You seem to think it’s a good thing that two teams end up with similar win-loss records despite having substantially different strengths. I disagree – records are measure of team strength, however imperfect they may be. Artificially making the records “even” between two divisions whose strengths are actually quite different isn’t actually fixing the problem, it’s just making the measurement thereof inaccurate.

The crossover was introduced specifically to fix this problem: when the interlocking schedule exposed the actual disparity between the two divisions, people recognised that teams were earning playoff positions based not on their own strength but on their divisions’ weakness. It’s not that the crossover would become irrelevant, it’s that forcing the records to be “even” would eliminate the information needed to apply it.

With more intra-division play the crossover would most likely become irrelevant. The records in each division would become relatively even.

The issue of imbalance between the divisions didn’t start until the league changed to a fully interlocking schedule in 1981. Prior to that, teams played many more games within the division and the records in each division were relatively balanced.

I’m not sure I would. Imagine, late in the season, the standings are something like EDM-CGY-BC-WPG-SSK and the Bombers are fighting for the crossover spot. But while Winnipeg has four games against Calgary or BC or Edmonton, the East has 3rd-place Ottawa playing Hamilton four times and basically becoming uncatchable.

Excellent analysis.

Your numbers prove my point. There is no point in having divisions if you play more games outside of your division than within it. And (using your analysis) adding more teams only magnifies the problem.

Being from Winnipeg, I would gladly see Saskatchewan, Edmonton or Calgary four times in one season and see less of any of the Eastern teams.

Redblacks – They are regaining their form, as the Brits say, and they are the better team.

Eskimos

Riders – This should be a close game, but the Riders are coming on and I think the league is starting to get a read on Lulay.

The scheduling format is for each team to play inter-divisional opponents twice per season, once each at home and away, and the remaining games are divided among intra-divisional opponents.

This has been the case even before Ottawa’s re-entry into the league, and in an 8-team league this formula gave each team more intra-divisional games than inter-divisional games. There were 72 total games (8 teams times 18 games, divided by two since two teams play each game):
20 West-West games
20 East-East games
32 West-East games
The result was that each team played each inter-divisional opponent twice, one of its intra-divisional opponents four times, and the remaining intra-divisional opponents three times each.

At present, the schedule consists of 81 games. Of these:
25 West-West matches
16 East-East matches
40 West-East matches
Here, each team plays each inter-divisional opponent twice, two of its intra-divisional opponents three times each, and the remaining intra-divisional opponent(s) two times each. Intra-divisional matches are just barely in the majority, 41 (25 + 16) compared to 40.

If a tenth team is added in the East, and the CFL follows the same pattern, we’d have 90 games per season:
20 West-West matches
20 East-East matches
50 West-East matches
Each team would play every other team twice, with no regard for divisional boundaries.

I’d say that this is about right for a 9-team league. Think back to the 8-team era; each team had an intra-divisional opponent that they saw four times in a single season, which wasn’t widely liked, especially in years when one team was stinking up the joint like Hamilton is now – whoever played them four times had more than their share of nearly-free wins. If you take away inter-divisional games, you end up with too many intra-divisional games.

Hey, I like the home & home games between B.C. & Montreal. Until last year, this series usually split the season series which I dub the “Canadian book ends” series. Both teams have no real natural rivals like Eskies/Stamps, Riders/Bombers or Argos vs Ticats/RedBlacks which is another trait they have common. They do have some hostilities between each other in games, Buono played for one & coached/GMed for the other & I put them as number 2 rival right behind Hamilton. I would definitely hate to see less Orange & black in future seasons in Montreal’s schedule.