Shire: Predicting how the CFL’s West Division will play out

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We are one month away from CFL training camps opening across the country and at this point in the off-season, all nine teams believe they are Grey Cup contenders.

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But who will be in the championship game on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg is yet to be determined as we have an intriguing regular season ahead of us, especially in the West Division.

So, with time winding down until training camps open, it’s time to predict how the season will play out.

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While the Winnipeg Blue Bombers weren’t as dominant last year as they had been in previous years, the Blue and Gold still finished in first place in the West Division before going on to their fifth straight Grey Cup appearance.

The Bombers have retained many key pieces this season including quarterback Zach Collaros, receiver Dalton Schoen and defensive end Willie Jefferson, however Winnipeg also saw receiver Kenny Lawler and defensive back Tyrell Ford leave the team in free agency this off-season.

Winnipeg, who finished with an 11-7-0 record last year, will still be good this year but they don’t appear to be better than they were last season, so maybe this will be the year someone knocks them off the top of the West Division mountain.

The team with the best chance to do that will be the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who finished second place in the division last year with a 9-8-1 record — despite going through a streak of seven straight games without a win — under first-year head coach Corey Mace.

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In the playoffs, after beating the B.C. Lions in the Western semifinal, Saskatchewan got thumped by the Bombers in the West final.

The Riders have brought back all of their key pieces from the 2024 turnaround season under Mace, including quarterback Trevor Harris and linebacker Jameer Thurman. Plus, Saskatchewan’s offensive line should be even better this year if they can stay healthy, while the Green and White have also upgraded along the defensive line.

Of course, the Riders also have several others returning who made a major impact last year including halfback Rolan Milligan Jr., the West Division’s most outstanding defensive player.

And while there will be a few new faces on the roster, it appears Saskatchewan has upgraded at every position without regressing in any areas through free agency.

This year, with the coaching staff returning for a second full season, the Roughriders appear poised to be the ones to end Winnipeg’s reign. And while they might finish atop the Blue Bombers in the regular season standings, the Green and White still need to find a way to beat their rivals in the playoffs, which is something they haven’t been able to do in years.

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And while the Riders and Bombers appear destined for strong seasons, the three other West Division teams — the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks — will also have a say in how the standings play out. And their fate could be determined by quarterback play.

In B.C., Nathan Rourke is set to lead the Lions this season after returning from the NFL last season.

Will he be the Rourke of 2022, when he was the league’s most outstanding Canadian? Or will we see the same results he had last year when he was so-so? If it’s the former, B.C. will certainly have a chance to make some noise in the division as they’ve also upgraded at many positions including along the offensive line.

In Edmonton, Tre Ford has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career but he’s yet to be given the keys for a full season. Will this be the year he puts it all together? With Cody Fajardo now in Edmonton as the backup, you have to wonder how long the leash on Ford will be under first-year head coach Mark Kilam.

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And in Calgary, the Stampeders made a splash this off-season acquiring quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. from the Lions after B.C. made it clear Rourke was their guy.

Adams had a brilliant start to the 2024 season with the Lions before being hurt and then ultimately replaced by Rourke. We know Adams can play, but does he have the supporting cast to help him?

With all of that in mind, that leads us to the predictions: Saskatchewan should be poised for a first-place finish followed by the Blue Bombers, Lions, Elks and Stampeders.

tshire@postmedia.com

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