CIS TOP 10 (2): Reigning champ Laval remains No.1 after impressive opener

OTTAWA – The Laval Rouge et Or top the CIS football national ranking for the second time in as many polls this season following a stellar display in their conference opener, last Saturday.

For the second straight week, the reigning two-time Vanier Cup champions (1-0) received all 30 first-place votes and a perfect 300 points from the Football Reporters of Canada panel.

Rounding out the new Top 10 are the No. 2 Calgary Dinos (1-0 / 269 points / no change), No. 3 Western Mustangs (1-0 / 242 / no change), No. 4 McMaster Marauders (2-0 / 201 / up one), No. 5 Montreal Carabins (0-1 / 163 / down one), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (1-0 / 144 / up four), No. 7 Guelph Gryphons (1-1 / 101 / up one), as well as the No. 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees (2-0 / 68), No. 9 Sherbrooke Vert & Or (1-0 / 61) and No. 10 Mount Allison Mounties (1-0 / 34), all unranked last Tuesday.

The Big Three of Laval, Calgary and Western were all very impressive in their regular season debut.

Behind the strong play of freshman quarterback Hugo Richard, who amassed 371 yards and three touchdowns through the air along with a rushing major, the Rouge et Or dominated archrival Montreal 40-13 in front of a standing room-only crowd of 17,123 at TELUS-UL Stadium, in Quebec City. With the victory, Laval extended its own CIS-record streak for consecutive wins on home turf (66 overall since 2004) and tied a team mark with a 19^th straight success overall dating back to 2012, two less than the national standard currently held by McMaster (2011-2012).

Meanwhile, the Dinos crushed provincial rival Alberta 71-3 Friday night in Calgary, while the Mustangs blanked York 61-0 on Saturday in Toronto.

Other results from Top-10 teams this past weekend include No. 4 McMaster 66, Waterloo 0 (at Waterloo); No. 6 Saskatchewan 44, Manitoba 24 (at Saskatchewan); No. 7 Guelph 50, Toronto 18 (at Guelph); No. 8 Ottawa 37, Queen’s 30 (at Queen’s); No. 9 Sherbrooke 43, McGill 21 (at Sherbrooke); No. 10 Mount Allison 20, Acadia 12 (at Mount Allison).

Top-ranked Laval hits the road this week for a Top-10 battle against Sherbrooke, Saturday at 1 p.m., live nationally on Radio-Canada (TV & web). The Rouge et Or have won all 19 head-to-head matchups since the Vert & Or joined the RSEQ conference in 2003.

Another Top-10 duel takes place on Saturday in the nation’s capital, where Guelph visits Ottawa (1 p.m. on OUA.TV).

The other three defending conference champions from a year ago are also in action on Saturday, including No. 2 Calgary at UBC (2 p.m. Pacific on CanadaWest.TV), No. 3 Western at Queen’s (1 p.m. on OUA.TV) and No. 10 Mount Allison at StFX (2 p.m. Atlantic on AUStv.ca).

NOTES: Mount Allison, which last season claimed its first AUS conference title since 1997, had last been ranked nationally back in 1998. That year, the Éric Lapointe-led Mounties opened the campaign at No. 1, were ranked in all 11 polls, and ended up seventh in the final Top 10 of the season (Nov. 16, 1998)… The 50^th TELUS Vanier Cup Tour got underway this past weekend in Montreal and Quebec City and makes its next stop this Saturday in Wolfville, N.S., where Acadia is set to host Saint Mary’s (2 p.m. Atlantic on Eastlink TV and AUStv.ca)… For all the information on the 50^th TELUS Vanier Cup (including ticket info) visit vaniercup.com.

FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#2)

 

Pts (1^st place)  Last week

1. Laval (1-0)               300 (30)           1

2. Calgary (1-0)           269                  2

3. Western (1-0)           242                  3

4. McMaster (2-0)        201                  5

5. Montreal (0-1)         163                  4

6. Saskatchewan (1-0) 144                  10

7. Guelph (1-1)            101                  8

8. Ottawa (2-0)            68                    NR

9. Sherbrooke (1-0)     61                    NR

10. Mt. Allison (1-0)    34                    NR

 

Other teams receiving votes: Regina (25), Manitoba (21), StFX (10), UBC (9), Queen’s (4), Concordia (1).

 

WEEK 2 RESULTS

 

September 5

Calgary 71, Alberta 3 (at Calgary)

StFX 31, Saint Mary’s 7 (at Saint Mary’s)

Saskatchewan 44, Manitoba 24 (at Saskatchewan)

Regina 33, UBC 23 (at Regina)

 

September 6

Guelph 50, Toronto 18 (at Guelph)

Ottawa 37, Queen’s 30 (at Queen’s)

McMaster 66, Waterloo 0 (at Waterloo)

Western 61, York 0 (at York)

Windsor 39, Laurier 34 (at Windsor)

Concordia 25, Bishop’s 15 (at Concordia)

Mount Allison 20, Acadia 12 (at Mount Allison)

Sherbrooke 43, McGill 21 (at Sherbrooke)

Laval 40, Montreal 13 (at Laval)

 

WEEK 3 SCHEDULE (all times local)

September 12

19:00   Concordia (1-0) at McGill (0-1) (SSN Canada)

19:00   Bishop’s (0-1) at No. 5 Montreal (0-1)

19:00   Regina (1-0) at Manitoba (0-1) (Shaw TV & CanadaWest.TV)

 

September 13

13:00   Waterloo (0-2) at Laurier (1-1) (OUA.TV)

13:00   No. 3 Western (1-0) at Queen’s (1-1) (OUA.TV)

13:00   No. 7 Guelph (1-1) at No. 8 Ottawa (2-0) (OUA.TV)

13:00   No. 1 Laval (1-0) at No. 9 Sherbrooke (1-0) (Radio-Canada TV & ici.radio-canada.ca)

13:00   York (0-2) at Toronto (0-2) (OUA.TV)

13:00   Carleton (1-0) at No. 4 McMaster (2-0) (Cable 14 TV & OUA.TV)

14:00   Saint Mary’s (0-1) at Acadia (0-1) (Eastlink TV & AUStv.ca)

14:00   No. 10 Mount Allison (1-0) at StFX (1-0) (AUStv.ca)

14:00   No. 2 Calgary (1-0) at UBC (0-1) (CanadaWest.TV)

17:00   No. 6 Saskatchewan (1-0) at Alberta (0-1) (CanadaWest.TV)

 

About Football Reporters of Canada

Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958, Football Reporters of Canada has been an organization of media members who have covered the Canadian Football League, serving to select the league’s outstanding players, coach-of-the-year and all-star teams through voting conducted by its members. In 2009, the FRC amalgamated with the University Football Reporters of Canada (UFRC) to give the organization greater scope in its affiliation with amateur and college football. FRC also works with the CFL and CIS to establish guidelines and working conditions for the men and women who report on the game. Selected members of FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.