Eskimos left out in the cold despite better record than all but one East team
TORONTO — The fate of a fifth-place team was not top of mind when the CFL created its crossover rule more than two decades ago. It’s something the league may want to consider for the future.
The rule gives a fourth-place team a crossover playoff spot when the club finishes with more points than the third-place team in the other division. It happened again this year when the B.C. Lions (9-9) finished with a better record than the 5-13 Montreal Alouettes, who were third in the East.
However, for the first time in the rule’s history, the Edmonton Eskimos — who were at the bottom of the five-team West at 9-9 — missed the playoffs despite owning a better record than both the Alouettes and the East’s second-place team, the 8-10 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Unfortunately for the Eskimos, there is no provision for when the five teams in the West have better records than all but the first-place team in the East. As a result, Edmonton will be on the outside looking in when the post-season kicks off this weekend.