USports football top 10: Saskatchewan on the rise

Following their third straight dominating win, the reigning Vanier Cup champion Western Mustangs top the U SPORTS football national rankings for the fifth week in a row.

The Mustangs (4-0), whose 67-7 drubbing of Waterloo on Saturday marked their third consecutive victory by 38 points or more, received 165 points from the Football Reporters of Canada panel in this week’s voting and an additional 170 from the ELO Rating System for a combined total of 335.

The 2018 Vanier Cup finalist Laval Rouge et Or (4-0 / 304 points) follow in second place for the fifth straight Tuesday, while the Calgary Dinos (4-0 / 277) and Montreal Carabins (3-1 / 240) remain third and fourth, respectively.

Western (13), Laval (3) and Calgary (1) were once again the only teams to merit first-place votes from the 17-member FRC panel.

Rounding out the fifth top 10 of the campaign are the fifth-ranked Carleton Ravens (4-1 / 161 points / up one position), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-1 / 137 / up three), No. 7 Saint Mary’s Huskies (4-0 / 117 / no change),  No. 8 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (2-2 / 115 / down three), No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-1 / 81 / previously unranked) and No. 10 Regina Rams (2-2 / 31 / no change).

While Western, Laval and Montreal were displaying all their firepower over the weekend, Calgary was the only member of the Big Four to be challenged and had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to keep its unblemished record intact.

At Waterloo, reigning Vanier Cup MVP Chris Merchant threw six touchdown passes and the top-ranked Mustangs scored 31 points in the first quarter en route to their 16th straight overall victory dating back to the end of the 2016 season.

After squeaking by Carleton in overtime in its league opener on Aug. 26, the powerhouse from London has now defeated its last three opponents by a combined 187-16. Next up is a visit to long-time rival Queen’s (3-2), Saturday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, live on YourTV and OUA.TV.

In Quebec, the Rouge et Or outgained McGill by 625 total yards to 82 in a 53-7 success on home turf, while the Carabins had five interceptions in a 74-3 domination at Concordia, including a trio of pick sixes.

At Vancouver, Adam Sinagra threw a pair of TD passes in the final 10 minutes of regulation to help the Dinos turn a 28-18 deficit into a 32-28 win against UBC.

Meanwhile at Saskatoon, in the only top-10 duel of the past week, Saskatchewan’s defence had three interceptions and five sacks in a 33-20 decision over provincial rival Regina.

Other Week 5 results from top-10 squads included Carleton 38, Toronto 26 (at Toronto); Saint Mary’s 26, Acadia 16 (at Saint Mary’s); McMaster 21, Laurier 20 (at McMaster); Ottawa 42, York 16 (at Ottawa).

The Week 6 schedule is highlighted by a pair of top-10 matchups, both on Saturday afternoon, including Saskatchewan at Calgary at McMahon Stadium (3 p.m. ET/noon PT, SaskTel maxTV & CanadaWest.TV) and Ottawa at Carleton in the 50th edition of the annual Panda Game at TD Place Stadium in the nation’s capital (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, CHCH & OUA.TV).

Also on Saturday, No. 7 Saint Mary’s visits StFX (3-1) in a battle of the top two teams in the AUS (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 & AUStv.ca).

FRC – U SPORTS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#5)

New this season, U SPORTS is implementing the ELO Rating System for the calculation of its weekly national rankings, in conjunction with its regular Football Reporters of Canada panel. Powered by RankR, ELO’s unique algorithm blends a statistical calculation with customized variables that is adaptable across a range of sports. For football, it will be combined with the results of the media panel balloting (each weighted 50%) to produce the final top 10.

RANK	SCHOOL	SEASON	MEDIA	ELO	TOTAL	PREVIOUS
1	Western	4-0	165 (13)	170	335	1
2	Laval	4-0	151 (3)	153	304	2
3	Calgary	4-0	141 (1)	136	277	3
4	Montreal	3-1	121	119	240	4
5	Carleton	4-1	93	68	161	6
6	Saskatchewan	3-1	86	51	137	9
7	Saint Mary’s	4-0	32	85	117	7
8	Laurier	2-2	13	102	115	5
9	Ottawa	3-1	47	34	81	NR
10	Regina	2-2	31	0	31	8
Honourable mention: Guelph (17), McMaster (17), UBC (13), Waterloo (12), Queen’s (6), Manitoba (4), Concordia (2), StFX (1)