Powered by:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA
Contains commercial content
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / Change is Good: Why the CFL Must Adopt a One-Division Format

Change is Good: Why the CFL Must Adopt a One-Division Format

Change the CFL playoff structure
Publish Date: 08/22/2017
Fact checked by: Simon Briffa

Here we are again. Another CFL season when one division is more dominant than another in the CFL. The past few years have shined the light on a problem with the CFL playoff structure: When one division (the West, invariably) is much stronger than its counterpart, the playoffs become unbalanced, removing the incentive to finish higher in your own division (unless you can finish first, of course).

Fans of Western Division teams are talking about how they’d prefer to be fourth in order to “cross over” to the East as the no. 3 on that side rather than finishing third in the West and thus face two stronger teams on the road in their own division.

I did a study last year showing that while the right teams were making the playoffs, it was clear that there was an issue with the seeding. Between 1996 and 2015, 12 of the 20 teams that had the second-best record in the league did not get a bye to the finals, while teams with inferior records did. This wasn’t even including last season, which was more of the same.

In CFL seasons with eight teams, a slight scheduling bias resulted in teams playing divisional opponents more frequently than non-divisional teams: This was done by playing four games against one division opponent, three against the other two, and two against each team in the other division. When Ottawa joined the league again in 2014, however, that had to change. Now, irrespective of division, each CFL team plays 10 games against West teams and eight against the East. If you’re a West Division team, you play three games against two divisional opponents, two games against your other two divisional opponents, and two against the four teams in the East. An East team faces two divisional opponents three times, one divisional opponent twice, and each of the five West opponents twice.

This has had some consequences lately: Two of the past three seasons have produced crossover teams from the West to the East, and last season saw the first sub-.500 division champion in CFL history!

The fact that we have a problem is clear. The arguments against making any dramatic changes mostly center on tradition and history. I’m a lover of both, but when I look more closely, I’m struck by how the competition surrounding the Grey Cup has evolved over time.

I’m not going to rehash all of Canadian football history, but the short version is that the initial Cup contenders were mostly amateur and, for the first seven years until competition paused for World War I, based solely in the East, with the final contenders all coming from the greater Toronto area. The original Edmonton Eskimos were the first western team to challenge for the Cup, but western teams weren’t given an automatic berth to the Grey Cup final until the 1950s, having to win a challenge game against the amateur Ontario Rugby Football Union champion; it wouldn’t be until 1955 that the precursors to the West and East divisions were the only teams left challenging for the Grey Cup, leading to the creation of the CFL itself in 1958.

The divisions would exist for another 23 years before full interdivisional play came into being in 1981, which magnified the differences between the two divisions in the early 80s. A precursor to the crossover was put in place in 1986, but was eliminated with the sudden changes in ’87 surrounding the Montreal Alouettes folding on the eve of the season and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers moving to the East to replace them.

The eight-team format was the status quo until the mid-90s, which took the league from slow long-term change to five different formats in five seasons from 1993 to ’97. From 1998 to 2001, the eight-team format returned and, with the exception of the 2002-2005 Ottawa Renegades era, it stayed that way until 2014, when the Ottawa RedBlacks were born. We can talk about tradition and history all we want, but since the early days of the Grey Cup (and even since the establishment of the CFL), there has always been change. Switching to a one-division format would be the next logical evolution in an ever-changing CFL playoff structure.

Oh, by the way, that potential 10th team that people are always asking about? If that franchise does come into being at some point, what then? Do we have everyone play two games against all opponents, meaning that we have the teams in both divisions playing only eight games in division and ten games out of division? A solid 10th CFL team would almost force the league to go to one division.

It’s now clear to me: The next step in the league’s evolution involves eliminating the East and West divisions and having all teams play a simpler one-division structure. It’s only a matter of time, especially if a tenth team ever evolves from a wish to a reality.

Download The Grueling Truth app in the iTunes store!

Follow The Grueling Truth on Twitter @GruelingTruth and Like us on Facebook.

Read Also
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
The Greatest College Basketball Team of All Time
Rating the greatest college basketball teams ever has been done many times ...
Bet365 Promo
Top-15 Running Backs in CFL History
Fleming retired from the CFL and the BC Lions following the 1966 ...
NBA Top 10 Power Rankings at the All-Star break: The Ten teams that can win it all
Ok we have just finished an atrocious NBA all-star game, so now ...
Come Fly with me: How the 1988-89 Chicago Bulls pushed forward to an NBA dynasty.
Find the best sportsbook to bet on the NBA Playoffs! Prologue: By ...
What is the Best Decade of Basketball in NBA History?
15Every NBA player and fan thinks that their generation of basketball was ...
Grading every NFL team’s picks from the 2021 NFL Draft
Quickly, click away if you’re going to get upset by reading draft ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Top 100 NFL free agents entering the 2021 offseason
Below is a list of the top 100 free agents available this ...
Lady Tyger’s Tale: How Marian Trimiar Mauled the Boxing Establishment of the 1970s and 80s
To Feed the Ambition in Your Heart is Like Carrying a Tiger ...
Sportsbook of the month
Bet365 - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Latest News
Ursa Major or Minor: Was it Jeffries or Liston? 
James Jackson Jeffries and Charles L. “Sonny” Liston; ...
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Updated 3.0 with Trades included!
Free agency is all but done at this ...
Top 10 Sweet 16 Upsets of all time: Michael Jordan is on the list!
Sweet 16 is where Cinderella mostly goes to ...
Dusty May Named Michigan Coach: While Indiana stands pat with Mike Woodson
Dusty May is what the Indiana Hoosiers need ...
Our Latest YouTube Videos
Video: Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Maryland Recap, Hoosiers with come from behind win!
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Maryland Recap, Hoosiers with come from behind win!
Video: Survive and Advance: Are the Transfer Portal and NIL Killing College Sports!
Survive and Advance: Are the Transfer Portal and NIL Killing College Sports!
Video: NIT Quarterfinal Preview: Indiana State vs Cincinnati
NIT Quarterfinal Preview: Indiana State vs Cincinnati
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.7/5
BetMGM
BetMGM
BetMGM Review
4.7/5
FanDuel
FanDuel
FanDuel Review
4.6/5
Caesars
Caesars
Caesars Review
4.5/5
DraftKings
DraftKings
DraftKings Review
4.5/5
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 OR Bet $5 and Get $150
T&Cs apply
4.7/5
At bet365 we don't do ordinary, that's why if you sign up now you'll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $150 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
T&Cs apply
4.7/5
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Caesars
Caesars Bonus
100% up to $1000
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
DraftKings
DraftKings Bonus
Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Instantly
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterJosh SchwartzSimon BriffaMark LewisSamuel Teets
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

Close
Players accepted in the US US Flag
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
$55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive promo code: TGTSOCIAL
  • Play Plinko, Hilo, Crash and more!
  • Get Stake Cash bonuses every day!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site