Prognosticator Time for us Gurus

[M.O.A.B.]

The difference on the DL this year will be Okpalaugo (Oak-pa-la-ooh-go). That spot was the weakest link last year. 

Edited June 3, 2017 by M.O.A.B.

[M.O.A.B.]

I predict it will be a close battle of top 4 teams in the West with tie-breakers / point differential deciding the final ranking.  Of course, the Riders will still man the basement. 

4th team in the West will crossover again, to face Hamilton but will fail to advance to face Ottawa.

West - Calgary, Winnipeg, BC, Edmonton.....................................................Saskatchewan.

East - Ottawa, Hamilton.................................................................................Toronto, Montreal. 

 

Edited June 3, 2017 by M.O.A.B.

[sweep the leg]

Cal

BC     

Wpg  

Edm  

SK  

 

Ott  

Ham  

Mtl  

Tor  

[JCon]

Winnipeg 13-5

Calgary 12-6

BC 11-7

Edmonton 8-10 7-11 <-- EDIT: Changed to have 81 wins and 81 loses overall.

Saskatchewan 6-12

 

Hamilton 11-7

Montreal 9-9

Ottawa 7-11

Toronto 5-13

Edited June 3, 2017 by JCon
Fix adding error

[Mr Dee]

Gotta make sure, when posting predicted records, that wins and losses equal 81...

THE WEST

Gonna be a very tight race. - Calgary, BC and Winnipeg, 1-3 or 2,3,1 or 3,2,1, then Edmonton, then that Jones team.

In the EAST, I probably would assign each team a number and then use a random number calculator to pick who would finish where, although I cannot see Montreal escaping the basement. 

Most probably, there will be a cross-over.

Edited June 4, 2017 by Mr Dee

[SpeedFlex27]

3 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

Gotta make sure, when posting predicted records, that wins and losses equal 82...

THE WEST

Gonna be a very tight race. - Calgary, BC and Winnipeg, 1-3 or 2,3,1 or 3,2,1, then Edmonton, then that Jones team.

In the EAST, I probably would assign each team a number and then use a random number calculator to pick who would finish where, although I cannot see Montreal escaping the basement. 

Most probably, there will be a cross-over.

I don't know how we can seemlngly take the Esks so lightly. They're a dangerous team & I think will be tough again.

[rebusrankin]

Calgary-Winnipeg-BC-Edmonton-Saskatchewan in the West. Close race.

 

Ottawa-Hamilton-Toronto-Montreal in the East.

[JCon]

6 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

Gotta make sure, when posting predicted records, that wins and losses equal 82...

81, right? 

9 Teams * 18 Games Each / 2 Teams per Game = 81.

Edited June 3, 2017 by JCon

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

20 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

 

#bummyprimates

 

#bummyprimates

 

 

[Zontar]

Turtle Derby in the east.

Collaros is still best qb in the division so they will be in top two with OTT. TOR and MTL will be hard pressed to fend off crossover.

CAL, BC WPG bunched together. 

EDM fights and beats SSK for scraps

 

[wbbfan]

3 minutes ago, Zontar said:

Turtle Derby in the east.

Collaros is still best qb in the division so they will be in top two with OTT. TOR and MTL will be hard pressed to fend off crossover.

CAL, BC WPG bunched together. 

EDM fights and beats SSK for scraps

 

I dont think collaros is better then first half harris. or pre first injury harris. Over all Probably the best of the bunch. Talk about a group of QBs i would NOT want to resting a season on. Durrant, harris, ray and collaros. No wonder the west is leap years a head of the east right now. 

[JCon]

32 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Durrant, harris, ray and collaros. 

Do any of those QBs start more than 13 games this year? I doubt it. 

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, JCon said:

Do any of those QBs start more than 13 games this year? I doubt it. 

Idk if all those guys will combine for 18 games. 

[Tracker]

p

Predicting  a west-to-east crossover may be a tad premature. By my admittedly amateur estimation, every team in the east has a better QB and coach than the Roughies and I argue that only Montreal has a GM who is as bad as Jones. It would give me great pleasure if Sask got bumped out by an eastern team. It could happen.

[Dee Urban Hermit]

In my humblest opinion...

The West

-It's still Calgary's game to lose ~12 & 6 season.

-It's going to be the battle for 2nd between Wpg and BC, this should be good!

- EDM pulled off an " Error in judgment," but I think they will pull off 4rth in the west and be the crossover team again.

-I just can't see Jones setting Sask on fire this year. There are just too many holes to fill, defense looks like they will be better, there are some great receivers, but the QB situation, and a suspect O-Line. 5 and 13 is the best I can see here.

 

The East

- The east could be a battle between Ott and Ham. But then injuries happen. So I will reluctantly call this a Tigercat 1st with caveats.

-Toronto could pull a rabbit out their hat this season and pull off a 2nd place upset.

-I think Montreal is still a mess. It's (still ) rebuild time.

[Goalie]

No standings prédiction for me but i have A gut feeling poop will finish 2nd in sacks this year

[blue_gold_84]

39 minutes ago, Goalie said:

No standings prédiction for me but i have A gut feeling poop will finish 2nd in sacks this year

[Bob the Bomber]

Sorry to play the downer here folks but none of the predicted standings are achievable, mathematically anyway.

9 teams X 18 games / by 2 (win or loss) = 81 total games to be played in a regular season.  That means for standing to be accurate there has to be a equal number of wins and losses at the end of the season (81 wins and 81 losses).

Checking the standings people have offered and their numbers don't add up.  Check my math and I think I am correct.  

Yeah I know, I am a number nerd, feel free to mock me.

[Atomic]

23 minutes ago, Bob the Bomber said:

Sorry to play the downer here folks but none of the predicted standings are achievable, mathematically anyway.

9 teams X 18 games / by 2 (win or loss) = 81 total games to be played in a regular season.  That means for standing to be accurate there has to be a equal number of wins and losses at the end of the season (81 wins and 81 losses).

Checking the standings people have offered and their numbers don't add up.  Check my math and I think I am correct.  

Yeah I know, I am a number nerd, feel free to mock me.

I will mock you, but not for being a number nerd, but for missing my obviously correct and flawless standings prediction.

[WBBFanWest]

29 minutes ago, Bob the Bomber said:

Sorry to play the downer here folks but none of the predicted standings are achievable, mathematically anyway.

9 teams X 18 games / by 2 (win or loss) = 81 total games to be played in a regular season.  That means for standing to be accurate there has to be a equal number of wins and losses at the end of the season (81 wins and 81 losses).

Checking the standings people have offered and their numbers don't add up.  Check my math and I think I am correct.  

Yeah I know, I am a number nerd, feel free to mock me.

[TrueBlue4ever]

OK, now that pre-season is done it seems more appropriate to make a guess.

BC - Scary good offence this year with Chris Williams added to the receiving mix and three deadly return specialists. Jennings is the ridiculously early pick for league MOP. Could see a few 45-40 games from them. But Wally will have their defence prepared too. Bit of a gut pick but I say 13-5 and first.

Calgary - Nowhere to go but down, but dropping from the summit of Everest to base camp still has you well above the clouds most days. Not sure I buy the whole "this year is about redemption for last year's Grey Cup, so we are motivated every single time out" angle. More likely they pace themselves and give up a few more games in the regular season. 13-5 but second in the division (or 12-6, see Edmonton)

Edmonton - The wildcard of the West. Are they the team that ended the season strong or the one that started off poorly? What does Ed Hervey's late firing do - eliminate or create a distraction? Is Mike Reilly ready to take a run at league MOP or is he going to become labeled "the next glass QB"? Not too sure about them, guess this is my way of saying they could challenge for 1st (more likely 2nd) or could languish back in 4th in the division with a losing record, and neither outcome would surprise me. Just have a hunch they will rebound this year and be better (if not totally reflected in their win-loss record, at least in their divisional standing) 10-8 but third (or 11-7, give them one more win and Calgary one more loss)

Winnipeg - Lots to be excited for as a Bomber fan, but the bar has been so low the last decade that 2 straight winning seasons qualifies for a parade in these parts at this point (which is kind of sad when you think about it). Nicholls showed he can win games (10-3 as a starter is an overlooked stat by many) but except for the division semi against BC, his passing numbers didn't jump off the page. Good game manager, and Winnipeg's run game may be the best in the CFL this year with that o-line and the Harris-Flanders combo. And that undersized receiving corps can still make plays. But about that defence ..... so we brought in two d-lineman with big sack numbers to bring more pressure - sounds like a carbon copy of last year. And Mo Leggett may be hurt to start the year, so the same problems could arise at linebacker. Hurl was not good enough 2 years ago and got bumped by Bass, why would he be an upgrade now? Bottom line, unless Richie Hall's "rush only 4 every time and bend don't break" schemes don't change, I have little hope that our overall defence will look better than last year. And don't know how Medlock can improve on last year's performance which was the difference between winning and losing in at least a half dozen games. They'll do OK, maybe be even pretty good, but the West is so stacked I think it adds up to 4th spot. Hope to be proven wrong. 10-8.

Saskatchewan - If Vince Young actually made the roster and was anointed the starter, I would be waxing poetic about historic futility with this team (like 2003 Hamilton 1-17 futility), but Kevin Glenn has been around long enough to be a better regular season QB and pull a rabbit out of his hat once in a while to translate into a few more wins. And that receiving corps could keep them in a few games. However, it would require their o-line to actually give him time to throw, and his mobility is not what it used to be (not that it was ever his best feature). And too much overhaul by Chris Jones with no return on his gambles, and like Mike Kelly, the distractions will supercede the results on the field. I think the fans are already at revolt stage, how long before the players are there too? 3-15 (and that might even be charitable, but give them one win at home against Winnipeg - either the first game at the stadium opener where the fans will be jacked up or Labour Day which is always bizarro world for Winnipeg regardless of our record going in, one against Toronto, and one late in the year when the other random team is in the playoffs and doesn't care).

Hamilton - Weaker than the Grey Cup caliber team of 3-4 years ago, but still the best of a soft division, and if Caollaros can shake off his injury demons, he and Austin should lead the Ticats to a comfortable 1st place division finish. Just curious, without looking can anyone actually name the back-up QB in Steeltown if (when?) Zach goes down? (looked it up - I guess Masoli is still there, with Logan Kilgore as #3). 11-7. (9 of those wins against the East)

Ottawa - I really like Trevor Harris at QB, and thought the team might have actually been better with him at QB if you took Henry Burris' shoulder chip out of the equation, but his offence around him has been dismantled a bit. And lest we forget they were a losing team last year going in to the playoffs who needed a blizzard to beat the Esks and stupid play-calling by Dave Dickenson (down by 3, 2nd and goal from the 1 with one minute left and you take out Bo Levi to run a 3rd string QB option and don't hand off to Messam???? That's worse than Pete Carroll) to win the Grey Cup. Regression. 8-10.

Montreal - This team is more in need of a re-build than any other, and maybe firing Popp has already kick-started it more than I am prepared to give them credit for. Plus, Darian Durant is pissed off and REALLY wants to stick it to the 'Riders for cutting him loose, so that's good for 2 wins right there. But likely not much else goes well this year in the end I fear. Wouldn't surprise me if they did a tank job by season's end and were last, but early on I think they sneak out a few surprise wins before other teams catch on and take then seriously. 7-11 (if Durant gets hurt, take 3-4 wins off that total).

Toronto - Love the coaching and GM hire, but this will take time, and time is the one luxury they don't have in a market that has them ranked behind (in order) the Leafs, Jays, Raptors, NFL in general, the Bills in particular, Toronto FC, and quite possibly the Rock lacrosse team, not to mention any other cultural event like rock concerts. And Ricky Ray's first season magic is not there, even if he stays healthy. Let the annual gnashing of teeth begin about how the CFL will die without its flagship franchise being able to draw fans. 6-12.

Division semi-finals:

Winnipeg beats Ottawa in the crossover

Calgary takes out Edmonton in a coin flip game

Division finals:

BC wins at home, whichever Alberta team they face, in what is the true Grey Cup calibre match.

Bombers are an even money shot to become the first crossover team to go to the Grey Cup, but I don't want  to sound like a homer.

Leos win the cup over Wpg. or Hamilton.

MOP - Jennings (BC)

MOCanadian - Harris (Wpg)

MOLineman - Bond (Wpg) or Lavertu (Cal)

MODefensive - Eliminian (BC)

MORookie - couldn't tell you right now

MOSpecialTeams - Rainey or Williams (BC)

Wally wins coach of the year.

[Jpan85]

I'll throw D'haquille Williams out as rookie of the year. WR from Eskimos.

[BigBlue]

"Hamilton - Weaker than the Grey Cup caliber team of 3-4 years ago, but still the best of a soft division, and if Caollaros can shake off his injury demons, he and Austin should lead the Ticats to a comfortable 1st place division finish. Just curious, without looking can anyone actually name the back-up QB in Steeltown if (when?) Zach goes down? (looked it up - I guess Masoli is still there, with Logan Kilgore as #3). 11-7. (9 of those wins against the East)"

I know on paper Hamilton should be it this year in the east but Austin  just hasn't been able to put it all together since his arrival .... has it really been just an incredibly bad unlucky streak or is it him? Austin's GC year in Regina was he the builder or the inheritor of that club?

[Arnold_Palmer]

I actually don't think Hamilton will be that good. Yes Collaros is a good QB but he's extremely injury prone. They also lost Chris Williams who by far was the most explosive part of their offense. I see another log jam in the eastern conference. If Durant stays healthy they'll be able to compete game in and game out, Toronto will be better under Trestman even if I'm not sold on an old Ricky Ray, and Ottawa will still be competitive. 

[Jpan85]

4 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I actually don't think Hamilton will be that good. Yes Collaros is a good QB but he's extremely injury prone. They also lost Chris Williams who by far was the most explosive part of their offense. I see another log jam in the eastern conference. If Durant stays healthy they'll be able to compete game in and game out, Toronto will be better under Trestman even if I'm not sold on an old Ricky Ray, and Ottawa will still be competitive. 

Chris Williams has not played in Hamilton for 2 years