What's at stake for every team down The Final Stretch

What’s at stake?

At this point in the CFL season, that question can have a wide variety of answers based on how the late spring, summer and early fall have gone. For some teams, the stakes are high as they sit right in the middle of the pack battling their way in the right direction towards what they hope will be a franchise-defining Grey Cup triumph.

Others don’t have much to play for as a direct result of their early season accomplishments, while a few teams are on the outside looking in, some by quite the distance, and have already begun turning their attention towards 2027 improvements while still hitting the turf a few more times to gather film and evaluate.

Here’s what’s at stake for each of the nine CFL clubs over their next two weeks ranked from most to least as we head down The Final Stretch.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

From 112th Grey Cup champions to out of the playoffs?

Saskatchewan can’t host a playoff game, but they can save their season. With a win against the Alouettes and Calgary or Winnipeg loss, the Roughriders are in. However, they’ve slid so far down the standings that there are more questions than answers entering the remaining two weeks of The Final Stretch.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

With a win in Edmonton or Calgary loss to BC, the Blue Bombers are in the 2026 Grey Cup Playoffs, and enter as dangerous as any team, as displayed by Zach Collaros' deep ball antics last week against the Stampeders.

A victory over the Elks would send a clear message that Winnipeg wants to climb into the contender class of CFL playoff discussions and would go a long way towards convincing many across the country that it’s possible.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

The Stamps do not have a path to hosting a playoff game, unless they miraculously find a way back to McMahon Stadium for the biggest playoff game of them all.

That has to be the goal and the overarching message for the Stampeders. They strap on the pads one more time with a Week 21 bye to follow, so the question is if it this will be the last time we see Calgary this year?

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Just win baby.

That’s why a team that was essentially eliminated from the playoffs months ago sits this high. To grit their teeth and get a win would be huge, considering the massive wave and weight of history ready to crash down upon the entire franchise if they lose to Toronto and Hamilton over the next two weeks.

Winning at home Friday night would mean that much more to fans who have struggled through the dry spell.

BC LIONS

It was just last week against Ottawa that the BC Lions confirmed their playoff berth. It was a remarkable accomplishment considering where the Lions were at the start of the season, starting 1-5. But as the hottest team for the last couple of months, they are trending in the right direction, except for that whole eight-field-goal, no-touchdown game in Toronto. The formula does exist this weekend for BC to clinch a home playoff game.

Let’s see if they can make it happen.

EDMONTON ELKS

Edmonton locked in their spot in the dance back in Week 15 and have been fine-tuning for the last couple of weeks.

I got a chance to watch them from the sideline in Hamilton last Friday, and seeing the Elks' formulaic patterns in-game of communication and problem solving really does scream a team that’s ready to make a run. All they need is a win or a BC loss to Calgary, and Edmonton claims first place in the West.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

As the first team to clinch a playoff spot and right to host a playoff game all the way back in Week 14, the Als have been cruising, but in their dominant, fiery way over the last month or so.

A Week 20 game in Regina after winning the 112th Grey Cup rematch on Mobil Thanksgiving Weekend should do nicely to get the heart rate up in preparation for the Eastern Final at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

As mentioned above, the East Division standings are finalized, which means the Tiger-Cats are locked into a third-place finish, giving away their East playoff spot to a crossover team.

The only reason I don’t have them as the team with the least to play for? That Week 21 game against Ottawa for a place in history, or should I say to avoid it, assuming Toronto takes care of business Friday against the REDBLACKS.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Why would THIS be the team that has the least stakes attached to their last two weeks?

First of all, they’ve locked in second in the East and home playoff date. More importantly to me is that the Argos are far and away the team who could rest every starter, or play every starter, and it wouldn’t change the outcome of their Eastern Semi-Final.

Largely as a result of their extended early-season road trip, nothing fazes this team. They just roll with the punches and carry on to the next one, so the last two weeks are largely a tune up for their home playoff game.

Then we'll get to see if the regular season mentality and toughness stay the same.