U Sports Top 10 RANKINGS (1): No surprise here, Laval takes top spot

For the first time since 2014 – and the ninth time over the past 13 years – the Laval Rouge et Or (1-0) top the inaugural media poll of the U SPORTS football season.

The reigning national champions, who last November claimed their record ninth Vanier Cup championship, were a unanimous No. 1 selection by the Football Reporters of Canada panel, meriting all 18 first-place votes and a perfect 180 points.

2017 U SPORTS Football Schedule

2017 U SPORTS Football Standings

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Rounding out the first top 10 of the new campaign are the second-ranked Montreal Carabins (1-0 / 156 points), No. 3 Western Mustangs (1-0 / 128), No. 4 Calgary Dinos (0-0 / 115), No. 5 Regina Rams (0-0 / 101), No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (1-0 / 87), No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds (0-0 / 79), No. 8 McMaster Marauders (0-0 / 28), No. 9 Ottawa Gee-Gees (1-0 / 28) and No. 10 Manitoba Bisons (0-0 / 24).

Nine months after a spectacular, come-from-behind 31-26 triumph over Calgary in Hamilton, the Rouge et Or showed no signs of a championship hangover on Saturday night in their RSEQ opener, dominating Sherbrooke 40-5 on home turf thanks in part to 361 passing yards and four total touchdowns from reigning Vanier Cup MVP Hugo Richard. Next up for the Quebec City powerhouse, which had previously crushed Carleton 46-2 in a preseason confrontation, is a visit to McGill (0-0) on Friday evening.

Other conference results from top-10 teams on opening weekend included Montreal 37, Concordia 19 (at Concordia); Western 66, York 3 (at York); Laurier 39, Toronto 0 (at Laurier); Ottawa 24, Guelph 21 in second overtime (at Guelph).

In preseason action, it was Regina 39, Calgary 3 (at Medicine Hat, Alta.); UBC 33, Alberta 30 (at Kamloops, B.C.); McMaster 22, Saskatchewan 10 (at McMaster).

Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett is the new chair of the FRC media panel for the 2017 season, overseeing a reduced panel and revised format, including the publication of all ballots available below.

The only top-10 matchup on the Week 2 schedule sees seventh-ranked UBC visit No. 5 Regina Friday at 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET), live on CanadaWest.TV. The contest will be a rematch of last year’s Canada West semifinal, also at Mosaic Stadium, when the fourth-place Thunderbirds and 2015 Vanier Cup MVP Michael O’Connor upset the first-place Rams and 2016 Hec Crighton Trophy winner Noah Picton 40-34.

FRC – U SPORTS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#1)

Rank School Record Pts (1st place) Last Week
1 Laval 1-0 180 (18)  –
2 Montreal 1-0 156  –
3 Western 1-0 128  –
4 Calgary 0-0 115  –
5 Regina 0-0 101  –
6 Laurier 1-0 87  –
7 UBC 0-0 79  –
8 McMaster 0-0 28 *  –
9 Ottawa 1-0 28  –
10 Manitoba 0-0 24  –

* McMaster edges Ottawa for eighth place thanks to a greater number of higher-placed votes

Other teams receiving votes: Carleton (20), Mount Allison (19), Guelph (8), Saskatchewan (7), Concordia (7), Saint Mary’s (1), Alberta (1), Waterloo (1).WEEK 1 RESULTS

August 23 (preseason)

Regina 39, Calgary 3 (Medicine Hat, Alta.)

UBC 33, Alberta 30 (Kamloops, B.C.)

August 25 (preseason)

McMaster 22, Saskatchewan 10 (at McMaster)

August 25

Saint Mary’s 38, StFX 23 (at Saint Mary’s)

Montreal 37, Concordia 19 (at Concordia)             

August 26

Mount Allison 64, Acadia 23 (at Mount Allison)

Carleton 22, Queen’s 17 (at Queen’s)

Laval 40, Sherbrooke 5 (at Laval)

August 27

Waterloo 54, Windsor 33 (at Windsor)

Laurier 39, Toronto 0 (at Laurier)

Ottawa 24, Guelph 21 (2OT) (at Guelph)

Western 66, York 3 (at York)

 

WEEK 2 SCHEDULE  

NOTE: Click HERE for the complete 2017 regular season schedule & results

 August 31

Concordia (0-1) at Sherbrooke (0-1), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

September 1

Mount Allison (1-0) at StFX (0-1), 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (AUStv.ca)

Laval (1-0) at McGill (0-0), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (StretchTV)

Saskatchewan (0-0) at Manitoba (0-0), 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (CanadaWest.TV)

UBC (0-0) at Regina (0-0), 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (CanadaWest.TV)

Calgary (0-0) at Alberta (0-0), 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (CanadaWest.TV)

September 2

Bishop’s (0-0) at Acadia (0-1), 3 p.m. PT/noon PT (Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 & AUStv.ca)

September 3

McMaster (0-0) at Carleton (1-0), 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT (OUA.TV)

September 4

York (0-1) at Waterloo (1-0), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (OUA.TV)

Queen’s (0-1) at Ottawa (1-0), 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT (OUA.TV)

Guelph (0-1) at Western (1-0), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (Rogers TV & OUA.TV)

Windsor (0-1) at Toronto (0-1), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (OUA.TV)

 

Publication of ballots – 2017 FRC media panel

Name  Ammeta Vohra Richard Boutin Claude Scilley Donnovan Bennett (Chair) C-A Sinotte
Affialiation Football Canada Journal de Quebec Retired from Kingston Whig-Standard Sportsnet TVA
1  LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL
2 MONTREAL CALGARY MONTREAL MONTREAL MONTREAL
3 WESTERN MONTREAL LAURIER LAURIER WESTERN
4 CALGARY WESTERN REGINA WESTERN UBC
5 UBC UBC WESTERN UBC CALGARY
6 LAURIER REGINA MCMASTER REGINA REGINA
7 GUELPH LAURIER CALGARY CALGARY OTTAWA
8 REGINA CARLETON OTTAWA MANITOBA CARLETON
9 CARLETON MCMASTER SASKATCHEWAN CONCORDIA GUELPH
10 MOUNT ALLISON MANITOBA MOUNT ALLISON MOUNT ALLISON MOUNT ALLISON
Name  Monty Mosher Gord Randall Michel Bélanger Justin Dunk John Edwards
Affialiation Halifax Chronicle Herald Krown Countdown U Former CIS Communications 3 Down Nation U SPORTS Statistics Consultant
1 LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL
2 MONTREAL CALGARY WESTERN MONTREAL MONTREAL
3 WESTERN MONTREAL MONTREAL CALGARY CALGARY
4 REGINA WESTERN REGINA WESTERN WESTERN
5 MCMASTER UBC UBC UBC REGINA
6 SASKATCHEWAN LAURIER CALGARY LAURIER LAURIER
7 LAURIER REGINA LAURIER REGINA MCMASTER
8 CALGARY MANITOBA MANITOBA OTTAWA MOUNT ALLISON
9 MOUNT ALLISON OTTAWA CARLETON MANITOBA CARLETON
10 SAINT MARY’S CARLETON ALBERTA CARLETON OTTAWA
Name  Moe Khan Lee Barette Tim Micallef Neate Sager CFL 
Affialiation TSN Radio 690 Canada Football Chat Sportsnet The CIS Blog
1 LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL
2 WESTERN MONTREAL MONTREAL MONTREAL MONTREAL
3 MONTREAL CALGARY UBC REGINA CALGARY
4 CALGARY UBC LAURIER CALGARY WESTERN
5 REGINA WESTERN WESTERN WESTERN UBC
6 OTTAWA REGINA REGINA UBC LAURIER
7 MANITOBA LAURIER MANITOBA LAURIER REGINA
8 MCMASTER CONCORDIA CALGARY OTTAWA CARLETON
9 CARLETON MCMASTER CONCORDIA MOUNT ALLISON OTTAWA
10 MOUNT ALLISON CARLETON MOUNT ALLISON WATERLOO MCMASTER
Name  Shelby Blackley Andrew Wadden Marshall Ferguson
Affialiation The Globe and Mail Krown Countdown U TSN Radio 1150
1 LAVAL LAVAL LAVAL
2 MONTREAL CALGARY MONTREAL
3 REGINA WESTERN REGINA
4 LAURIER MONTREAL LAURIER
5 WESTERN UBC WESTERN
6 CALGARY LAURIER CALGARY
7 UBC REGINA OTTAWA
8 MOUNT ALLISON MCMASTER MANITOBA
9 MCMASTER MOUNT ALLISON GUELPH
10 OTTAWA MANITOBA MOUNT ALLISON

 

Source: U Sports

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