The Alberta Golden Bears (0-3) head out east for a matchup against the Manitoba Bisons (1-2) at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Saturday.
Both teams come in trending in different directions. The Golden Bears are coming off a last-minute 23-19 loss to Calgary last week at home. Meanwhile, the Bisons captured their first win of the season last week after defeating Saskatchewan 21-20.
Here's everything you need to know about this week's matchup.
Manitoba Team Overview
Last week's win over the Huskies may have been the Bisons' saving grace to keep them in the playoff hunt.
Going 0-3 is not the nail in the coffin to make the playoffs, but there were some fair question marks raised about their offence. Manitoba had scored 23 points through two weeks before last week. That means they almost scored as many points in one game against the Huskies as they did against UBC and Calgary in the first two weeks combined.
The slow start to the season on offence could now be in the rear-view mirror thanks to some stellar performances from Quarterback and reigning Canada West Player of the Year, Jackson Tachinski, running back Breydon Stubbs and wide receiver Nathan Udoh.
Tachinski threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 24 of 32 completed passes and rushed for 65 yards on nine attempts against Saskatchewan. 12 of those passes were thrown to Udoh, who racked up a team-leading 158 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Bisons' dominance also translated to the ground game. Stubbs recorded 107 rushing yards on 14 attempts in the win, a season-high so far for the fifth-year tailback.
The one downside that remains on offence is that Manitoba has scored the fewest points of any team in Canada West. The Bisons' 44 total points through three games are a steep decline from what fans were used to seeing last season, where they averaged 31.4 points per game.
Is last week just a one-week blip on the radar, or is this where the Bisons start to get back to the team they were last year? A win against Alberta would go a long way in showing they can be real contenders for the conference.
On defence, it is more of the same. The Manitoba defence has struggled at times this season. They are allowing an average of 443 yards per game — the sixth most in the nation and the most in Canada West.
The majority of those yards are coming through the air, with the team giving up 283 passing yards per game — the fourth most in the nation.
All being said, this Manitoba team could be on the rise with their first win under their belt.
Alberta Team Overview
This season has not gone to plan for the Golden Bears. The team is winless and sits last in the conference through three weeks. It isn't time to throw in the towel on the year just yet, but time is running out for Alberta to show if they can compete for a playoff spot.
Starting against the clear top two teams in the conference did the Golden Bears no favour. Regina and Saskatchewan were going to be hard opponents for any team.
However, the loss against Calgary does raise some concerns about the state of the team.
Alberta was in the driver's seat before giving up a game-winning touchdown in the final minute. In a tight conference where every game means a lot for playoff seeding, those are the types of games you need to win if you want to play in November.
To offer a positive perspective, this team is doing a lot of things right. The passing game is arguably one of the best in Canada when you look at the stats. The Golden Bears are sixth in the country and first in Canada West for average passing yards per game with 325.
Quarterback Eli Hetlinger has done just about as much as the Golden Bears have asked of him. He is keeping his team in games and setting them up for opportunities to win football games.
It just hasn't resulted in wins.
Alberta's receiver core is stacked with fourth-year wide receiver — and punter for the team — Carter Kettyle, leading the way on offence.
He recorded 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions last week against Calgary and has cemented himself as the wide receiver number one for the Golden Bears. Hetlinger and Kettyle have been an exciting duo to watch this season, and it's a significant reason the Alberta offence is scoring points.
What has held the Golden Bears back is their running game. They are fifth-last in the country for rushing yards per game with 96.3 and second-last in Canada West.
The game plan early on was to go "by-committee" at the tailback position, according to head coach Stevenson Bone earlier in the season, but it has been rookie Seth Poelzer seeing most of the action.
Poelzer has been great so far for the Golden Bears in his first season, and it's not necessarily his fault for the shortfalls in the running game. He has recorded 183 yards on the ground and shown flashes that he could become a prominent back in the conference in the future.
It will be something the Golden Bears need to improve on, though, if they want to become true contenders.
The biggest area of concern for this team has been on defence. They are allowing the fifth-most points per game in the country and have yet to ascend to the level you would expect out of a playoff contender. And to be fair, it was to be expected.
The secondary lost four of the five starters from last year and had to inject some young players into the lineup to fill those gaps. They will grow into their roles eventually, but for now, it is something that is hurting them and needs to be addressed.
There are a lot of things not going Alberta's way right now. However, there is still time for the Golden Bears to prove they can win games in the conference. Watch for this team to try to make a statement this week.
Previous Matchups
These two teams put on two great games in 2024. The Bisons won both matchups last year, winning 24-23 on Sept 14 in Winnipeg and 38-37 on Oct 19 in Edmonton. Does that mean there is more of the same in store this week?
Keys To The Game
Manitoba
- Use momentum from last week to keep the offence firing on all cylinders
- Keep Stubbs involved in the offence
- Shut down the Alberta passing game
Alberta
- Keep the Hetlinger-Kettyle connection going
- Find consistency in the run game
- Limit easy points on defence
Prediction
This one should be a close game based on the two matchups last year. But if 2025 has proved anything, these two teams are in different spots compared to last year. The Bisons seem to be on an upward trajectory, and they have the weapons on offence to continue improving this week. And on the other hand, it doesn't feel right to discount Alberta despite their 0-3 record.
Manitoba does take a slight edge, though. If they show up looking like the team in the second half against Saskatchewan, they will be tough to beat.
Final Score Prediction: Manitoba wins 27-24