It’s difficult to imagine how winning a football game can hurt a team, but that’s what the deep thinkers of the University Football Reporters of Canada panel collectively did to the Laval rouge et or this week.
Laval, which won its game Saturday 27-24 in overtime at Sherbrooke, slipped out of the top spot in the weekly Top 10 Canadian Interuniversity Sport poll, in favour of the Calgary Dinos, who moved up from No. 2 after they prevailed over the sixth-ranked Manitoba Bisons 46-38 in the week’s only match of ranked teams.
Laval still captured 14 first-place votes, to Calgary’s 13, but the Dinos ended balloting with 274 points, two more than the rouge et or.
Calgary becomes the third different team to top the national ranking in the first three weeks of the season. Defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal was the preseason No. 1, but the Carabins were displaced by Laval after losing to the rouge et or on the opening day of the Quebec conference season.
The undefeated Western Mustangs, who thrashed the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 59-9, garnered the other three first-place votes, and they remain third nationally.
Montreal and Guelph hold fast at 4-5, while McMaster moved past Manitoba into sixth place by defeating Ottawa 57-42. Mount Allison, at No. 8, and British Columbia, at No. 10, retained their positions.
Sherbrooke entered the Top 10 at No. 9, supplanting Saskatchewan, which began the year at No. 8 but has since lost its first two games.
This week’s marquee match will pit two undefeated teams, No. 5 Guelph and No. 6 McMaster, Saturday afternoon in Guelph. Two other games involving two ranked teams will be played in Montreal, where the Carabins will host Sherbrooke, and in Winnipeg, where UBC will visit Manitoba.
This week’s Top 10, with previous rank, record, points in balloting, this week’s result and next opponent:
1. Calgary (2), 2-0, 274 points, defeated No. 6 Manitoba 46-38; next: Thursday, vs. Alberta.
2. Laval (1), 2-0, 272 points, defeated Sherbrooke 27-24 in overtime; next: Saturday, at Bishop’s.
3. Western (3), 3-0, 253 points, defeated Wilfrid Laurier 59-9; next: Saturday, vs. Queen’s.
4. Montreal (4), 1-1, 213 points, defeated McGill 42-2; next: Saturday, vs. No. 9 Sherbrooke.
5. Guelph (5), 3-0, 162 points, defeated York 49-22; next: Saturday, vs. No. 6 McMaster.
6. McMaster (7), 2-0, 144 points, defeated Ottawa 57-42; next: Saturday, at No. 5 Guelph.
7. Manitoba (6), 1-1, 114 points, lost 56-38 to Calgary; next: Saturday, vs. No. 10 British Columbia.
8. Mount Allison (8), 1-0, 86 points, defeated Saint Mary’s 38-6; next: Saturday, vs. Acadia.
9. Sherbrooke (NR), 1-1, 48 points, lost to Laval 27-24 in overtime; next: Saturday, at No. 4 Montreal.
10. British Columbia (10), 1-1, 39 points, defeated Regina 27-20; next: Saturday, at No. 10 Manitoba.
Other teams receiving votes: Alberta (31), Ottawa (8), Carleton (5), Queen’s (3).