Hamiltom Tiger-Cats vs Ottawa REDBLACKS October 27, 2017 PHOTO: Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photography
TORONTO – The Edmonton Eskimos made sure that if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to host a playoff game they will need to win out to do so.
Edmonton’s Saturday night win over Calgary means that the final week of the regular season will decide how the post-season will begin.
Winnipeg can still clinch second in the West with a win next week in Calgary.
Edmonton and Saskatchewan play each other in Week 20 and although Edmonton is two points up, Saskatchewan owns the tie breaker and will finish ahead with a win and a Winnipeg win.
In the East, the Ottawa REDBLACKS have done their part by beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday night. Now, they need to sit back and wait to see what next week has in store for their rivals the Toronto Argonauts.
Sitting just a point up and with a bye in the final week of the season, the REDBLACKS fate is simple: An Argos win in BC next week and Ottawa finishes second; an Argos loss to BC and the REDBLACKS will host their third consecutive Eastern Final on November 19 at TD Place.
> RELATED: Full 2017 Standings | 2017 Crossover Standings | 2017 Game Schedule
Here are the playoff scenarios for Week 20:
West Division Scenarios
- Winnipeg Win OR Edmonton Loss = Winnipeg clinches second place in the division and will host the Western Semi-Final on November 12 versus Edmonton or Saskatchewan
- Edmonton Win + Winnipeg Loss OR Tie = Edmonton clinches second place in the division and will host the Western Semi-Final against Winnipeg and Saskatchewan will crossover and play in the Eastern Semi-Final November 12 against Toronto or Ottawa
- Saskatchewan Win = Saskatchewan clinches third place in the West Division and will play in the Western Semi-Final against Winnipeg on November 12 and Edmonton will crossover and play in the Eastern Semi-Final November 12 against Toronto or Ottawa
East Division Scenarios
- Toronto win OR tie = Toronto clinches first place in the East and will host the Eastern Final on November 19; Ottawa finishes in second place and will host the Eastern Semi-Final on November 12.
- Toronto loss = Ottawa clinches first place in the East and will host the Eastern Final on November 19; Toronto finishes in second place and will host the Eastern Semi-Final on November 12.
Crossover Scenarios
- Hamilton loss in Week 17 confirmed a West Division team will crossover and take the third playoff berth in the East Division
Who has clinched a playoff berth
Calgary Stampeders*, Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa REDBLACKS, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders
* – Denotes clinched division
If the playoffs started today (Oct. 28) …
Western Semi-Final: Edmonton at Winnipeg
Western Final: TBD at Calgary
Eastern Semi-Final: Saskatchewan at Toronto
Eastern Final: TBD at Ottawa
Out of the playoffs: Hamilton, Montreal, BC
