Last week's ranking in parentheses.
1. Toronto Argonauts (1) Perhaps the Argos suffered a bit of a Grey Cup hangover, falling behind big in the early stages of last week's opener against the Ti-Cats. But credit Scott Milanovich for getting his team re-focused coming out of halftime. Toronto took its game to another level defensively in the second half, allowing only three points and rallying for a 39-34 victory. Now comes a much tougher test in B.C. on Thursday night.
2. Calgary Stampeders (3) While I still have questions about the Stampeders defense, their offense appears to be in mid-season form already. As well as Kevin Glenn played last season, I don't think we saw the Stampeders best punch with Drew Tate sidelined. He's back, and RB Jon Cornish is the perfect compliment out of the backfield, coming off a huge opener that saw him run for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
3. B.C. Lions (2) I'm not going to knock the Lions for their 44-32 loss in Calgary last week. After all, that was a tough way to open the season, against an emotionally-charged Stamps squad that was clearly ready to go. How the Lions respond against Toronto this week will be telling. I expect to see their defense respond with a far stronger performance. They'll need to do a much better job containing Chad Kackert than they did against Jon Cornish last Thursday.
4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (5) The Stamps will get a heavy dose of 'Rider Pride' when they roll into Regina on Friday night. This year's Grey Cup promises to be a massive party in Saskatchewan, and the Riders are intent on being there for the festivities - not just as spectators. It's put up or shut up time for QB Darian Durant in particular and after a resounding win in Edmonton last Sunday, all is well for now. A date with Calgary will serve as an excellent measuring stick.
5. Montreal Alouettes (4) The Als certainly impressed out of the gate last week in Winnipeg but it was far from a perfect performance. After building a big early lead, Montreal fell apart in the third quarter - perhaps reflecting on new head coach Dan Hawkins' inability to make the necessary adjustments at halftime. If we learned one thing last week, it's that RB Noel Devine will be a force out of the backfield and on special teams this season.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6) Defense is once again a hot-button issue in Hamilton after an ugly collapse against the Argos last week. As long as Henry Burris is healthy the Ti-Cats offense will continue to hum along, even without a legitimate ground game. But the defense needs work. Perhaps an extended week will serve them well, as they'll be idle until Sunday's matchup against the Eskimos in Guelph.
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8) Well, at least they have a pretty new stadium. The Bombers put on an exciting show last Thursday against Montreal, but it was all for not thanks to a miserable fourth quarter. Now Winnipeg has to pack up and travel to face the Als for a second straight week, not exactly the cure for what ails a team that's trying to find it's identity early in the season.
8. Edmonton Eskimos (7) Things could get ugly in a hurry in Edmonton this year. QB Mike Reilly had an awful debut but the Eskimos hands are tied in that regard. They're going to have to lean heavily on their defense in order to put forth a respectable effort this week as they face another high-powered offense in the Ti-Cats. J.C. Sherritt might be the best defensive player in the CFL but he needs a better effort from his supporting cast.
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