Hamilton Tiger-Cats can clinch first in East Division with home win over Ottawa

By Canadian Press on October 22, 2025.

Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats can again clinch first in the East Division.

Hamilton (10-7) hosts the Ottawa Redblacks (4-13) on Friday night. The Ticats would secure home field for the East Division final Nov. 8 with a victory.

The Ticats could’ve done that Oct. 11 at home versus Calgary, but dropped a 37-20 home decision to the Stampeders before heading on their final bye week of the season.

That result was kind of predictable, though, as Hamilton is just 1-13 going into a bye week since 2021. But the Ticats are 10-2 over the same span coming off a bye week.

Hamilton has also won its two previous meetings and seven straight overall at Hamilton Stadium versus Ottawa, which has lost five consecutive games.

A Hamilton loss or Ticats-Redblacks tie would give Montreal (10-7) a shot at finishing first with a tie or win Saturday night in Winnipeg versus the Blue Bombers (9-8).

The West Division playoff picture, by comparison, remains quite muddled.

Saskatchewan (12-5) has clinched first, but B.C. (10-7) and Calgary (10-7) are tied for second, with Winnipeg just two points behind in fourth. The Stampeders visit Edmonton (7-10) on Friday night before the Lions face the Riders in Regina and the Bombers host Montreal on Saturday.

Heading into this week’s action, both Calgary and B.C. have shots at hosting the other in the West Division semifinal, with Winnipeg crossing over into the East Division. But the Stampeders could also host the Bombers and the Lions assume the third and final seed in the East.

However, a B.C. win would mean a Lions-Calgary semifinal and Winnipeg crossing over into the East. That scenario would also happen if the Stampeders and Bombers both lost.

Hamilton is 6-1 within the East Division and 4-4 at home. Ottawa, meanwhile, is 1-6 versus Eastern clubs and 2-6 on the road.

Mitchell has completed 54-of-74 passes for 593 yards versus Ottawa this season with three TDs and an interception. Interesting to note that all three of Mitchell’s touchdown passes were to standout receiver Kenny Lawler.

Mitchell enters the final week of the regular season leading the CFL in passing yards (5,032) and touchdowns (34), and is tied with B.C.’s Nathan Rourke for most 300-yard games (both 11). Mitchell is the lone quarterback to start all of his team’s regular-season contests.

Mitchell has also been the CFL’s most productive quarterback in the redzone, completing 45-of-60 passes (75 per cent) for 343 yards (second only to Rourke’s 372) with 20 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Hamilton’s defence also did its part in the two wins over Ottawa, forcing eight turnovers (fumble, five interceptions, twice on downs).

Pick: Hamilton.

Calgary Stampeders versus Edmonton Elks (Friday night)

At Edmonton, Calgary comes in having won its last two games and six-of-nine contests within the West Division. The Stampeders are also 4-4 on the road. The Elks will again miss the playoffs, in part because of their inability to take care of business within the West Division (3-6). The two teams have split their previous two meetings this season, but Edmonton has won five of its last six games versus the Stampeders and sports a 5-3 home record. Justin Rankin ran for 204 yards in the last meeting versus Calgary and had four rushes of 20-plus yards.

Pick: Calgary.

Montreal Alouettes versus Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Saturday afternoon)

At Winnipeg, this could be an East Division semifinal preview. Montreal has won five straight, and Davis Alexander remains unbeaten as a CFL starter (league-record 11-0 to begin a career). Now, should Hamilton win Friday night, the question remains if Alexander will play and if so, for how long? The Bombers don’t control their fate, but with a win would finish with double-digit victories for a ninth straight season. They’re also 5-2 versus the East Division this season and 6-2 at home.

Pick: Winnipeg.

B.C. Lions versus Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday night)

At Regina, B.C. looks to end the regular season with a sixth straight win. And while the Lions are 0-2 this season versus Saskatchewan, the Riders have already clinched home field for the West final. Subsequently, it’s expected that many starters either won’t play or do so sparingly in this contest. B.C. starter Nathan Rourke completed 21-of-32 passes for 338 yards and a TD while adding 82 yards rushing and a touchdown in last week’s 37-24 win over Edmonton. Four of his completions were over 30 yards, giving him a CFL-leading 37 this season. Rourke also leads all league quarterbacks in rushing (559 yards).

Pick: B.C.

Last week: 4-0.

Overall: 49-28.

Gemma Karstens-Smith in Vancouver and Donna Spencer in Calgary have both contributed to this weekly feature.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22. 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press