. set the tone,\u201d said Harris of his GM\u2019s off-season moves. \u201cHe didn\u2019t rest on his laurels.\u201d<\/p>\n Like any Grey Cup champion, Saskatchewan\u2019s roster drew attention from across the league, particularly on defence. But the foundation remains intact. In total, 22 players from the Grey Cup roster signed extensions, including four 2025 All-CFL selections, along with quarterback Trevor Harris<\/a> and running back AJ Ouellette.<\/p>\n That approach allows Saskatchewan to build seamlessly off last season\u2019s success rather than recreate it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have experience, we got a lot of guys returning, we know our jobs, and this brotherhood is going to be a force for another year,\u201d said Ouellette during the CFL\u2019s off-season content capture in April.<\/p>\n This is not a team trying to rediscover the path to the Grey Cup, it is one doubling down on what\u2019s already worked.<\/p>\n 2. COREY MACE\u2019S DEFENSIVE IDENTITY<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Under head coach Corey Mace, the Roughriders have become one of the CFL\u2019s most disruptive units, built on pressure, physicality and takeaways. Last season, they allowed the fewest points per game (22.7), had the third most sacks (43) and the third most forced turnovers (41). They were also stout against the run, allowing just 76.0 yards per game on the ground, the best mark in the CFL.<\/p>\n While some of the stars that lined the 2025 unit found new homes in the off-season, Mace\u2019s voice and ability to get the most out of his players on the defensive end remain in place. In his eight seasons behind CFL sidelines, he has coached six defences that ranked in the top three in scoring.<\/p>\n That consistency gives Saskatchewan a baseline it can rely on, and it hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed by rivals.<\/p>\n
\u00bb\u00a05 Things to Know for 2026: Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a03 reasons why Hamilton could win the 113th Grey Cup<\/a>
\u00bb 3 reasons why Winnipeg could win the 113th Grey Cup<\/a>
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