Being a football junkie means that I believe every chance to watch a football game is a great opportunity. However, even I can appreciate that people are busy and won’t have the time to watch every single second of U SPORTS football this fall. Below are my picks for game of the week for the upcoming 2025 Canada West season. (All Canada West teams have a Week 7 bye).
Week 1: Manitoba @ UBC (Thursday, Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m. PDT, Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver)
Week 2: UBC @ Saskatchewan (Friday, Sept. 5, 7:00 p.m. CST, Griffiths Stadium, Saskatoon)
Week 3: Calgary @ Alberta (Friday, Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m. MDT, Foote Field, Edmonton)
The first of four bolded Canada West games in this series. Although both teams saw down years in 2024, you can’t ignore the Battle of Alberta. Early in the season or not, I fully expect Bears’ new head coach Stevenson Bone to pull out all the stops in this one, but don’t expect a blowout. Calgary’s stingy defence, led by second year defensive coordinator Ben D’Andrea, will definitely have something to say in this one. The first of two meetings in 2025 between the Bears and Dinos, Foote Field in Edmonton will host an early look into who might bring home provincial bragging rights this season. Last year these teams met only once. The game saw Calgary spoil the Bears’ home opener with a 36-22 victory.
Week 4: Regina @ Saskatchewan (Friday, Sept. 19, 7:00 p.m. CST, Griffiths Stadium, Saskatoon)
Not much has to be said about this one other than it’s the Battle of Saskatchewan, Rams vs. Huskies, the 2024 top ranked CW defence vs. the second ranked CW offence, and oh yeah, it’s also a Hardy Cup rematch. So I guess there are some story lines to this game, but ultimately look for two very evenly matched teams who split last year’s home and home (33-28 Regina in Regina, 22-20 Saskatchewan in Saskatoon) before Regina walked into Griffiths Stadium and took the 2024 Hardy Cup in a 19-14 affair. Excluding any potential playoff matchup, this game will be the only meeting between these two programs in 2025, so prairie bragging rights are very much on the line. Expect a tight scoring, hard hitting brand of football in this one.
Week 5: Manitoba @ Regina (Saturday Sept. 27, 2:00 p.m. CST, Mosaic Stadium, Regina)
Bison fans, alumni, and players alike will have this one circled on their calendar for sure. The last Saturday in September marks the only regular season meeting between last year’s number one CW scoring offence (Manitoba) and last year’s number one CW scoring defence (Regina). It also marks the rematch of last year’s playoff upset, where Regina stunned the Bison with a 28-25 victory in Winnipeg on their way to winning their Hardy Cup. Both Regina QB Noah Pelletier and Manitoba QB Jackson Tachinski are expected to be back this season, so expect experienced decision making from both pivots with a little flair outside the pocket from Tachinski. In the heart of the 2025 Canada West schedule, expect this one to have some playoff implications at the top of the standings.
Week 6: UBC @ Manitoba (Saturday, Oct. 4, 12:00 p.m. CDT, Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg)
Week 8: Saskatchewan @ UBC (Friday, Oct. 17, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver)
Week 9: Manitoba @ Saskatchewan (Saturday, Oct. 25, 2:00 p.m. CST, Griffiths Stadium, Saskatoon)
We finish the Canada West regular season with a thriller. The two top seeds and offences from last season will go head to head for the second time in 2025 in this one (first meeting Week 3 in Winnipeg). Last season they split their matchups (37-24 Manitoba in Winnipeg, 42-24 Saskatchewan in Saskatoon) and this season may not be much different. Both teams are returning their starting quarterbacks, Anton Amundrud for Regina and 2024 Canada West MVP Jackson Tachinski for Manitoba. If last year’s tilts between these two juggernaut programs is any indication, expect this one to be fast, high scoring, and extremely important. With this one coming in the final week of the 2025 Canada West season, first place and home field advantage throughout the playoffs might be up for grabs. Definitely a fitting end to our list of Canada West games of the week.