The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Montreal Alouettes in CFL action on September 14th, 2019 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK...Derek Mortensen/Electric Umbrella The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Montreal Alouettes in CFL action on September 14, 2019 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Where was this in 1981?!
That was this wrinkled writer’s automatic reaction to a CFL playoff format that is to take effect in 2027.
Per the plan that was unveiled on Tuesday, eight of the nine teams will advance to the post-season.
We acknowledge that eliminating only one team is hardly ideal. The larger consideration, though, is the elimination of a scenario that would allow for a replay of 1981 — when the Saskatchewan Roughriders were dealt an injustice.
Back then, the top three teams in the West and East made the playoffs. Period.
That inflexible arrangement allowed the Ottawa Rough Riders (who had a 5-11 record) to not only reach the post-season but, on top of that, stage a playoff game.
The second-seeded Ottawa side played host to the third-place Montreal Alouettes (3-13) in the Eastern Conference semi-final. It was a collision of teams with a combined winning (?) percentage of 25.
Excluded from the post-season parade: The Roughriders (fourth in the West at 9-7), Calgary Stampeders (fifth in the West; 6-10) and Toronto Argonauts (least in the East; 2-14).
Saskatchewan posted one more victory than the combined Eastern Conference semi-finalists managed as a collective. It mattered not, because the CFL would not implement its current cross-over format until 1997. The 1981 Roughriders, who were so much fun, were done.
Now, apply the 1981 standings to the improved (but still imperfect) playoff format that will still apply to this season, after which the recently announced changes will be made.
The 1981 Roughriders, starring Joey Walters and Vince Goldsmith, cross over into the East playoffs and bump the third-place Alouettes (3-13).
That rights a wrong to some degree, but a 5-11, second-place Ottawa team still gets to play at home against a 9-7 foe that swept the two-game, Riders-versus-Riders season series.
Plus, Calgary (6-10) is still on the outside looking in, despite having a superior record to Ottawa.
The events of 1981, modified for these purposes, accentuate a flaw in a format that incorporates a crossover — a third-place team in one division bouncing the fourth-place finisher in the other conference, if the latter group has a superior slate.
Even with that provision, the fifth-place team in the West can be a non-qualifier while a lower-performing squad from the East is rewarded with a playoff game. A home playoff game!
Were history to be repeated, the 1981 Roughriders would make the playoffs and, better yet, open with a sudden-death game that would assuredly generate another sellout.
(The 1981 team, by the way, averaged 27,940 spectators per game at 27,637-seat Taylor Field.)
The new formula, announced by CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnson, has two elements:
• The first- and second-place teams in each division meet in an offshoot of curling’s 1-2 Page playoff game. The victorious teams earn a bye from Round 1 to Round 3, along with hosting privileges for a Grey Cup Semi-Final (the equivalent of a current division final). The losing teams in the 1-2 games receive home-field advantage in Round 2.
• Teams that do not finish first or second are seeded 5 through 8, irrespective of divisions. The No. 9 team schedules garbage-bag day. The play-in games pit #5 versus #8 and #6 vs. #7. The triumphant play-in teams then go on the road for Round 2.
This concept prevents a recurrence of …
1981 division semi-finals: East — Montreal (3-11) at Ottawa (5-11). West — B.C. (10-6) at Winnipeg (11-5). Which led to …
1981 division finals: East — Ottawa (5-11) at Hamilton (11-4-1). West — Winnipeg (11-5) at Edmonton (14-1-1). Culminating in the …
1981 Grey Cup: Edmonton (14-1-1) vs. Ottawa (5-11).
After getting that far, Ottawa nearly engineered a monumental upset. Edmonton trailed 20-1 at halftime, only to dominate the final 30 minutes and ultimately win 26-23.
Here is how the first-round matchups from 1981 would look with the records of 45 years ago ingeniously plugged into the newly unveiled system:
Division showdowns: West — Winnipeg (11-5) at Edmonton (14-1-1). East — Ottawa (5-11) at Hamilton (11-4-1).
Play-in games: #8 Montreal (3-13) at #5 B.C. (10-6); #7 Calgary (6-10) at #6 Saskatchewan (9-7).
Instead of missing the playoffs entirely, the Roughriders would advance to Round 1 and be at home. Much better!
Remaining flaw: Ottawa (5-11) would still be in the 1-2 round, but — and this is critical — without the assurance of a home game.
By now, you may be asking: “Hey, oldster, how about citing an example that does not date back to the era of the first Prime Minister Trudeau?”
Always obliging, I invite you to revisit 2017.
By then, the Roughriders were able to take advantage of the crossover entry point by participating in two East Division playoff games.
Even so, Saskatchewan played back-to-back games in Ontario despite having more regular-season wins (10) than the Argonauts (9) or Ottawa REDBLACKS (8, plus a tie).
Invoking the Johnston Plan, as it were, Saskatchewan would have been seeded fifth and awarded a home playoff game.
We can see the progression.
1981: No playoffs for fourth-place Roughriders (9-7).
2017: Fourth-place Roughriders (10-7) make the playoffs but must travel to face two teams with inferior records. Third-place Edmonton (12-6) makes the post-season as a road team, whereas Toronto (9-9) and Ottawa (8-9-1) have home playoff games. Much better than 1981, but still …
2027: > 2017 > 1981.
It should be noted that the Roughriders of 2017 fared quite well in the post-season. They defeated the Trevor Harris-quarterbacked REDBLACKS before losing a heartbreaker in Toronto.
That said, the fairest format — the new one — would have allowed Saskatchewan to parlay a double-digit win total into a home playoff game.
Confidential memo to Commissioner Johnston: Is it too late for retrofitting?
