Power Poll (Week 13)

I am absolutely, 100 per cent, willing to cede this weekly ranking gig to anyone who wants it. No, seriously, anyone out there that thinks they can do this better than me is more than welcome to take this one. I'm throwing everything out and going strictly by what I see and read on a week-to-week basis.

1. British Columbia Lions (Last Week: 3)

Yup. The 6-6 BC Lions have moved up to number one. They have won five straight, and if that doesn't qualify you for "hottest team in football," I don't know what does. They may not be the best team, but they are the best team right now.

2. Montreal Alouettes (Last Week: 5)

The Alouettes are not unlike any other team this year: dominant one week, porous the next. This past week, they were dominant. They went into Edmonton and beat the Eskimos.

3. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Last Week: 1)

Every year a team loses a game they should have won. Last year, Winnipeg beat Saskatchewan when the Riders were a vastly superior team. This past week, Winnipeg lost to Toronto. It happens, and it's tough to kill a team for losing on the road by a single point, especially with the injuries they sustained during the game. But the Bombers did lose to the Argos, who have the worst record in the CFL, so they have to be docked some points.

4. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Last Week: 7)

No team epitomizes the fluidity of these rankings more than the Ti-Cats. For two weeks, their performance was atrocious. But one trip to Moncton later and the Cats look great again. In a year of inconsistency, the Ti-Cats are the poster boys. One week, they look horrible. The next they look like future champions. This week was the latter.

5. Edmonton Eskimos (Last Week: 2)

Another member of the inconsistency club is Edmonton. Which team are they: the one that blew out the Ti-Cats in Hamilton or the one that got beat by Montreal in Edmonton?

6. Calgary Stampeders (Last Week: 4)

The Stamps have been blown out in back-to-back weeks. BC kicked their tail in Calgary, and Hamilton beat them senseless in Moncton. The Stamps made changes, most notably benching former West Division Most Outstanding Player Joffrey Reynolds, and it still didn't help. Something has to change or Calgary won't go far in the playoffs.

7. Toronto Argonauts (Last Week: 8)

I never thought I'd move Toronto up, but the way they played against Winnipeg showed me they aren't ready to give up just yet. Their playoffs start now. They will be playing must-win football for the next six weeks. But rejoice Argo fans, for one week, there is something to be happy about.

8. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Last Week: 7)

One of the ugliest performances this season, period. You can't lay that bad an egg at home to a team you're chasing in the standings. It wasn't a must-win, but much like Toronto, Saskatchewan is in playoff mode from here on out.

Highest Climb: Montreal, Hamilton (+3)
Steepest Fall: Edmonton (-3)