Following the CFL’s announcement that it was postponing the 2020 season due to the bans of sporting events by cities such as Calgary and Montreal, many began speculating whether a shortened season might actually benefit teams. Here, we rank the teams as if the season was 9 games long with a regular post-season (which looks reasonably likely at the moment!
1. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
There’s a trend among these power rankings, but the Ticats are consistently first for a reason. Over the offseason, they’ve made minimal changes, meaning that the team needs little practise to get back into shape. Additionally, all of last year’s coaching staff are back, and with a formula that works, Hamilton should have no problem adapting to a shorter season.
2. Calgary Stampeders
Again, stability breeds success in a shortened season. The Stamps have made some changes to their roster and coaching staff, but none that are incredibly major. The loss of QB Bo Levi Mitchell to injury last year is less of a threat – a shortened season would give Mitchell more time to recover and less time to get injured again.
3. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Blue Bombers saw a lot of departing talent in the 2019 offseason, most notably two of their three starting quarterbacks as well as their star offensive coordinator. However, what remains is amongst the best talent in the league, and if Winnipeg keeps their Grey Cup-winning formula from last year, there’s no reason why a shortened season would affect them.
4. Edmonton Eskimos
Although both the Esks and the Bombers have seen some major changes over the offseason, such as new Head Coaches and new starting quarterbacks, the deciding factor that put Edmonton at #4 was the Eskimos’ 8-10 record compared to Winnipeg’s Grey Cup win. Momentum and QB injury was an issue for Edmonton in 2019 – a shortened season will help them avoid both of these.
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Some have to wonder if the 2019 Roughriders were a fluke or the real deal, especially with their newly-minted starting QB and Head Coach. A shortened season would test the Riders, who let a lot of good players go in the offseason, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t carry last year’s success forward and capitalise on the low experience of other teams around the league.
6. B.C. Lions
A short and snappy season could suit the B.C. Lions, allowing them to get in and accumulate a good record while other teams are still figuring themselves out. However, the Lions are just too inconsistent to hope to succeed in 2020 – if anything, they should be praying for a longing season and more chances to play.
7. Montreal Alouettes
One huge issue looms over the heads of the Als – it’s not with their coaching staff, nor their players, but with their location. No team epitomises the home advantage than Montreal, who went 7/9 at home compared to 4/9 on the road. However, with the proposed cancellation of Quebec sporting events until September, the Als may be playing in a neutral site, which will cause problems for them if their home/away record says anything.
8. Toronto Argonauts
It was a toss-up between the Argos and the Redblacks for last place, but at the end of the day the Argos are just a bit better because of the addition of QB Matt Nichols who will look to give the team more skill and stability. However, with a lot of new players and coaches, Toronto won’t have enough time to get settled over a 9-week season – they need the full 18 weeks to get comfortable as a completely new team.
9. Ottawa Redblacks
The Redblacks face similar issues to Toronto in that they have almost an entirely new team and coaching staff which will take a lot more than 9 weeks to figure out. Paul LaPolice does bring a lot more experience and expertise than Ryan Dinwiddie in Toronto, but it ultimately wouldn’t be enough for the team that struggled so much last year.
The End Zone 
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