OTTAWA (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or top the Football Reporters of Canada – CIS rankings for the sixth straight week after receiving all first-place votes for the third time in seven polls this season.

Laval, which occupies the No. 1 spot for the 53rd time in 57 national polls dating back to the start of the 2005 campaign, improved to 6-0 in conference play and remained the lone undefeated team in the country last Saturday thanks to a hard-fought 19-12 road win over the No. 7 Montreal Carabins (4-2), in front of a packed house of 5,100 at CEPSUM Stadium.
The Rouge et Or got all they could handle from their archrivals as they were held to 256 yards of total offence but their defensive unit responded with a spectacular effort of its own, limiting CIS leading rusher Rotrand Sené to a season-low 97 yards on 22 carries, including 10 yards in the second half.

The seven-time defending Quebec champions face another serious test on Sunday when they put their CIS-record 40-game overall home winning streak on the line against the No. 5 Bishop’s Gaiters (5-1).

Positions 2 to 9 also remain unchanged in this week’s Top 10 with the No. 2 Calgary Dinos (4-1), No. 3 Western Ontario Mustangs (5-1), No. 4 Regina Rams (4-1), No. 5 Bishop’s, No. 6 Ottawa Gee-Gees (6-1), No. 7 Montreal, No. 8 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-2) and No. 9 McMaster Marauders (5-2) following in order.

Montreal edged Saskatchewan by only two points (177-175) to hold on to seventh place.
The only change in the new FRC poll sees the AUS-leading Acadia Axemen (3-2) replace Wilfrid Laurier (3-3) at No. 10.

Calgary, Western, Regina and Saskatchewan were all inactive last week.
Bishop’s dominated cross-town rival Sherbrooke (2-4) 40-10; OUA-leading Ottawa rebounded nicely from a shocking loss to Toronto with a 44-21 home win over Laurier; McMaster outscored Guelph (3-3) 43-35; Acadia overcame an 18-1 halftime deficit to defeat Mount Allison (2-3) 26-19.

In addition to Bishop’s vs. Laval, this week’s schedule includes a Top-10 matchup between No. 2 Calgary and No. 8 Saskatchewan Friday night in Saskatoon (Shaw TV, 7 p.m. CDT).

Photo credit Steve Deschenes


CFCs ‘TOP 25’ CIS RANKING

No. 1 Laval (6-0): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: 19-12 win at No. 7 Montreal (4-2)… This week: Host No. 5 Bishop’s (5-1) on Sunday… Heads-up: Laval is riding a 40-game overall winning streak at home (since a 14-13 loss to Montreal on Sept. 19, 2004) and has won 10 straight overall against Bishop’s including a pair of lopsided victories last season, 45-6 on the road and 55-7 at home… NOTE: Laval has in fact defeated Bishop’s in 19 straight games dating back to a 17-14 OT loss on Oct. 25, 1997, but the Rouge et Or forfeited three wins over the Gaiters in 2001 due to the use of an ineligible player…

No. 2 Calgary (4-1): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Bye week in Canada West… This week: Visit No. 8 Saskatchewan (3-2) on Friday (Shaw TV, 7 p.m. CDT)… Heads-up: In their last visit to Saskatoon, the Dinos scored 10 unanswered points in the final seven minutes to steal a 39-38 Hardy Cup final win (Nov. 14)…

No. 3 Western (5-1): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Bye week… This week: Visit York (0-6) on Saturday… Heads-up: Western is riding a 31-game overall winning streak against York – including a lopsided 64-6 victory last season – dating back to a 30-23 conference loss in 1980…

No. 4 Regina (4-1): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Bye week in Canada West… This week: Visit Manitoba (1-4) on Saturday (Shaw TV in Winnipeg, 2 p.m. CDT)… Heads-up: The Rams, who dominated Manitoba 45-11 in their 2010 opener on Sept. 3, have never defeated the Bisons twice in the same season since joining Canada West in 1999. The two teams have battled at least twice in the same campaign seven times in the past with Regina going 1-1 in 2008, 0-3 in 2007, 0-3 in 2006, 0-2 in 2004, 1-1 in 2003, 1-2 in 2001 and 1-1 in 2000…

No. 5 Bishop’s (5-1): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: 40-10 win at Sherbrooke (2-4)… This week: Visit No. 1 Laval (6-0) on Sunday… Heads-up: The last time Bishop’s had won five straight contests and showed a 5-1 record, in 2007, the Gaiters travelled to Quebec City for their seventh game and dropped a 50-15 decision to Laval…

No. 6 Ottawa (6-1): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: 44-21 home win over then-No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier (3-3)… This week: Bye…

No. 7 Montreal (4-2): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: 19-12 home loss to No. 1 Laval (6-0)… This week: Visit McGill (0-6) on Saturday… Heads-up: Since a pair of lopsided losses to McGill (41-0, 58-0) in their first year back in CIS in 2002, the Carabins are 11-0 overall against their cross-town rivals, including a 24-11 win in the first meeting of the season on Sept. 24…

No. 8 Saskatchewan (3-2): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: Bye week in Canada West… This week: Host No. 2 Calgary (4-1) on Friday (Shaw TV, 7 p.m. CDT)… Heads-up: Saskatchewan has yet to play in a game decided by a single-digit margin this fall. The Huskies’ roller-coaster season includes a 21-point win over Calgary, a 19-point loss to UBC, an 11-point loss to Regina (in which the Huskies were losing by 24 going into the fourth quarter), a 24-point win over Alberta and a 61-point win over Manitoba…

No. 9 McMaster (5-2): Top 10 ranking: No change… Last week: 43-35 home win over Guelph (3-3)… This week: Visit Toronto (2-4) on Saturday… Heads-up: McMaster is 11-0 overall against Toronto – including a 21-3 win last season – dating back to a 30-13 loss to the Varsity Blues on Sept. 21, 1996…

No. 10 Acadia (3-2): Top 10 ranking: Unranked last week… Last week: 26-19 win at Mount Allison (2-3)… This week: Host Mount Allison (2-3) on Saturday (EastLink, 2 p.m. ADT)… Heads-Up: Acadia has won 19 of its last 20 overall duels with Mount Allison since 2000, with the Axemen’s lone loss to the Mounties over that period a 42-21 setback on Oct. 4, 2008…

FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#7)
Pts (1st place) – Last week
1. Laval (6-0) 500 (40) 1
2. Calgary (4-1) 450 2
3. Western (5-1) 380 3
4. Regina (4-1) 350 4
5. Bishop’s (5-1) 309 5
6. Ottawa (6-1) 209 6
7. Montreal (4-2) 177 7
8. Saskatchewan (3-2) 175 8
9. McMaster (5-2) 99 9
10. Acadia (3-2) 22 * NR
Other teams receiving votes: Wilfrid Laurier (22), Saint Mary’s (19), Concordia (19), Guelph (10), Queen’s (4).
* Acadia received the highest ranking following tie-breaking procedures.
CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
Note: Complete webcast and radio schedules at [URL]http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/schedule


October 15
19:00 StFX (1-4) at Saint Mary’s (2-3)
19:00 No. 2 Calgary (4-1) at No. 8 Saskatchewan (3-2) (Shaw TV)

October 16
13:00 Concordia (3-3) at Sherbrooke (2-4) (SRC)
13:00 No. 7 Montreal (4-2) at McGill (0-6)
13:00 No. 9 McMaster (5-2) at Toronto (2-4)
13:00 Windsor (2-4) at Guelph (3-3)
13:00 No. 3 Western (5-1) at York (0-6)
13:00 Queen’s (2-4) at Laurier (3-3) (The Score)
13:00 UBC (1-4) at Alberta (2-3)
14:00 Mount Allison (2-3) at No. 10 Acadia (3-2) (EastLink)
14:00 No. 4 Regina (4-1) at Manitoba (1-4) (Shaw TV in Winnipeg)
October 17
13:00 No. 5 Bishop’s (5-1) at No. 1 Laval (6-0)

About Football Reporters of Canada – University Division
The Football Reporters of Canada – University Division represents journalists and broadcasters in every region of the country covering CIS Football. Since 1958 the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) have 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.
The 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 the FRC also help to choose builders, players and media members for induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
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