3DownNation CFL power rankings: Saskatchewan Roughriders reverse-hurdle over Edmonton Elks

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Week 9 of the CFL season is officially in the books, and the West Division looks like it will be a dogfight until the very end.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks have now traded narrow victories, with the rubber match not scheduled until Week 21. The Calgary Stampeders may be .500, but are slowly building momentum. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers can never be counted out despite recent results, and the B.C. Lions just got a massive shot in the arm, with the return of Nathan Rourke potentially right around the corner.

3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having our contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. Each team’s most recent ranking is listed in brackets.

Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on social media for anything you think we got wrong.

1) Montreal Alouettes (1)

If you thought facing the league’s worst team on a short week might be a trap game for the Alouettes, you were sorely mistaken. Montreal delivered a statement performance in Ottawa, with Davis Alexander throwing for an easy 420 yards and three touchdowns. Tyson Philpot put up 184 yards to become the fastest player to 1,000 yards in a season in CFL history, tying Hal Patterson and Terry Greer, while Tyler Snead added 174 yards and a major. Meanwhile, the defence stood firm in the red zone, as Joshua Archibald was responsible for an interception and a turnover on downs deep in his own end.

2) Saskatchewan Roughriders (3)

The Riders walked into a heavyweight tilt without A.J. Ouellette, Rolan Milligan Jr., and Samuel Emilus, lost Tevaughn Campbell and Kian Schaffer-Baker in the process, and were still able to exact revenge on the first-place Elks. Rookie running back Quali Conley had a breakout performance with 97 yards from scrimmage, highlighted by a Play of the Year candidate, and Johnny Johnson III sparked momentum with an 87-yard kickoff return. Short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens scored three touchdowns and once again served as the ground game finisher to even the season series.

3) Edmonton Elks (2)

The upper bowl at Commonwealth Stadium was open for the first time since 2023 as nearly 32,000 fans turned up to watch two West Division titans clash, but the Elks couldn’t reward the fan turnout with a victory. Bad penalties proved to be a major factor in the two-point loss, as defensive end Noah Taylor was ejected for embellishment, a too-many-men infraction erased a critical goal line stand, and a potential game-winning drive was foiled by roughing the passer. An even season series with the defending Grey Cup champions doesn’t undermine this franchise’s remarkable turnaround, though, so GM Ed Hervey won’t be unscrewing any nameplates this week.

4) Calgary Stampeders (4)

The white horse is starting to become everyone’s favourite dark horse CFL contender, with all three phases clicking right now for the Stampeders. Vernon Adams Jr. still has not thrown an interception, thanks in part to a timely roughing the passer penalty, and Tyreik McAllister continues to evolve into a genuine change-up weapon. Defensively, the team forced four turnovers, two of which were returned for touchdowns — the first a fumble recovery by Kyle Wilson, and the second an interception by Derrick Moncrief.

5) Toronto Argonauts (5)

The Boatmen sailed through a gauntlet in the first third of the season, condemned to a nomadic existence by cheap ownership and an international soccer cartel. That life is over, as they enjoyed a much-deserved bye this week before returning to BMO Field on Thursday. Ticket sales for that game are reportedly strong thanks to a unique all-you-can-eat promotion, and with Chad Kelly reportedly ready to go despite a neck-injury scare, the team will be equipped to deliver in front of their first friendly crowd.

6) B.C. Lions (8)

The Lions turned to rookie quarterback Kaidon Salter this week, and it turns out that half a QB is still better than Chase Brice. The Colorado product struggled to replicate the success that his cousin, Casey Printers, once had throwing the ball, but ran for a franchise-record 160 yards and caught a crucial two-point convert to deliver a shocking upset in Winnipeg. Big-bodied running back also had a breakout performance, running for 191 yards and three touchdowns — 165 yards of which came in the fourth quarter alone. All told, B.C. rumbled for 377 yards on the ground, which amounted to the greatest single-game rushing result in team history.

7) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7)

The Tre Ford era in Hamilton appears to be over before it really began, as head coach Scott Milanovich stapled the dual-threat Canadian pivot to the bench with under two minutes remaining in the first half of their loss to Calgary. He acknowledged post-game that the team does not know who its quarterback is in the absence of Bo Levi Mitchell, though Harrison Frost would seem to be the next man up. The former UFL starter finished nine-of-20 for 165 yards and one touchdown, while coughing up a fumble for a touchdown and a pick-six in a blowout loss.

8) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6)

These ain’t your daddy’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Embarrassing run defence and a complete fourth-quarter collapse dropped Mike O’Shea’s team to an abysmal 1-4 at Princess Auto Stadium this season, proving that even the CFL’s best home-field advantage can be rendered meaningless by enough unforced errors. Brady Oliveira was granted more of the touches he’s demanded, but 107 yards rushing couldn’t help him finish in the red zone. Dru Brown struggled under centre for a third straight game before leaving late with a back injury, and Canadian rookie Taylor Elgersma dropped the ball — literally — in limited action. The bye week’s most pressing question will now be whether Zach Collaros will be ready to return afterwards.

9) Ottawa Redblacks (9)

The bye week didn’t change anything for the woeful Redblacks, as they got flattened like a pancake in front of their home crowd. Jake Maier threw the ball well, amassing 311 yards, but Ottawa was held to one touchdown in five trips to the red zone, committing two turnovers in the process. Defensive coordinator Will Fields was fired after surrendering 504 yards of net offence against Montreal, and “superstar” receiver Eugene Lewis was also shown the door after a disappointing start to the year. Now 0-7, making the playoffs isn’t impossible, but would be entirely unprecedented in CFL history.