With league parity at a disappointing low, is it time for the CFL to consider scrapping the two-division system and going with a single group of nine teams?
That’s the question TSN CFL analyst Chris Schultz pondered in an online column this week.
“I’m a traditionalist, as I do enjoy the East/West rivalries if both divisions are good at the top,” Schultz wrote Monday on TSN.ca. “But at 2-4, the East-leading Argonauts are the sixth best team in the CFL and the league standings should reflect that. If the playoffs were to start today, Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal – all at 1-5 – would be out. The five West teams would all be in with one East team.
“Good!
“If two West teams are in the Grey Cup, I have no issues with that as long as they’ve earned it through the regular season and through the playoffs.”
Heading into this weekend’s games, the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos are tied for first place in the league standings with 10 points in six games.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers also have 10 points, but in eight games, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions each have eight points in six and seven games, respectively.
The East-leading Argos have six points, followed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Redblacks with two points each.
