The playoff contenders have already been decided entering the final week of the CFL regular season, but a couple of teams still need a Week 21 victory to put themselves in the best position possible.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-7) can secure the top seed in the East Division and a first-round bye with a victory over the Ottawa Redblacks (4-13) on Friday, while the B.C. Lions (10-7) need only a win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-5) on Saturday to secure the second seed in the West and a home playoff game. If either team loses, chaos will reign in the playoff bracket.
In the East, a Hamilton loss or tie would open the door for the Montreal Alouettes (10-7) to steal first place with a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-8) on Saturday. A tie would also be good enough in the event of a Ticats defeat.
Out West, the scenarios are far more complex. The Lions could still secure home-field advantage with a loss if the Calgary Stampeders (10-7) lost to Edmonton Elks on Friday and Winnipeg fell the following day. If the Bombers win, B.C. needs to at least tie to stay in front, while they must at least match whatever result the Stamps generate.
In any other scenario, Calgary will play host to the West Semi-Final instead of Vancouver, though the two teams are likely to play each other regardless. The only scenario where that will not occur is if the Stampeders win or tie, Winnipeg wins, and B.C. loses, which would see the Lions become the crossover team.
While all six teams are guaranteed to get a shot at immortality, seeding matters. The last team to make the Grey Cup without hosting a playoff game was Winnipeg in 2019, a game that they won. No team has ever made the Grey Cup via the crossover.
