Power Poll

In trying to come up with another fun, weekly article to write, I decided to do a Power Poll. TSN, Sportsnet and the CFL's own website do power rankings, so I figured I could get in on the fun as well. Each week, on Tuesday, I will rank the eight teams 1 to 8 and give a reason for their ranking. There is no complex math involved, and I won't be using algorithms or any of that nonsense to determine things. This will strictly be based on the good old-fashioned eyeball test.

With that out of the way, here are my first Power Rankings of 2011:

1. Montreal Alouettes (Last Week: N/A)

Not much to say, really. The Als enter 2011 as the two-time defending Grey Cup champions. That pretty much speaks for itself.

2. Calgary Stampeders (Last Week: N/A)

Yes, the Stamps lost the West Division Final to the Riders last November, but I think Calgary, heading into the season, has fewer question marks than Saskatchewan.

3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Last Week: N/A)

The Riders have lost the last two Grey Cups, but the fact that they got there has to count for something. I'm not sold on Saskatchewan this season, but until they falter, they get the benefit of the doubt.

4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Last Week: N/A)

The hardest part was deciding where to put Hamilton and Toronto. When everything is fairly even, give it to the team with the better QB. Kevin Glenn is worlds better than anyone the Argos will put on the field.

5. Toronto Argonauts (Last Week: N/A)

If the Argos find a bona fide starter, they could do some damage. Until that happens, I remain skeptical.

6. BC Lions (Last Week: N/A)

The Lions have all the players to make a run, but their most important player – Quarterback Travis Lulay – is relatively inexperienced. Once he gains that experience, watch out.

7. Edmonton Eskimos (Last Week: N/A)

Eskies, Bombers. Bombers, Eskies. Neither team is particularly good. But the Eskimos have Ricky Ray and Fred Stamps, which trumps pretty much anything Winnipeg has.

8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Last Week: N/A)

The Bombers sit at the bottom, which is more than fair. They had the worst record last season and are an injury to Buck Pierce away from once again residing at the bottom of the standings.