Laurier stays above Ottawa in U Sports rankings despite head-to-head loss

Photo: Emily McCall/Laurier

There were plenty of changes in the U Sports football rankings this week, but one thing remained the same: the Laurier Golden Hawks stayed above the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

This was somewhat surprising as the two teams played in Waterloo this weekend where the Gee-Gees won by a score of 20-18. Souleymane Camara rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown to help Ottawa get the win, while Zachary Copeland went two-for-two on field goals.

The loss pushed the Golden Hawks to 1-2. This has been a poor start considering the team went 23-1 in regular-season action over the last three years, and reached three straight Yates Cups, winning one.

The national rankings are made using a balance of media votes and ELO rankings, the latter of which are derived mathematically based on statistics and strength of schedule. Ottawa fared significantly better in this week’s media poll, but Laurier has a superior ELO ranking.

The Golden Hawks fell from No. 5 to No. 9 with the loss, while the Gee-Gees appeared at No. 10 after previously being unranked.

The top three teams in the country remained unchanged from last week as the Montreal Carabins, Laval Rouge et Or, and Western Mustangs topped the list.

The Regina Rams climbed from No. 6 to No. 4 following a 23-8 win over the Manitoba Bisons, while the Queen’s Gaels fell from No. 4 to No. 5 after thumping the Waterloo Warriors by a score of 49-22.

The Saint Mary’s Huskies romped 41-10 over the Mount Allison Mounties to climb from No. 7 to No. 6, while the Saskatchewan Huskies moved up from No. 8 to No. 7 after knocking off the Calgary Dinos by a score of 44-24.

The McMaster Marauders debuted at No. 8 after winning 25-3 over the York Lions. McMaster is now 3-0 to start the season. The team hasn’t finished better than 4-4 since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Windsor Lancers, Bisons, Dinos, and McGill Redbirds each received media votes but fell short of the top 10. Windsor and Manitoba were previously ranked.

1) Montreal — 160 points (80 media/80 ELO)

2) Laval — 137 points (65 media/72 ELO)

3) Western — 122 points (58 media/64 ELO)

4) Regina — 95 points (47 media/48 ELO)

5) Queen’s — 95 points (55 media/40 ELO)

6) Saint Mary’s — 79 points (23 media/56 ELO)

7) Saskatchewan — 56 points (32 media/24 ELO)

8) McMaster — 41 points (25 media/16 ELO)

9) Laurier — 35 points (3 media/32 ELO)

10) Ottawa — 23 points (23 media/0 ELO)

For a comprehensive breakdown of this weekend’s U Sports action, click here.