Something I started on riderfans that I'm bringing here. Should the CFL scrap divisions? Vote and discuss.

Mods, please make votes public.

Keep it as is.. An off season does not make a reason to change everything.. Next season could be east are beasts again..

Hell yes, scrap divisions.

 

Who gives a crap about them? I just want to see the best football out there.  If the two best teams are in one division, I'd rather see them in the final than in the divisional final.  Was anyone thrilled to see a mediocre Hamilton team go up against a tremendously talented Saskatchewan team? 

 

Its not even just that the East is terri-bad this year.  Its that in such a small league it doesn't make sense to possibly hamper your best teams (by leaving them out of the playoffs, or making it tougher with a crossover).  Watching good football is more important than some misplaced sense of East/West interest.

Wait...there's a new scrap metal division moving into town?  

 

Voted for 1 division.

1 division please.  The whole east vs west thing doesn't work anymore.  Best teams should make the play offs.  Worst teams shouldn't.  

They would never do it envolves more travel since you need a balanced schedule. Plus you would get less big ticket games out west.

No, it would be even harder for eastern teams to generate interest.

No, it would be even harder for eastern teams to generate interest.

 

This, plus it's always fun to have a team to cheer for when watching East vs. West games. Those are the only non-Bombers games that I find myself interested in watching.

Absolutely get rid of the divisions!

One poster said it would mean more travel, but it could actually be less travel.

The schedule could be home-and-away against every team, with two third games against "regional rivals", so Bombers/Riders/Ottawa, BC/Calgary/Esks,  Als/Tor/TiCats

Ottawa has 10 games home and away with all 5 Western teams, so tha only 8 against their own division, how ridiculous!

The option I would select isn't there.... Have the teams ranked 1-6, no matter which division... but the top 2 seeds in each division get the 1 and 2 spots.... As it currently stands today the playoff standings would be:

 

1: Calgary

2. Toronto

3. Edmonton

4. Sask

5. BC

6. Winnipeg (or vice versa with BC, I have't looked at the official standings)

 

Keeps 'winning your division' meaningful...

Huh ....... how will an east team get an easy road to the cup ?

One division could cripple the league financially.

I'll go out of the box and say set 3 divisions:

 

- West: BC, CGY, EDM

- East: TOR, MTL, HAM

- Central: WPG, SSK and Ottawa (since they are newest team ) - Bombers vs 2 RoughRiders team 

 

Or scrap the East/West/Central and just let the team draw a lot on which division / bracket they will fall.

 

Each team plays: 

- divisions rivals 3x = 6games

- non-division rivals 2x = 12 games

 

After regular season:

- top team on each division wins the division title

- top 6, regardless of division, advance to the playoffs

 

Playoffs scenario:

#1 & #2 gets the bye

#3 vs #6 winner meets #1

#4 vs #5 winner meets #2

 

final 2  meets in the GC

What Dr. Blue and Yourface said.

An off-year shouldn't cause panic.

One division could cripple the league financially.

Interesting statement.  How would that work?

 

One division could cripple the league financially.

Interesting statement.  How would that work?

 

 

This year is obviously (hopefully) an exception, but you would have three Eastern teams miss the playoffs, and no playoff revenue, considering the 4th would be on the road.

 

Two East Division teams probably miss the playoffs almost every year (3/4 when Ottawa was last in the league), and you may get one home game.

 

Further to that, while the Grey Cup is a Canadian celebration, are Eastern fans going to continue to have interest if the West starts to represent two teams each year.

 

I think you need the East Division to be alive to simply continue to generate some revenue there and have two teams hosting playoff games.

I'm of the ilk that is torn on the issue. On one hand, I think two divisions in a league this small is silly. On the other hand, I completely understand the idea that the East needs it's own division, if only for the league interests out there. I think there's merits to both ways...

You hate to see all those years of tradition of east vs. west thrown out. But you also hate to see a garbage team in the playoffs at the expense of a better team. Let's see how this season actually plays out before we make judgements on it. 

You hate to see all those years of tradition of east vs. west thrown out. But you also hate to see a garbage team in the playoffs at the expense of a better team. Let's see how this season actually plays out before we make judgements on it. 

 

True day. But at this point it looks like every team in the West will finish ahead of the 2nd place team in the East.

 

You hate to see all those years of tradition of east vs. west thrown out. But you also hate to see a garbage team in the playoffs at the expense of a better team. Let's see how this season actually plays out before we make judgements on it. 

 

True day. But at this point it looks like every team in the West will finish ahead of the 2nd place team in the East.

 

yeah but what happens if the 2nd place team in the east stomps on the bottom 2 eastern teams and the west stomps all over the 5th place western team? Sure it looks lopsided now, but the western teams have picked up so many of their wins against the east, let's let the eastern teams beat up on each other and the western teams sort their ordering out first why not? It's not going to stay this lopsided all year simply because the schedule is back loaded with divisional games. 

 

 

This year is obviously (hopefully) an exception, but you would have three Eastern teams miss the playoffs, and no playoff revenue, considering the 4th would be on the road.

 

Two East Division teams probably miss the playoffs almost every year (3/4 when Ottawa was last in the league), and you may get one home game.

 

Further to that, while the Grey Cup is a Canadian celebration, are Eastern fans going to continue to have interest if the West starts to represent two teams each year.

 

I think you need the East Division to be alive to simply continue to generate some revenue there and have two teams hosting playoff games.

I see where you're coming from but... you're basing everything on the assumption that the eastern teams will always be bad.

 

The same number of teams will be without playoff revenue with or without a single division.  With a single division, it will always be the worst teams.

 

I don't think the East vs West is what makes the Grey Cup a national celebration.  I'd rather have the two best teams play.

 

I do believe that we need as many teams in the CFL as possible and that losing any would cause major concerns.  Giving the east free spots on the Bingo card might allow more of them to be viable.  Maybe it's one reason that the CFL has lasted so long.

Change divisions for what purpose?  Because the last place team in the West being left out of the playoffs isn't fair?  Here's what's fair - don't finish last and then ***** about not making the playoffs!

 

The CFL is already somewhat of a regional sport, bolstered by massive popularity in the prairies.  If you think it's in the best interests of the league to deal another blow to the fanbases in the east, I'm going to outright call you short-sighted and naive.  The only team drawing loyal interest right now is the expansion franchise.  They have 1 win and don't play very entertaining football.  How long before these very important factors take the shine off the new toy in town?  Probably right around the time the temperatures drop.  Is the corporate sponsorship and big TSN deals going to continue once all the eastern teams are officially turned into third nipples?  Nope.

 

If you own a chicken, and every day that chicken gives you an egg to eat, and it will continue to do so indefinitely, why would you stick your hand up that chicken's butt and try to rip out the next day's egg?  Guess what, you just killed your chicken.  Enjoy that extra egg.

Change divisions for what purpose?  Because the last place team in the West being left out of the playoffs isn't fair?  Here's what's fair - don't finish last and then ***** about not making the playoffs!

 

The CFL is already somewhat of a regional sport, bolstered by massive popularity in the prairies.  If you think it's in the best interests of the league to deal another blow to the fanbases in the east, I'm going to outright call you short-sighted and naive.  The only team drawing loyal interest right now is the expansion franchise.  They have 1 win and don't play very entertaining football.  How long before these very important factors take the shine off the new toy in town?  Probably right around the time the temperatures drop.  Is the corporate sponsorship and big TSN deals going to continue once all the eastern teams are officially turned into third nipples?  Nope.

 

If you own a chicken, and every day that chicken gives you an egg to eat, and it will continue to do so indefinitely, why would you stick your hand up that chicken's butt and try to rip out the next day's egg?  Guess what, you just killed your chicken.  Enjoy that extra egg.

 

this deserve a 100x likes.

 

 

 

This year is obviously (hopefully) an exception, but you would have three Eastern teams miss the playoffs, and no playoff revenue, considering the 4th would be on the road.

 

Two East Division teams probably miss the playoffs almost every year (3/4 when Ottawa was last in the league), and you may get one home game.

 

Further to that, while the Grey Cup is a Canadian celebration, are Eastern fans going to continue to have interest if the West starts to represent two teams each year.

 

I think you need the East Division to be alive to simply continue to generate some revenue there and have two teams hosting playoff games.

I see where you're coming from but... you're basing everything on the assumption that the eastern teams will always be bad.

 

The same number of teams will be without playoff revenue with or without a single division.  With a single division, it will always be the worst teams.

 

I don't think the East vs West is what makes the Grey Cup a national celebration.  I'd rather have the two best teams play.

 

I do believe that we need as many teams in the CFL as possible and that losing any would cause major concerns.  Giving the east free spots on the Bingo card might allow more of them to be viable.  Maybe it's one reason that the CFL has lasted so long.

 

 

The assumption is based off the fact that the East hasn't been the dominant division in 13 years. Yeah, teams would rotate missing the playoffs, but if it is continually two East and only one home game, they're going to start to lose money.