When does a CFL team NOT want a home playoff game? When that team is the Calgary Stampeders, of course.
Although the Stampeders have enjoyed a tremendous home record is recent seasons and despite being tied for first in the West this year, Calgary has been awful on home turf. Through some unexplained quirk, Calgary has a 2-4 record at McMahon Stadium but is undefeated on the road (5-0). Keep playing that well out of a suitcase and the Stampeders could end up getting what they apparently don’t want — a home playoff game.
The phenomenon seems to have permeated the entire league this season, with road teams winning as often as home sides through Week 12.
Enthusiasm on the ebb in Year 2 of Maritime experiment:
Touchdown Atlantic could run aground if ticket sales are any indication.
While last year’s Touchdown Atlantic sold out in a day, this weekend’s game between Calgary and Hamilton at Moncton Stadium still has good seats remaining in the facility that has been expanded to 20,000 seats.
Could it be the novelty of CFL football has already worn thin on Maritimers who have been asked to shell out good money to sit on wonky temporary bleachers and watch two teams with no connection to their home turf?
That has to be a factor, but if Atlantic Canada wants to be considered for a CFL franchise, the fans will have to buck up, even if the situation is less than ideal.
In reality, someone with deep pockets will have to partner with local government to build a real pro football stadium before they’ll be taken seriously. Problem is, how can anyone invest in building a full-fledged CFL stadium and court an expansion franchise if fans won’t open their wallets once a season?
Riders and Lions roar to life:
It’s fun to speculate about possible crossover playoff berths, and early on this season we were doing plenty hypothesizing about an Eastern team finally stealing a West team’s spot come November.
Well, not so fast.
With both the B.C. Lions (5-6) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-7) sparking back to life in recent weeks, the fourth-place West team could again slip into the No. 3 spot in the East.
At 5-6, Hamilton is the potential victim, although plenty of games remain to climb out of that hole.
