Through the West or the East?

[DougR]

Since I am 1,462 miles (2352.861 km for you metric lovers) from the border, what is your opinion about the best path to Grey Cup for our Bombers?  Through the East as a crossover team or right up the middle through the West?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6dCrr68rs
 

[MOBomberFan]

History does not favor crossover teams in the playoffs. Simply winning the cup and ending the drought will be historic enough without being the first crossover team to do it. Take care of our business in the West. Forget crossing over.

[17to85]

I don't think Ottawa is the best match up for this team, they always seem to give them trouble, and this year is the most vulnerable Calgary has looked so west all the way. I ain't scared of Saskatchewan in the least, as evidenced by yesterday. Take care of the football they can't do **** against you. 

[blueingreenland]

At this point I don't care. We just need to make the playoffs.

[wbbfan]

No easy paths to a grey cup win. 

[Atomic]

Best path available would be stealing second place from the Riders and getting a home playoff game.

If not that, I don't see much difference between the paths on the west or the east.  The Riders and Stamps have had great seasons but they are both dealing with lots of injuries and not playing their best football right now.  Hamilton and Ottawa have had less impressive seasons but are both relatively healthy and are capable of having huge games.  Hamilton in particular scares me.

[Eternal optimist]

For those interested, historical regular season records of crossover teams, to date:

Year - Team - Record (W-L-Ties-OT loss) -> Playoff result (in bold)
2017 - SSK - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (Lost East final)
2016 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2014 - BC -  9-9-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2012 - EDM - 7 - 11-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2009 - BC - 8 -10-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2008 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2005 - SSK - 9-9-0-0 |  0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2003 - BC - 11-7-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2002 - SSK - 8-10-0-2 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
1997 - BC - 8-10-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
Combined: 90-90-0-2 | 4 - 10

Things of note:
(1) There has never been a crossover from the East to the West, for most of the leagues history, there have been five teams in the West versus four in the East, making a West->East crossover more likely than an East->West crossover.

(2) To date, no crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup - let alone win it.

Personally, just based on historical results, I'd say through the West is best... for starters because I want to see this team beat Calgary in their own barn, and secondly if they were to somehow become the first crossover team to win it all, 'Rider fans would always put an asterisk beside that win "well yeah, but it's because you took the easy path through the East..."

[NorthernSkunk]

20 minutes ago, Eternal optimist said:

For those interested, historical regular season records of crossover teams, to date:

Year - Team - Record (W-L-Ties-OT loss) -> Playoff result (in bold)
2017 - SSK - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (Lost East final)
2016 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2014 - BC -  9-9-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2012 - EDM - 7 - 11-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2009 - BC - 8 -10-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2008 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2005 - SSK - 9-9-0-0 |  0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2003 - BC - 11-7-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2002 - SSK - 8-10-0-2 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
1997 - BC - 8-10-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
Combined: 90-90-0-2 | 4 - 10

Things of note:
(1) There has never been a crossover from the East to the West, for most of the leagues history, there have been five teams in the West versus four in the East, making a West->East crossover more likely than an East->West crossover.

(2) To date, no crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup - let alone win it.

Personally, just based on historical results, I'd say through the West is best... for starters because I want to see this team beat Calgary in their own barn, and secondly if they were to somehow become the first crossover team to win it all, 'Rider fans would always put an asterisk beside that win "well yeah, but it's because you took the easy path through the East..."

I don't care what a rider fan would think If we went through the east and won it all.  Rider fans don't make the rules, even though some of them think they do.

Edited October 14, 2018 by NorthernSkunk

[wbbfan]

I still think itd be awesome to have the bombers meet the riders in a GC. Especially if hosted in alberta so we can show them what the best rivalry in the cfl REALLY is. 

[DougR]

On 2018-10-14 at 10:11 AM, Eternal optimist said:

For those interested, historical regular season records of crossover teams, to date:

Year - Team - Record (W-L-Ties-OT loss) -> Playoff result (in bold)
2017 - SSK - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (Lost East final)
2016 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2014 - BC -  9-9-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2012 - EDM - 7 - 11-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2009 - BC - 8 -10-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2008 - EDM - 10-8-0-0 | 1-1 (lost East final)
2005 - SSK - 9-9-0-0 |  0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2003 - BC - 11-7-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
2002 - SSK - 8-10-0-2 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
1997 - BC - 8-10-0-0 | 0-1 (lost East semifinal)
Combined: 90-90-0-2 | 4 - 10

Things of note:
(1) There has never been a crossover from the East to the West, for most of the leagues history, there have been five teams in the West versus four in the East, making a West->East crossover more likely than an East->West crossover.

(2) To date, no crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup - let alone win it.

Personally, just based on historical results, I'd say through the West is best... for starters because I want to see this team beat Calgary in their own barn, and secondly if they were to somehow become the first crossover team to win it all, 'Rider fans would always put an asterisk beside that win "well yeah, but it's because you took the easy path through the East..."

To date, no crossover team has ever advanced to the Grey Cup - let alone win it.

This could be the first time.  You know the record is not going to stand forever.  Nothing, even in Canada, stands forever.

 

[O2L]

I would much rather go through Sask and Calgary than Hamilton and Ottawa. As of today, I think those are our better matchups. Hamilton is the next hottest team in the league after us, and Ottawa is hot and cold and I really don’t like the idea of a coin flip on who we’ll get that day. We know exactly what we’re getting with Sask and Calgary which makes drawing up a gamplan much more straightforward. No Masoli to improvise, and no Ottawa receivers, RB, and *sometimes elite* QB. 

[blueingreenland]

1 hour ago, O2L said:

We know exactly what we’re getting with Sask and Calgary which makes drawing up a gamplan much more straightforward. No Masoli to improvise, and no Ottawa receivers, RB, and *sometimes elite* QB. 

Yes, but then we'll have to play Hamilton or Ottawa in the Grey Cup. 

There's no easy path. Our last 2 league games may be must wins. But we are hot right now, so we have a chance.

We just have to make the playoffs first, and right now, I'm pretty nervous.

[rebusrankin]

I just want to make the playoffs.

[Tracker]

5 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

I just want to make the playoffs.

Is that good enough for a regime in its fifth year?

[O2L]

6 hours ago, blueingreenland said:

Yes, but then we'll have to play Hamilton or Ottawa in the Grey Cup. 

There's no easy path. Our last 2 league games may be must wins. But we are hot right now, so we have a chance.

We just have to make the playoffs first, and right now, I'm pretty nervous.

Of course, but we won’t have to play both of them in the Grey Cup. I’m saying if we have to go through two teams, SSK/CAL or HAM/OTT, I’d rather the former.