TOP HEADLINES
- No changes in the rankings this week, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have some hard fought games that had a true playoff feel. Everyone is still jockeying for position across the country, and Waterloo is still fighting for their postseason lives. Unfortunately they couldn’t improve their standing against McMaster, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying with the Warriors putting a real scare into the Marauders in a tight 20-12 contest. Once again it was tough for McMaster to get the offence heading into the right direction with three turnovers including a pair of interceptions, but 17 first half points proved to be enough with their vaunted defence registering six sacks while limiting the Warriors to just one score along the ground by QB Nick Orr. McMaster QB Lucas Barresi found WR Ben Kingston for his lone passing major, while RB Kalan Tan scored what would end up being the game winning touchdown early in the second quarter. For the Marauders, it’s a concerning sign that they could only manage 20 points against a Warriors defence that has given up an average of 36.4 this season. On the flip side, their defence is by far and away the best in the OUA allowing 15.1 points per game, which despite their offensive woes might just be good enough to bring home the Yates Cup. Waterloo on the other hand have one week left to sneak into the playoffs needing a win against York and Western to take care of business against Laurier.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE CFC EVALUATION CAMPS FOR THE 2027 CFC PROSPECT GAME ON TSN
- Fans showed up to watch a football game in Kingston, and instead were treated to a track meet with the hometown Gaels outgunning Guelph to hold on for a 42-41 victory. It was great to see QB Alex Vreeken back under centre for Queen’s, and it looked like he was trying to make up for the lost time throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Even more impressive was his distribution of the football finding eight different targets while completing only 21 passes. His favourite target ended up being WR Benjamin Falkowsky, who finished with five receptions for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Vreeken also utilized RB Jayden Gurzi-MacDonald out of the backfield, who took a pass 39 yards to the house. Guelph QB Tristan Aboud had an even better day than Vreeken finishing with 490 passing yards for an average of 20.4 yards per completion while throwing two touchdowns, plus he added another 81 rushing yards and a score with his legs. His top two targets were WR Monroe Corniffe, who put up video game numbers catching five passes for 168 yards and pair of touchdowns, while WR Willem Arseneau tried his best to keep pace with seven receptions for 141 yards. Sadly their defence couldn’t help them out with a timely stop down the stretch, but if the Gryphons can come anywhere close to the 651 total offensive yards they put up against Queen’s, they’re going to be a problem in the playoffs.
CFC100 CLASS 2027 RANKINGS
- After blowing out Concordia earlier in the year 51-22, it was very different story this time around for Montreal, who had to fight tooth and nail to complete a fourth quarter comeback to clinch a 19-14 victory. The Stingers defence put together a fantastic performance holding onto the lead for 59 minutes, but unfortunately they didn’t have the final answer to keep RB Merton ThΓ©agΓ¨ne out of the end zone with just 54 seconds left on the clock to help the Carabins narrowly avoid a shocking upset. Now looking at the bigger picture, Montreal have managed to barely scrape by Sherbrooke and Concordia after losing their star QB Pepe Gonzalez midway through their bout with the Vert et Or, which makes you wonder just how far they will be able to go with their backup QB Esteban Bedoya leading the offence in the postseason.
PAST RANKINGS: WEEK 5 – WEEK 6 – WEEK 7
| # | Last Week | School | Conference | Record | Results |
| 1 | 1 | Laval Rouge et Or |
RSEQ | 6-0 | W 34-10 vs. McGill |
| 2 | 2 | MontrΓ©al Carabins |
RSEQ | 5-1 | W 19-14 vs. Concordia |
| 3 | 3 | Queen’s Gaels |
OUA | 6-1 | W 42-41 vs. Guelph |
| 4 | 4 | Saskatchewan Huskies |
CANWEST | 5-1 | W 39-20 vs. Manitoba |
| 5 | 5 | Western Mustangs |
OUA | 6-1 | W 37-27 vs. Ottawa |
| 6 | 6 | Windsor Lancers |
OUA | 5-2 | BYE |
| 7 | 7 | McMaster Marauders |
OUA | 6-1 | W 20-12 vs. Waterloo |
| 8 | 8 | McGill Redbirds |
RSEQ | 4-2 | L 34-10 vs. Laval |
| 9 | 9 | Guelph Gryphons |
OUA | 4-3 | L 42-21 vs. Queen’s |
| 10 | 10 | UBC Thunderbirds |
CANWEST | 4-2 | W 34-18 vs. Calgary |
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
The Sideline Insider: The 6 Biggest Surprises From the OUA This Season
