X-Men football move up to #6
UFRC – CIS Football Top 10 (#6)
No. 1 Laval unbeaten in 16, to face No. 5 Montreal
OTTAWA (CIS) – For the sixth time in as many weeks, the reigning Vanier Cup champion Laval Rouge et Or were a unanimous No. 1 selection in the UFRC – CIS football poll.
The Rouge et Or, who have topped 44 of the past 45 national rankings dating back to the start of the 2005 season, earned the 55 available first-place votes and 1,750 points in the sixth Top 10 of 2009.
Laval dominated visiting Bishop’s (1-3) 55-7 last Sunday to improve to 4-0 on the season and extend a number of impressive streaks: 4-0 at the midway mark for a fifth consecutive year; CIS-record 33 straight home wins overall (dating back to a 14-13 loss to Montreal on Sept. 19, 2004); 16 straight victories overall (dating back to a 24-2 road loss to Saint Mary’s in the 2007 Uteck Bowl), three short of their own CIS mark set from 2004 to 2005.
The Rouge et Or travel to Montreal on Sunday for a second showdown in three weeks with their toughest divisional rivals, the No. 5-Carabins (3-1). Laval won the first leg of the two-game series 30-8 on Sept. 19 when both teams were without the services of their No. 1 quarterbacks.
Montreal moves up one spot in this week’s UFRC poll following a 34-13 victory over Acadia (1-2) in interlock action.
Rounding out the new Top 10 are the No. 2-Western Ontario Mustangs (4-0), No. 3-Calgary Dinos (3-1), No. 4-Queen’s Gaels (4-0), No. 6-StFX X-Men (3-0), No. 7-Saskatchewan Huskies (2-1), No. 8-Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (3-1), No. 9-Saint Mary’s Huskies (2-1) and No. 10-Guelph Gryphons (2-2).
Saskatchewan is the biggest loser in this week’s rankings dropping four positions following a decisive 27-7 loss to Alberta (2-2) in Edmonton, last Friday.
Calgary, Queen’s, Montreal and StFX are the beneficiaries of Saskatchewan’s first defeat of the campaign and all move up one spot in the poll. No. 2-Western, Laurier, Saint Mary’s and Guelph stay put.
The 2008 Vanier Cup finalist Mustangs survived a scare last Saturday edging the high-scoring Gryphons 41-39 thanks to a Darryl Wheeler field goal in the dying seconds of regulation. The reigning OUA champions will try to improve to 5-0 Saturday when they host McMaster (2-2).
No. 3-Calgary took sole possession of first place in the Canada West standings with a convincing 49-22 victory over Simon Fraser (2-2). The Dinos, who led 42-3 at the half against SFU before sitting out a number of starters, visit UBC (1-3) on Saturday.
No. 4-Queen’s kept pace with Western in the OUA with a 67-0 drubbing of York (0-4). Senior quarterback Dan Brannagan returned from an injury to throw for 543 yards and five touchdowns. The Gaels are at Windsor (2-2) on Saturday.
No. 6-StFX remained the only undefeated team in the Atlantic conference thanks to a 19-17 interlock win at Concordia (0-4). The X-Men, who had last reached the No. 6 spot in the last poll of 2002, host Acadia (1-2) Saturday (EastLink, 2 p.m. Atlantic Time).
No. 7-Saskatchewan hopes to rebound Friday night when the Huskies pay a visit to Simon Fraser.
No. 8-Laurier outscored McMaster 30-14 last Saturday thanks in large part to receiver-returner Dillon Heap, who exploded for 420 all-purpose yards. The Hawks host Ottawa (2-2) Saturday (The Score, 1 p.m. Eastern Time).
No. 9-Saint Mary’s edged visiting Sherbrooke (2-2) 26-23 after quarterback Jack Creighton scored on a one-yard run with six seconds remaining on the clock. The Huskies host Mount Allison (0-3) Friday night.
No. 10-Guelph hosts Waterloo (1-3) on Saturday.
UFRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#6)
Pts (1st place) Last week
1. Laval (4-0) 1750 (55) 1
2. Western Ontario (4-0) 1636 2
3. Calgary (3-1) 1365 4
4. Queen’s (4-0) 1247 5
5. Montreal (3-1) 1049 6
6. StFX (3-0) 824 7
7. Saskatchewan (2-1) 641 3
8. Wilfrid Laurier (3-1) 561 8
9. Saint Mary’s (2-1) 270 9
10. Guelph (2-2) 132 * 10
Other teams receiving votes: Alberta (132), Regina (8), Sherbrooke (7), Ottawa (3), McGill (2), Simon Fraser (1).
* Guelph is ranked ahead of Alberta thanks to a greater number of higher-placed votes.
CIS FOOTBAL WEEK 6 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
Friday, Oct. 2
19:00 Mount Allison (0-3) at No. 9-Saint Mary’s (2-1)
19:00 No. 7-Saskatchewan (2-1) at Simon Fraser (2-2)
Saturday, Oct. 3
13:00 Toronto (0-4) at York (0-4)
13:00 Ottawa (2-2) at No. 8-Laurier (3-1), The Score
13:00 No. 4-Queen’s (4-0) at Windsor (2-2)
13:00 Waterloo (0-3) at No. 10-Guelph (2-2)
13:00 McGill (2-2) at Bishop’s (1-3)
13:00 Sherbrooke (2-2) at Concordia (0-4), Radio-Canada
14:00 Acadia (1-2) at No. 6-StFX (3-0), EastLink
14:00 McMaster (2-2) at No. 2-Western (4-0)
14:00 Alberta (2-2) at Manitoba (1-2), Shaw TV
14:00 No. 3-Calgary (3-1) at UBC (1-3)
Sunday, Oct. 4
13:00 No. 1-Laval (4-0) at No. 5-Montreal (3-1)