The Week 3 Power Rankings are here. Now that all nine teams have played, the standings are starting to take shape.
How the rankings are compiled: Shane, Coach Phil, Blake, and Cole each submit a ranking from 1 to 9. Teams receive points based on placement (No. 1 = 9 points), and the final order is determined by total points. Each voter’s full ballot appears at the end of the article.
Week 2 recap
- Saskatchewan Roughriders
- BC Lions
- Montréal Alouettes
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Calgary Stampeders
- Edmonton Elks
- Toronto Argonauts
- Ottawa REDBLACKS
Week 3 power rankings
1. Saskatchewan Roughriders (36 points)
Saskatchewan is No. 1 because it keeps making the plays that matter, but let’s not pretend this has been dominant football. The Roughriders have been clutch, not convincing, and if they keep needing late-game heroics every week, this spot will not hold for long.
2. BC Lions (29 points)
BC looks like a team built to win shootouts because right now it cannot be trusted to win any other way. The Lions have enough firepower to scare anyone, but until the defence proves it can get off the field in big moments, this team is more flashy than complete.
3. Montréal Alouettes (29 points)
Montréal’s offence is electric, and that alone makes the Alouettes dangerous, but the habit of sleepwalking through early stretches is going to burn them eventually. Beating teams after spotting them confidence is not a formula for staying near the top.
4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (26 points)
Hamilton might be the hardest team in the league to take seriously from week to week, which is exactly why it lands here. The Tiger-Cats clearly have enough talent to beat good teams, but until they stop swinging wildly between collapse and control, they are impossible to trust any higher.
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5. Calgary Stampeders (18 points)
Calgary has just enough bite on defence to stay relevant, but not enough proof anywhere else to deserve the benefit of the doubt. Right now, the Stampeders feel more annoying than dangerous, competitive enough to bother teams, not convincing enough to fear.
6. Edmonton Elks (16 points)
Edmonton finally looks like it has some juice on offence, which is more than can be said for too many recent Elks teams. That is real progress, but one explosive player does not suddenly make this a reliable team, and there is still a lot left to prove before anyone should move them much higher.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (14 points)
Winnipeg here might be an overreaction to a bad week but it is the price of looking less than ordinary when this team is supposed to set the standard. The Blue Bombers still have the experience to fix this quickly, but reputation cannot keep carrying them if the performances keep slipping.
8. Toronto Argonauts (8 points)
Toronto is still living more on assumption than evidence. The Argonauts showed real offensive life against Montréal in Week 2, but one strong outing is not enough to move them higher until they prove they can do it consistently.
9. Ottawa REDBLACKS (4 points)
Ottawa is last because too much of its offence feels reactive instead of functional. Waiting until the game is already slipping away to find rhythm is not a quirk — it is a problem, and until that changes, the REDBLACKS have not earned a move out of the basement.
How each voter ranked the teams
- Blake: SSK / MTL / BC / HAM / CGY / EDM / WPG / TOR / OTT
- Coach Phil: SSK / BC / HAM / MTL / EDM / CGY / WPG / TOR / OTT
- Cole: SSK / MTL / HAM / BC / CGY / EDM / WPG / TOR / OTT
- Shane: SSK / BC / MTL / HAM / WPG / CGY / EDM / TOR / OTT
Week 2 schedule
- BC Lions (0-1) vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1)
- Toronto Argonauts (0-1) vs. Ottawa REDBLACKS (0-1)
- Montréal Alouettes (2-0) vs. Edmonton Elks (1-0)
- Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) vs. Calgary Stampeders (0-1)