The Saskatchewan Huskies (5-1) head west to Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds (2-4) at Thunderbird Stadium on Friday Night under the lights.
Coming off a conference-wide bye week, there is still plenty to figure out with the Canada West playoffs just two weeks away.
The Huskies are coming off a 31-24 win against the Golden Bears on Oct. 4 and are neck and neck with the Rams for first in the conference. Meanwhile, UBC is fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive in the final weeks of the season.
Both teams will battle it out and look to win for two very different reasons as the season draws to a close. Can the top dogs in Saskatchewan further cement their spot at the top of the conference? Or can the Thunderbirds stun the Huskies and inch closer to securing a spot to play in November?
Here's everything you need to know.
Turning the tides
UBC has gone from possibly contending for first place to trying to hang on to making the postseason in just two weeks — you truly never can take things for granted in Canada West.
The Thunderbirds are riding a two-game losing streak entering Week 7 and now face a tall task ahead of them to extend their season.
Ending that losing streak will be critical to keeping UBC out of a for-sure must-win situation next weekend. The tricky part is that they need to beat the Saskatchewan Huskies to do that.
That will be difficult for a Thunderbirds team that is averaging a bottom-seven rank in the country, 21.2 points per game on offence this season. But if UBC can find a way to carry over the momentum from last week, when quarterback Drew Viotto racked up 473 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in the loss to Manitoba, the Thunderbirds could make this a tight match-up.
Expect strong outings from the senior wide receiver Shemar McBean, who recorded 105 receiving yards and one touchdown on six receptions in that same game, and the sophomore wide receiver Trey Montour, who leads the team in receiving yards with 482 and in receptions with 34. The duo have anchored the UBC receiver core and will need to find ways to get open to help Viotto move the ball down the field.
That will be the Thunderbirds' main goal on Friday, considering they rank second-last in USPORTS for average rushing yards per game in 2025. If UBC can't keep the passing game alive, then it will spell massive trouble for the birds.
It will also be a long night for the home fans in Vancouver if UBC's defence continues to allow an average of 32 points per game. The Thunderbirds fall into the bottom ten in the country for that stat, and against a Huskies offence that ranks sixth in Canada for points per game, that would be a recipe for disaster.
High-flying Huskies
Saskatchewan is one step closer to November football with their spot in the playoffs already locked up.
What seed they finish with is still to be decided, though. Two weeks remain in the regular season, and first in the conference is still up for grabs. The Huskies and Rams will be in a tough battle in the next two games to decide who will secure that spot. For the dogs, that means coming away with the win on Friday in Vancouver.
Quarterback Anton Amundrud did not start the last game for the Huskies. Instead, it was the rookie backup, Jake Farrell, who lined up under center for Saskatchewan. Regardless of who gets the nod as the number one this week, it is safe to say the Huskies are set at quarterback.
Farrell threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns while connecting on 20 of 32 pass attempts. And Amundrud is currently leading the country in passing yards per game with 328 this year.
Don't forget about Canada West's leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, too. Daniel Wiebe is making his case for the conference's player of the year by torching opposing defences with an average of 127 receiving yards per game and a total of seven touchdowns so far this season. He is arguably the most dangerous player in Canada West and fuels the lethal Saskatchewan passing offence that averages 320 yards through the air — a mark that puts them fifth best as a team in Canada.
And while the passing game has been great, the running game has not panned out for the Huskies this season. They sit 12th in U SPORTS for average rushing yards per game as a team.
Ryker Frank's production this season has taken a hit as a result, but the fifth-year back is still dangerous and seeing regular touches in the Saskatchewan backfield. Could this be a game where Frank gets more touches? It is very possible. The Huskies might want to try to increase his touches as the playoffs approach. Adding another element to this team's offence could be the deciding factor of whether the Huskies can capture the Hardy Cup or not.
Keys to the game
Saskatchewan
- Incorporate Frank into the game plan more
- Stay healthy
- Focus on exploiting mismatches on offence
UBC
- Contain Wiebe/force the ball to other receivers
- Limit explosive plays on defence
- Keep Viotto's momentum going early
Prediction
The Huskies come in as the favourite in terms of the eye test, but this Thunderbirds group put on a show their last time out against Manitoba. If they can find a way to replicate that, it will be an exciting game.
If they can't, and UBC struggles to find consistency in the passing game, it will be hard to see a path forward for them to win. With the trio of Wiebe, Frank and — potentially? — Amundrud, the Huskies' offence might be too much for the birds to handle.
However, crazier things have happened in Canada West this year.
Final Score Prediction: Saskatchewan wins 37-20