USports Football Top 10: Waterloo ranked for first time since 2007

The Montreal Carabins lead the U SPORTS football national rankings for the second straight week but the big story out of the fourth media poll of the campaign is the Waterloo Warriors’ first top-10 appearance in a decade.

Montreal (3-0) received 18 of 19 first-place votes and 189 points from the Football Reporters of Canada panel to remain comfortably ahead of the reigning Vanier Cup champion Laval Rouge et Or (2-1), who collected 166 points.

For the second week in a row, the lone first-place nod to elude the Carabins went to the third-ranked Calgary Dinos (3-0), who tallied 151 total points.

Rounding out the new top 10 are the No. 4 Western Mustangs (4-0 / 147 points / no change), No. 5 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (3-0 / 105 / no change), No. 6 Regina Rams (2-1 / 90 / no change), No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds (2-1 / 62 / up three positions), No. 8 McMaster Marauders (2-1 / 61 / up one), No. 9 Waterloo (4-0 / 25 / previously unranked) and No. 10 Saskatchewan Huskies (2-1 / 14 / down three).

Waterloo, which moved to 4-0 for the first time since 1998 last Saturday thanks to a spectacular 45-43 win at Carleton, is ranked nationally for the first time since 2007. That year, the Warriors were voted No. 10 in the Sept. 18 poll following a 3-0 start but it would be their only ranking of the season as they went on to lose their next five league games.

Top-ranked Montreal’s fierce defence was on full display last Friday in a 28-1 home victory against Sherbrooke as the visitors were held to 10 first downs and 114 yards of net offence. Next up for the No. 1 Carabins is a trip over Mount Royal to Percival Molson Stadium, where they visit McGill (1-2) on Friday evening.

A pair of top-10 battles also highlighted the Week 4 schedule, with both home teams coming out on top. McMaster downed (then No. 8) Ottawa 24-7 in Hamilton, while UBC dominated Saskatchewan 31-10 in Vancouver.

Other results from top-10 squads this past weekend included Calgary 76, Manitoba 17 (at Manitoba); Western 59, Windsor 7 (at Windsor); Laurier 40, Queen’s 17 (at Queen’s); Regina 28, Alberta 18 (at Regina). Laval was enjoying an early bye.

The Week 5 schedule once again features two confrontations between nationally-ranked teams, both on Saturday. Laurier visits cross-town rival Waterloo at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (Rogers TV & OUA.TV), followed by a Saskatchewan-Calgary matchup at 4 p.m. Mountain (CanadaWest.TV).

RANK	SCHOOL	SEASON	VOTES (PTS)	PREVIOUS
1	Montreal	(3-0)	189 (18)	1
2	Laval	(2-1)	166	2
3	Calgary	(3-0)	151 (1)	3
4	Western	(4-0)	147	4
5	Laurier	(3-0)	105	5
6	Regina	(2-1)	90	6
7	UBC	(2-1)	62	10
8	McMaster	(2-1)	61	9
9	Waterloo	(4-0)	25	NR
10	Saskatchewan	(2-1)	14	7
Other teams receiving votes: Concordia (13), Saint Mary’s (12), Ottawa (12), Guelph (5).

WEEK 4 RESULTS

September 15

• Saint Mary’s 17, Acadia 10 (at Saint Mary’s)
• Bishop’s 32, Mount Allison 31 OT (at Mount Allison)
• Montreal 28, Sherbrooke 1 (at Montreal)

September 16

• Waterloo 45, Carleton 43 (at Carleton)
• Western 59, Windsor 7 (at Windsor)
• McMaster 24, Ottawa 7 (at McMaster)
• Laurier 40, Queen’s 17 (at Queen’s)
• Guelph 43, Toronto 6 (at Toronto)
• Concordia 68, McGill 16 (at Concordia)
• Calgary 76, Manitoba 17 (at Manitoba)
• Regina 28, Alberta 18 (at Regina)
• UBC 31, Saskatchewan 10 (at UBC)

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

September 22

• No. 1 Montreal (3-0) at McGill (1-2), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (StretchTV)

September 23

• No. 5 Laurier (3-0) at No. 9 Waterloo (4-0), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (Rogers TV & OUA.TV)
• No. 8 McMaster (2-1) at Guelph (2-2), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (Rogers TV & OUA.TV)
• Windsor (0-4) at Ottawa (3-1), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (OUA.TV)
• Toronto (1-3) at York (0-3), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (OUA.TV)
• Saint Mary’s (3-0) at Mount Allison (1-2), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 & AUStv.ca)
• StFX (1-2) at Bishop’s (1-2), 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT (AUStv.ca & GaitersTV)
• No. 7 UBC (2-1) at Alberta (0-3), 3 p.m. ET/noon PT (CanadaWest.TV)
• Manitoba (0-3) at No. 6 Regina (2-1), 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT (Sasktel maxTV, TELUS Optik TV, Bell MTS & CanadaWest.TV)
• No. 10 Saskatchewan (2-1) at No. 3 Calgary (3-0), 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (CanadaWest.TV)
• Queen’s (0-3) at No. 4 Western (4-0), 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (Rogers Sports Preview & OUA.TV)

September 24

• Concordia (2-1) at No. 2 Laval (2-1), 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (TVA Sports)