Claggett’s CFL predictions

Comparing pre-season picks to standings

We are now halfway through the CFL season and so I thought it would be a good idea to check my fearless predictions from before the start of the year.

Starting with the west, I called the finish to be B.C., Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan and it’s close at the midway point with the Eskimos surprising a bit and the Stamps flailing somewhat but I have an out there as Drew Tate not being behind centre was not expected so I am giving myself a break. The Lions are not as dominant as I thought they would be but still are the top dog and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I will stick with the order of finish.

The Riders, apart from the hammering of the pitiful Bombers, are playing true to form and in spite of the moral booster on Labour Day weekend, they will continue to occupy the basement of the west.

Over in the East the Montreal Alouettes continue to surprise as they maintain their status of the class of the division but the house they have built is shaky in my opinion due to a defense which doesn’t seem to be able to stop many teams.

But as long as Anthony Calvillo drinks from the fountain of youth the Als will run and pass with anybody and the defense will provide enough of a breather for that offence to recharge to continue to score more than the other guys.

I figured Hamilton and Toronto would be battling it out and they are – only for second and third place and not first overall like I had expected. This is all due to many factors which include Ricky Ray being horrible, Hamilton’s defense being lame and that darn AC in Montreal being, well that darn AC in Montreal.

Last and certainly least are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the light at the end of the tunnel is a train with former head coach Paul LaPolice as the engineer.

The Bombers decided it was his fault the team was coming apart at the seams but if you saw any of the game Sunday you could easily figure out this bunch needs more than a seamstress to put it back together. They will rock the bottom of the standings and then spend the winter at Portage and Main trying to save the franchise.

We shall see how this all plays out in November.

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