No major changes this week, with the byes in full effect. Best of luck this week.
Last week's ranking in parentheses.
1. Saskatchewan Roughriders (1) The Riders remain undefeated entering Week 7 and should be rested and ready following their bye week. Unfortunately, so will this week's opponent, the Calgary Stampeders. Saskatchewan took the first meeting this season at home thanks to a dominant second half. Friday night's showdown should be a beauty at McMahon Stadium.
2. Calgary Stampeders (2) The QB carousel continues to spin around in Calgary, with Kevin Glenn expected to start Friday's game against Saskatchewan after Drew Tate suffered a setback in his recovery. There are those that believe Bo Levi Mitchell should be the man to lead the offense this week but John Hufnagel has elected to go with the proven veteran. Probably a wise choice against an opportunistic Riders defense.
3. B.C. Lions (4) I'll bump the Lions up a spot this week as they showed me just enough in Monday's narrow win over Winnipeg. I do think it's only a matter of time before the B.C. offense gets rolling. Perhaps an extra week of practice will allow them to fine-tune. Defensively, the Lions have been good, but not great. Again, the bye week should serve them well in that regard.
4. Toronto Argonauts (3) The Argos will have an opportunity to make a statement and take full control of the East Division on Thursday night in Montreal. They'll have Ricky Ray back in the fold but it sounds like WR Dontrelle Inman will be a no-go once again. RB Chad Kackert remains sidelined as well, but Curtis Steele filled in admirably in his first start last week.
5. Montreal Alouettes (5) It will be interesting to see how the Als respond on Thursday in their first game following the dismissal of much-maligned and short-lived head coach Dan Hawkins. With WR Jamel Richardson and RB Brandon Whitaker sidelined, it's beginning to look a lot like 2012 all over again. We'll see who steps up and fills the void.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8) Last week's win in Edmonton had to feel awfully good for a Ti-Cats squad that has been ravaged by injuries and marred by its share of bad luck early in the campaign. They'll have a chance to build some solid momentum with a winnable road game in Winnipeg coming up following their bye week.
7. Edmonton Eskimos (6) I like the fight the Eskimos have shown in recent weeks, but they're having a tough time getting over the hump with the personnel they have on board. I'm not sure they've ever recovered from the Ricky Ray trade last year. Until they find a quarterback to lead the offense in the long-term, they'll continue to struggle to reach the in column. Mike Reilly doesn't look like the answer.
8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7) Justin Goltz is the right man to lead the Bombers offense this season but he's going to need some guys to make plays for him moving forward. The Bombers came up just short in B.C. on Monday, thanks in large part to an inspired effort from the defense. The good news is, the East Division is still wide open but I suspect the Bombers will ultimately be the odd-team out.
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