U Sports Football Report (Week 2)
The second week in the U Sports calendar marks the first chance for one conference to make their run at the national stage.
While the rest of the country saw their first action the week before Labour Day, it was the CanWest conferences time to begin their season.
Throughout the league, the surprises were limited as the best teams in the country remained the best teams.
Laval took a big win over Concordia solidifying themselves as one of the top teams in the country.
Western and Montreal had the week off before they get back to action in Week 3 but it was another team in full focus for the start of their season.
The Calgary Dinos have remained one of the best teams in the country for years with high expectations every season.
The Dinos have been one of the few consistently great teams in the country alongside Laval and Western.
They are among the most dominant teams in Canada and every year they head into the season with the expectation that they are going to make the national playoffs.
Just like the Rouge et Or and the Mustangs not making the playoffs and competing for the Vanier Cup is considered a failure.
It is a heavy burden to hold for these three teams as a football season is unpredictable with anything possible at any moment.
Unlike other leagues, one loss is not a death sentence for any team but getting started right can be a big help.
The Mustangs took their first win of the season last week and although it wasn’t as convincing as they may have wanted they still picked up the win.
Laval has been just as dominant as they always have with two easy wins in their first two games of the season.
In Week 2 it was Calgary who was looking to step up and try to make an impression to show that they are right there with the usually dominant teams.
They did just that with a 49-35 win over the Regina Rams to start their season off alongside the other big teams in the country.
For the second week in the season, things seemed to be very much the same as the top teams remained the top teams.
They continue to roll over the other teams in their way and the cycle of the best teams remaining the best continues.
There are some challengers though and as the season moves on the top teams will get their chance to prove that they are the best.
Each team has another program breathing down their back for the division crown and a spot in the national playoffs.
All of the conferences will have a question this year as there are two teams fighting for the top spot.
The dominant teams remain the ones to watch throughout the season as they are all favourites to make it into the national playoffs.
That could come to a crash if the challengers can come through with a big win in their games against each other.
Week 3 will be a test for two of those big matchups as Laval takes on Montreal and Calgary takes on UBC.
The RSEQ has come down to a battle between Montreal and Laval over the last few years and with Montreal staying strong this season their Week 3 matchup will be an important one.
The Dinos have been fending off the fight from the Thunderbirds for a few years now and have come very close to losing that battle.
Their matchup will be just as important in Week 3 as they try to get through the Thunderbirds who looked good in their first game beating the Manitoba Bison 30-20.
The Mustangs won’t get their biggest test until the end of the regular season when they play the Laurier Golden Hawks in what could be a game for first place.
That will be an important one as both teams have been good over the last few years and with that last two titles at each school it is a bit of a rubber match this year.
All of the conferences are underway as the CanWest joined the rest in the pursuit of the national playoffs.
The dominant teams continue their time at the top while the rest try to catch up but with plenty of season to go anything can happen.
The Sport Addiction 