[IMPORTANT: Make this 4 times longer with much more detail]
Matthew Cauz CFL.ca @mcauz56 Before I go through and judge, praise and shame our first Way Too Early CFL Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL , please allow me to pre-emptively apologize. First to the intelligent and dare I say rather dashing looking writers that worked so hard on this list. Just know that my criticism is nothing personal and I appreciate the effort. Listen, we all make mistakes; I had frosted tips in the late 1990s (true story) and I have the University graduation photos to prove it. Next, to the team’s who I believe have been ranked far too high. Again, do not take anything here personally and remember plenty of franchises with records hovering around .500 have accomplished far more than any of us believed. The Toronto Argonauts have won two Grey Cups with a 9-9 record over the past 13 years and who can forget the 2016 Ottawa REDBLACKS who finished the year with an 8-9-1 record than finished off the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup? So, here be my way too early reactions to CFL.ca’s Power Rankings. RELATED » The way too early AMSOIL Power Rankings are here » CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agents list » 5 impactful free agency signings » A team-by-team look at 2025 CFL Free Agency » MMQB: Favourite East Division free agent moves so far » Who’s Still Available?: 2025 free agent tracker » More 2025 Free Agency news and notes » Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates » Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel 1. TORONTO ARGONAUTS Really CFL.ca staff? If we were ranking top 2024 playoff storylines, Toronto would absolutely be at top of the charts, but I’m sorry I have to knock them down a couple spots. I’m a fan of the Celestin Haba addition but Toronto lost most of their entire defensive line. The Argonauts defence feels like a sandwich with a delicious middle, but I’m wondering how the bread will hold up. The middle of the defence, the linebackers, is set with the return of Wynton McManis , but I have no idea who is going to rush the passer or hold opposing running backs in check. The top slice of the bread, the secondary, lost a star in DaShaun Amos , a solid starter in Royce Metchie and a key depth piece in Tunde Adeleke . On top of that, how long will it take for Chad Kelly to be fully healed from his injury? 2. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS This one feels right. The departure of Tyrell Ford is a massive gut punch to the Bombers defence, but this team is on an eight-year streak of double-digit wins. Getting a healthy Dalton Schoen back will ease the loss of Kenny Lawler. This is a veteran squad that is not yet ready to plunge in that dark reality of a full rebuild and is deserving of this ranking. 3. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS Shooting my shot here, I would have the Roughriders at the top of my Power Rankings. The Roughriders offence in 2024 was greatly hurt with a revolving door of offensive line injuries with multiple linemen playing out of position. They are now healthy and have added Sean McEwen and Philippe Gagnon . I love the identity of this team with power back AJ Ouellette and short yardage dynamo Tommy Stevens running behind so much bruising talent. Trevor Harris will thrive with elite level protection and more than enough weapons. Under coach Corey Mace, Saskatchewan went from 6-12 in 2023 to a winning record and a playoff win in 2024. I see another big leap in their future. 4. MONTREAL ALOUETTES The decision to place Montreal just outside the medal podium is a fascinating one. When a team hands over their quarterback reins to someone with under 10 career starts who has thrown less than 200 passes you would expect to find that team near the bottom, but the Alouettes deserve the benefit of the doubt. General manager Danny Maciocia and head coach Jason Maas obviously have all the faith in world in Davis Alexander to move on from Cody Fajardo to their third-year quarterback with a win-now roster. I was tempted to knock Montreal down several spots, but Alexander acquitted himself quite well replacing Fajardo and he is surrounded with a top-three defence and intriguing playmakers on offence. Be honest, we all want to see what a full season of Tyson Philpot looks like. 5. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS Sorry Hamilton, but the good people at CFL.ca have you a couple notches too high. I promise this isn’t due to any lingering bitterness about annoying commutes on the QEW. I love the addition of Amos, but Hamilton’s defence needs a massive overhaul after giving up 30 more points than any other CFL defence. Also, it should be noted a year ago the Tiger-Cats also pilfered several high-end Argo defenders, and it didn’t exactly lead to a lockdown defence. Bigger picture question, what happens if Bo Levi Mitchell can’t duplicate his remarkable 2024 season? I’m not saying it was a one-year blip, but the last time Mitchell played an entire season and put up such passing numbers was back in 2018. Can he do it again in 2025? 6. OTTAWA REDBLACKS Have I mentioned how impressed I am on a weekly basis with all the people who give you consistent quality CFL coverage on this site? Now that I have that out of the way … how is Ottawa this low? The REDBLACKS more than doubled their win total from the previous season and were back in the post-season for the first time in six years. Every major free agent was retained save for Damon Webb , the team added Eugene Lewis and Tunde Adeleke and Dru Brown went from overqualified backup in Winnipeg to showing he can be one of those face-of-the-franchise quarterbacks in his first season in Ottawa. 7. EDMONTON ELKS Congratulations on everyone involved to hold back their excitement for the Elks. So many CFL fans are rooting for Tre Ford to become a bona fide star in this league and for his brother Tyrell to build off of his 2024 All-CFL season. If I was in full hot take mode, I could convince myself they belong in the top three, but they have to earn that level of adulation by their play on the field this year. A prudent and correct placement. 8. BC LIONS Initial reaction is how can you have a team with Nathan Rourke throwing to Justin McInnis while being protected by Dejon Allen right near the bottom of the rankings? However, when you dig through their numbers the Lions were a middle of the pack team in 2024. I’m excited as anyone about the possibility of Rourke and Mathieu Betts climbing to the top of the Canadian charts at their respective positions but it’s hard to argue they belong any higher, at least for now. Honestly, I can’t think of any other team that has both the potential to win the Grey Cup or miss the playoffs. To all Lions fans before you get angry, think of this ranking as more of a tip of the cap about the overall talent of the league rather than a condemnation of your local football team. 9. CALGARY STAMPEDERS I’m sorry Calgary, but this is the correct spot for your team. Prove us wrong. Get all the top stories from across the league delivered to your inbox.
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