2018 CFL Preview: Early Playoff Outlook
The CFL Playoffs are six months away but the debate will start tonight when the new season begins.
The biggest question might just be about that schism between the east and the west and whether or not the east can fend the west off this year.
In the last two seasons the west has been simply too good and in both years they were able to steal a playoff spot in the east.
The crossover has always been a strange part of the CFL game but only really took attention when the REDBLACKS joined the league.
It led to a real chance that the crossover would go into effect as the unbalanced divisions were sure to make some changes.
That has been the case as the east went from being a group of good teams to a group of teams without much to fight with.
The talent began to be loaded to the west and so the balance of power took a massive shift to the western division.
The last two seasons saw every team in the east struggle to get through the season despite the talent on a few teams.
In 2016 the REDBLACKS took the division crown with a losing record while the Argos won the division last year going 9-9.
With both of those records counting as the winning ones it was pretty easy to see that the rest of the teams were not going to put up much of a fight against the west.
Saskatchewan took the crossover a year ago and the year before that it was Edmonton who travelled to the east.
So with a pattern beginning to form the big question heading into another season is whether or not the east can fend them off again.
Looking at the east at this point things are not looking all that great for the east to take their three spots.
The Argonauts seem like the most talented team in the division with the least amount of questions, although they do still have some, so they look to be the class of the division.
The REDBLACKS are also back with a lot of talent but the lack of that talent on the defensive side of the ball leads them to be a bit more questionable.
Montreal and Hamilton are by far the most questionable teams in the league as they are both dealing with massive quarterback questions that need to be answered before they can be considered playoff teams.
Those issues leave an opening for the west and it could be any team in the western division as that fight is far closer.
The division could come down to the Battle of Alberta once again as they seem to be the most talented teams for another season.
The Lions and Bombers have some major issues that they will need to overcome if they want to find themselves in the western playoffs.
The Lions have the right people and a resurgent QB could make the difference while the Bombers fall just short thanks to a start to the season that doesn’t include their starting QB.
That leaves Saskatchewan out of it as their reload might not be enough to bring them out of the basement but like everything in the west the entire division could be flipped upside down in a matter of one game.
Unless some surprising things happen, which is always a possibility, it looks like another year where the west crosses over.
That crossover has never been great for the western teams though as they have never been able to get to the Grey Cup through the east.
It could continue again as the Argos still seem good enough to get back to the Grey Cup a year after winning.
In the west it could go to anyone as all can be good but with the reigning MOP, it could be the year for Edmonton.
That will be good news for the hometown fans who get to see their home team try to win the Grey Cup at home.
With the Cup going back to Edmonton the Eskimos have a chance to win at home and they might just do it against the Argos.
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