by Scott Rickenbach
Tuesday, May 30, 2023Canadian Football League West Division The Prairies CFL 2023
Saskatchewan Roughriders – Projected win total is 7.5 and last season the Roughriders won 6 games. Off a rare disappointing campaign, the Riders should bounce back here. Football is huge in Saskatchewan and the addition of QB Trevor Harris should pay immediate dividends. They also added receiving talent and have a new offensive coordinator. There could be some growing pains earlier this season as a result of all the new additions but then as this team jells as the season progresses, no one will want to face them. They have a defense capable of ball-hawking and should create some turnovers and get key stops. A .500 season is not out of the question and I would not be surprised to see 9 wins for them this season.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Projected win total is 12.5 and last season the Blue Bombers won 15 games. Of course this total may seem low but the Bombers getting 15 wins last season was a case of a lot of breaks going their way for sure. However, the one break that Winnipeg did not get was losing the Grey Cup by a single point. This team will be hungry to get back to the big game and they have the talent and depth to make a run for sure. However, I would not be surprised, given the improvement of other teams in the West Division, to see them struggle to get past 11 wins this season. Remember they were going for 3rd straight Grey Cup win last season. It is hard to consistently ascend to that level. A lot of things have to break the right way for a team. Will QB Zach Collaros again be able to stay healthy? He has had injury issues in recent seasons but this Bombers team does remain mostly intact plus brings back Lawler at wide receiver and he is genuinely happy to be back in Winnipeg. This team has a bullseye on its back again this season. Look for 11 or 12 wins at the most because other teams have improved in the West.
Saskatchewan Roughriders – Projected win total is 7.5 and last season the Roughriders won 6 games. Off a rare disappointing campaign, the Riders should bounce back here. Football is huge in Saskatchewan and the addition of QB Trevor Harris should pay immediate dividends. They also added receiving talent and have a new offensive coordinator. There could be some growing pains earlier this season as a result of all the new additions but then as this team jells as the season progresses, no one will want to face them. They have a defense capable of ball-hawking and should create some turnovers and get key stops. A .500 season is not out of the question and I would not be surprised to see 9 wins for them this season.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Projected win total is 12.5 and last season the Blue Bombers won 15 games. Of course this total may seem low but the Bombers getting 15 wins last season was a case of a lot of breaks going their way for sure. However, the one break that Winnipeg did not get was losing the Grey Cup by a single point. This team will be hungry to get back to the big game and they have the talent and depth to make a run for sure. However, I would not be surprised, given the improvement of other teams in the West Division, to see them struggle to get past 11 wins this season. Remember they were going for 3rd straight Grey Cup win last season. It is hard to consistently ascend to that level. A lot of things have to break the right way for a team. Will QB Zach Collaros again be able to stay healthy? He has had injury issues in recent seasons but this Bombers team does remain mostly intact plus brings back Lawler at wide receiver and he is genuinely happy to be back in Winnipeg. This team has a bullseye on its back again this season. Look for 11 or 12 wins at the most because other teams have improved in the West.
