Riders? In the playoffs?

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author: ethan butterfield | staff writer

Yes, that is actually a thing

So close, so very, very close. It seems like just a stone’s throw away from Saskatchewan’s team in green making it past the regular season for the first time since 2015. As promising as that would be, however, there is still more work to be done, not to mention a bit of luck to be had.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders currently sit at an 8-7 record for this season, while also residing in 4th in the Western Division. Honestly, that’s not too terrible when considering where we ended up last year and the year before. Is it enough to help solidify a spot in the postseason though? Hardly. If it weren’t for a heartbreaker of a matchup against the Redblacks on the 13th, the Riders could’ve been sitting pretty on their way to a possible crossover game. Well… a win plus a B.C. Lions loss (No offence Lions fans but, I mean, come on).

Instead, here we sit with a huge game against the Calgary Stampeders looming on the horizon. Not completely impossible odds by any means, but not exactly the most favourable circumstances. With the last two games afterward being against the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos, it feels as though a 10-8 record should be easy enough to obtain. Should be anyway… but you can never tell with these things.

For those who aren’t sure, I mentioned the crossover rule earlier, a nice description of the rule can be found on CFL.ca. Here’s the description now:

“If the fourth-place team in division A has more points, not tied, than the third-place team in division B, the fourth-place team will cross over to division B, replace the third place team in division A, and compete against the second-place team of that division.”

Assuming things pan out for the Riders, this will put the team in a possible first-round matchup against the Toronto Argonauts or Ottawa RedBlacks and the Riders currently have a better record than both. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Riders Argonaut games, with no real rhyme or reason for behind it. Again, this is all hypothetical though; we won’t know until more pieces start falling into place.

That being said, how does the team look in the event of hitting playoff dirt? Well with recent additions and re-signings, it looks like things are fairly well structured in terms of the team. Former NFL running back Trent Richardson came onto the scene to add some depth in at position despite some issues in NFL. The recent addition of Chris Getzlaf to a practice roster contract has fans excited for what’s to come in regards to the future. There are also rumblings about a possible Kaepernick signing, but, yet again, all rumours.

All in all, things have an overall good vibe about them, but it’s as I’ve mentioned before, only time will tell. I realize the disappointment that comes along with not having your team in the playoffs, or worse, getting eliminated first round (trust me, I’m still crying about the Oakland Raiders vs. the Texans). If nothing else, the Riders will more or less ride their way into the playoffs and (unfortunately) end up suffering the same fate. At the very least, we can use it as a building block for next season.

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