2024 OUA playoff matchups set as race for Yates Cup begins

The 2024 playoff matchups are set in the Ontario University Athletics conference, with the race for the 116th Yates Cup set to begin next week.

Three quarter-final matchups will take place on Saturday, October 26. At 1:00 p.m. EDT, the second-seeded Western Mustangs (7-1) will welcome the seventh-ranked McMaster Marauders (4-4), as they look to make it 20 straight seasons with a postseason win.

At the same time, the upstart Guelph Gryphons (6-2) will make their return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. They’ll play host to the Ottawa Gee-Gees (4-4) at Alumni Stadium.

At 4:00 p.m. EDT, the Windsor Lancer (5-3) will clash with the perennial powerhouse Queen’s Gaels (5-3). The game will take place in the Rose City by virtue of the Lancers’ 25-21 victory over the Gaels back in Week 1.

The OUA semi-finals will take place on Saturday, November 2, with the lowest-seeded quarter-final victor travelling to Waterloo to take on the number-one team in the country, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (8-0). The 116th Yates Cup will take place between the two remaining contenders on Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The winner of the OUA championship will travel to the home of the Loney Bowl winner and face off with the AUS champion in the Uteck Bowl national semi-final on Saturday, November 16. The winner of that game will advance to the 59th Vanier Cup on Saturday, November 23 in Kingston, Ont.

The Carleton Ravens (2-6), York Lions (2-6), Toronto Varsity Blues (1-7), and Waterloo Warriors (0-8) all failed to qualify for the OUA playoffs.