2024 OUA playoff matchups set as race for Yates Cup begins

Photo courtesy: Connor Sykes/Queen's Athletics

The 2024 playoff matchups are set in the Ontario University Athletics conference, with the race for the 116th Yates Cup set to begin next week.

Three quarter-final matchups will take place on Saturday, October 26. At 1:00 p.m. EDT, the second-seeded Western Mustangs (7-1) will welcome the seventh-ranked McMaster Marauders (4-4), as they look to make it 20 straight seasons with a postseason win.

At the same time, the upstart Guelph Gryphons (6-2) will make their return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. They’ll play host to the Ottawa Gee-Gees (4-4) at Alumni Stadium.

At 4:00 p.m. EDT, the Windsor Lancer (5-3) will clash with the perennial powerhouse Queen’s Gaels (5-3). The game will take place in the Rose City by virtue of the Lancers’ 25-21 victory over the Gaels back in Week 1.

The OUA semi-finals will take place on Saturday, November 2, with the lowest-seeded quarter-final victor travelling to Waterloo to take on the number-one team in the country, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (8-0). The 116th Yates Cup will take place between the two remaining contenders on Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The winner of the OUA championship will travel to the home of the Loney Bowl winner and face off with the AUS champion in the Uteck Bowl national semi-final on Saturday, November 16. The winner of that game will advance to the 59th Vanier Cup on Saturday, November 23 in Kingston, Ont.

The Carleton Ravens (2-6), York Lions (2-6), Toronto Varsity Blues (1-7), and Waterloo Warriors (0-8) all failed to qualify for the OUA playoffs.