UFRC – CIS Football Top 10 (#8): No. 5-Western to face No. 4-Queen’s for OUA lead

OTTAWA (CIS) – While Quebec powerhouses Montreal and Laval hold the top two spots in the UFRC – CIS football rankings for the second straight week, all eyes will be on Ontario this weekend as first place in the OUA standings will be on the line when No. 5-Western faces No. 4-Queen’s on national television.

There is only one change to the Top 10 this week with the Ottawa Gee-Gees (4-2) taking over from Guelph (3-3) at No. 9 following a convincing 50-26 home win over the Gryphons.

The rest of the UFRC poll remains intact as the No. 1-Carabins (4-1) and No. 2-Rouge et Or (4-1) are followed in order by the No. 3-Calgary Dinos (5-1), No. 4-Gaels (6-0), No. 5-Mustangs (5-1), No. 6-St. Francis Xavier X-Men (5-0), No. 7-Saskatchewan Huskies (4-1), No. 8-Saint Mary’s Huskies (4-1), No. 9-Ottawa, and No. 10 McMaster Marauders (4-2).

For the second consecutive week, Montreal (14), reigning Vanier Cup champion Laval (14), Calgary (16) and Queen’s (11) all received first-place votes. Montreal barely edged Laval in total voting amassing 1,530 points compared to 1,521 for its archrival.

All Quebec teams enjoyed a break during Thanksgiving weekend. The Carabins get back on the field Saturday when they visit Sherbrooke (2-3), while the Rouge et Or host winless Mount Allison (0-5) in interlock action, also on Saturday.

The Montreal-Sherbrooke tilt is televised on Radio-Canada at 1 p.m.

Calgary, which remains at No. 3 for the third week in a row, survived a scare last Saturday as the Dinos trailed Manitoba (2-3) 24-23 after three quarters before prevailing 35-24. The reigning Canada West champions enter their bye week and will resume conference play against Regina on Oct. 24.

No. 4-Queen’s extended its school-record regular season win streak to 16 games last Saturday with a 43-21 defeat of Waterloo (1-5), while No. 5-Western rebounded from a loss to McMaster with a 64-6 domination of York (0-6), last Thursday.

The Gaels go into Saturday’s head-to-head showdown (The Score, 1 p.m.) having defeated the Mustangs in each of the last three regular season match-ups: 43-16 in 2008, 26-20 in overtime in 2007, and 28-9 in 2006. Western, however, came out on top in the first round of the 2007 OUA playoffs, 27-19.

While their teams fight for first place in the conference standings, quarterbacks Dan Brannagan and Michael Faulds are locked in a battle for the OUA nomination for the Hec Crighton trophy, as well as for a place in CIS history.

Brannagan broke the all-time OUA mark for passing yards last week and currently sits in second place among CIS career leaders with 9,989 yards, 466 behind record holder Matt Connell of McGill, who set the standard in his final university season last fall. Faulds is fifth on the CIS all-time list with 9,877 yards.

Brannagan leads the nation in 2009 with an average of 371 yards per game (1,855 in five games), while Faulds ranks second with 350 yards per outing (2,099 in 6 games).

Brannagan is also fourth on the CIS career list with 75 touchdown passes, four behind Ottawa’s Josh Sacobie’s OUA record and 12 shy of Saint Mary’s Chris Flynn’s CIS mark.

In the Atlantic, No. 6-StFX remained the only undefeated team in the conference with a 21-10 win over Acadia (1-5). The X-Men host Bishop’s (1-4) in interlock action Saturday.

No. 7-Saskatchewan had its most convincing outing of the campaign last Friday dominating UBC (1-5) 44-7. The Huskies visit Manitoba (2-3) Saturday.

No. 8-Saint Mary’s defeated Mount Allison (0-5) 35-7 on Thanksgiving weekend. The Huskies travel to Montreal Saturday to face upstart McGill (3-2).

No. 9-Ottawa, fresh off a dominating performance against Guelph, visits winless York (0-6) Saturday.

No. 10-McMaster beat Toronto 21-3 last week and visits Windsor (2-4) Saturday night.

UFRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#8)

Pts (1st place) – Last week

1. Montreal (4-1) 1530 (14) – 1
2. Laval (4-1) 1521 (14) – 2
3. Calgary (5-1) 1501 (16) – 3
4. Queen’s (6-0) 1415 (11) – 4
5. Western Ontario (5-1) 998 – 5
6. StFX (5-0) 980 – 6
7. Saskatchewan (4-1) 757 – 7
8. Saint Mary’s (4-1) 528 – 8
9. Ottawa (4-2) 198 – NR
10. McMaster (4-2) 196 – 10

Other teams receiving votes: Regina (114), Laurier (111), McGill (12), Guelph (9), Alberta (1).

CIS FOOTBALL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)

Saturday, Oct. 17
12:00 No. 7-Saskatchewan (4-1) at Manitoba (2-3)
13:00 No. 1-Montreal (4-1) at Sherbrooke (2-3), Radio-Canada
13:00 Mount Allison (0-5) at No. 2-Laval (4-1)
13:00 No.8-Saint Mary’s (4-1) at McGill (3-2)
13:00 No. 9-Ottawa (4-2) at York (0-6)
13:00 Laurier (4-2) at Guelph (3-3)
13:00 Waterloo (1-5) at Toronto (1-5)
13:00 No. 5-Western (5-1) at No. 4-Queen’s (6-0), The Score
13:00 Regina (3-2) at Alberta (2-3)
13:00 UBC (1-5) at Simon Fraser (2-4), Shaw TV
14:00 Concordia (1-4) at Acadia (1-4), EastLink
14:00 Bishop’s (1-4) at No. 6-StFX (5-0)
17:00 No. 10-McMaster (4-2) at Windsor (2-4)

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