CIS football: 2010 season kicks off next week

OTTAWA (CIS) – The 2010 Canadian Interuniversity Sport football season kicks off next week.

A grand total of 118 games will be played around the country leading up to the Desjardins Vanier Cup in Quebec City on Nov. 27, beginning with a pair of season-opening OUA match-ups.

Ontario conference play gets under way on Tuesday, Aug. 31 with the Ottawa Gee-Gees visiting the Windsor Lancers, while the Queen’s Gaels will begin their Vanier Cup title defence in Hamilton against the McMaster Marauders.

Last fall, the Gaels captured their first national title since 1992 when they overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to edge the Calgary Dinos 33-31 in front of a packed house of 18,628 at PEPS Stadium on the campus of Laval University. The thriller marked the first time the Vanier Cup final was contested in the province of Quebec since its inception back in 1965.

Queen’s, however, is in tough to repeat this year following the departure of many star players, including five-year quarterback and Vanier Cup MVP Danny Brannagan, as well as defensive lineman Shomari Williams, the first overall pick in the 2010 CFL Canadian Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Calgary on the other hand returns almost every starter from 2009, including senior quarterback Erik Glavic, the reigning CIS player of the year who could become the second player in history to claim the Hec Crighton Trophy on three occasions (Saint Mary’s legendary pivot Chris Flynn earned the honour in 1988, 1989, 1990).

The Dinos open the regular campaign at home on Sept. 4 against archrival Saskatchewan in a rematch of last year’s thrilling Canada West final that saw them prevail 39-38 in Saskatoon.

Once again this year the CIS semifinals and the Desjardins Vanier Cup will be televised live on TSN and Radio-Canada. On Nov. 20, the OUA champions will visit the Quebec conference winners for the Uteck Bowl, while the AUS champs will travel out west to battle the CWUAA titlists in the Mitchell Bowl.

Season previews of all 25 CIS football programs are available online at:
[URL]http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/files/team_previews_10-11

For all the info on the 2010 Desjardins Vanier Cup: www.vaniercup.com

The first national Top 10 ranking poll, as selected by members of the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC), will be released on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

Below is a complete CIS football schedule including TV games. A complete webcast and radio schedule is available on the CIS website.

2010 CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times local)

Note: Complete webcast and radio schedules: [URL]http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/schedule

August 31
19:00 Ottawa at Windsor (TVCogeco Local 11)
19:00 Queen’s at McMaster (Cable 14)

September 1
15:00 Toronto at Guelph
19:00 Laurier at Western

September 2
19:00 Sherbrooke at Montreal

September 3
19:00 Manitoba at Regina

September 4
13:00 Alberta at UBC
19:00 Concordia at Bishop’s
19:00 Saskatchewan at Calgary (Shaw)

September 5
14:00 McGill at Laval (SRC)

September 6
13:00 Guelph at York
13:00 Western at Ottawa (Rogers TV Cable 22)
13:00 Laurier at McMaster (Cable 14)
19:00 Windsor at Toronto

September 10
19:00 UBC at Saskatchewan
19:00 Regina at Calgary

September 11
13:00 Bishop’s at McGill
13:00 Montreal at Concordia (SRC)
13:00 McMaster at Western (The Score)
13:00 Ottawa at York
14:00 Saint Mary’s at Acadia (EastLink)
14:00 Alberta at Manitoba (Shaw)
14:30 StFX at Mount Allison
19:00 Laval at Sherbrooke
19:00 Toronto at Laurier

September 12
13:00 Windsor at Queen’s (TVCogeco Local 13 – tape delayed)

September 17
19:00 Concordia at McGill
19:00 Mount Allison at Sherbrooke

September 18
13:00 Acadia at Bishop’s
13:00 McMaster at Ottawa (Rogers TV Cable 22)
13:00 York at Toronto
13:00 Queen’s at Guelph (The Score)
13:00 Calgary at Alberta
13:00 Manitoba at UBC
14:00 Montreal at StFX
14:00 Laval at Saint Mary’s (EastLink & SRC)
19:00 Western at Windsor (TVCogeco Local 11)
19:00 Saskatchewan at Regina

September 24
19:00 McGill at Montreal
19:00 Saskatchewan at Alberta
19:00 Regina at UBC (Shaw)

September 25
13:00 Saint Mary’s at Mount Allison (at Moncton)
13:00 Bishop’s at Concordia (SRC)
13:00 York at Laurier
13:00 Windsor at McMaster (Cable 14)
13:00 Ottawa at Queen’s (TVCogeco Local 13 – tape delayed)
13:00 Western at Guelph (The Score)
13:00 Calgary at Manitoba
19:00 StFX at Acadia (EastLink)

September 26
13:00 Sherbrooke at Laval

October 1
19:00 Acadia at Saint Mary’s
19:00 Manitoba at Saskatchewan

October 2
13:00 Sherbrooke at McGill (SRC)
13:00 Montreal at Bishop’s
13:00 Queen’s at Western (The Score)
13:00 Guelph at Laurier
13:00 McMaster at York
13:00 Ottawa at Toronto
13:00 UBC at Calgary
14:00 Mount Allison at StFX (EastLink)
19:00 Alberta at Regina

October 3
13:00 Concordia at Laval

October 7
19:00 Guelph at McMaster (Cable 14)

October 8
19:00 Saint Mary’s at StFX
19:00 Bishop’s at Sherbrooke

October 9
13:00 McGill at Concordia
13:00 Laval at Montreal (SRC)
13:00 York at Windsor (TVCogeco Local 11)
13:00 Laurier at Ottawa (Rogers TV Cable 22)
13:00 Toronto at Queen’s (TVCogeco Local 13 – tape delayed)
14:00 Acadia at Mount Allison (EastLink)

October 15
19:00 StFX at Saint Mary’s
19:00 Calgary at Saskatchewan (Shaw)

October 16
13:00 Concordia at Sherbrooke (SRC)
13:00 Montreal at McGill
13:00 McMaster at Toronto
13:00 Windsor at Guelph
13:00 Western at York
13:00 Queen’s at Laurier (The Score)
13:00 UBC at Alberta
14:00 Mount Allison at Acadia (EastLink)
14:00 Regina at Manitoba

October 17
13:00 Bishop’s at Laval

October 22
19:00 Concordia at Montreal
19:00 Calgary at Regina
19:00 Saskatchewan at UBC

October 23
13:00 Sherbrooke at Bishop’s (SRC)
13:00 Laval at McGill
13:00 Toronto at Western
13:00 Guelph at Ottawa (Rogers TV Cable 22)
13:00 York at Queen’s (TVCogeco Local 13 – tape delayed)
13:00 Laurier at Windsor
13:00 Manitoba at Alberta (Shaw)
14:00 Mount Allison at Saint Mary’s
14:00 Acadia at StFX (EastLink)

October 29
19:00 Regina at Saskatchewan (Shaw)

October 30
13:00 OUA quarter-final 5 vs. 4
13:00 OUA quarter-final 6 vs. 3
13:00 Laval at Concordia
13:00 Bishop’s at Montreal
13:00 McGill at Sherbrooke
13:00 UBC at Manitoba
13:00 Alberta at Calgary
14:00 Saint Mary’s at Acadia (EastLink)
14:00 StFX at Mount Allison

November 6
13:00 AUS semifinal 3 vs. 2 (EastLink)
13:00 QUFL semifinal 3 vs. 2
13:00 QUFL semifinal 4 vs. 1
TBD OUA semifinal Higher Seed vs. 2 (The Score)
TBD OUA semifinal Lower Seed vs. 1 (The Score)
TBD CWUAA semifinal 3 vs. 2
TBD CWUAA semifinal 4 vs. 1

November 13
13:00 AUS final – Loney Bowl (EastLink)
13:00 QUFL final – Dunsmore Cup (SRC)
13:00 OUA final – Yates Cup (The Score)
TBD CWUAA final – Hardy Cup (Shaw)

November 20
TBD Uteck Bowl: OUA at QUFL (TSN & SRC)
TBD Mitchell Bowl: AUS at CWUAA (TSN & SRC)

November 27
TBD Desjardins Vanier Cup: at Laval University, Quebec City (TSN & SRC)

TV NOTES:

1. All Queen’s home games on TVCogeco Local 13 will be tape delayed to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays.
2. October 23: The Score will televise 1 of the 4 OUA games.
3. October 23: TVCogeco Local 11 might televise the Windsor game.
4. October 30: SRC will televise 1 of the 3 QUFL games.
5. October 30: The Score will televise 1 of the OUA quarter-finals.
6. November 6: SRC will televise 1 of the QUFL semifinals.
7. November 6: Shaw will televise at least 1 of the CWUAA semifinals.
8. November 6: The OUA semifinals will air back-to-back on The Score at 13:00 and 16:30.