The Saskatchewan Huskies (6-1) host the Manitoba Bisons (4-3) to close out the Canada West regular season on Saturday afternoon at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
The Huskies will be in search of their seventh win of the season to lock down first place in the conference heading into the postseason. Meanwhile, the Bisons will try to play spoiler and potentially force Saskatchewan to face them again in the semi-finals next week.
Manitoba is the only team to hand Saskatchewan a loss this season when the Bisons came back down 17-0 at halftime to win 21-20 in Winnipeg for their first victory of the year. The Huskies will be looking to flip the script and get payback at home.
Ready for the playoffs
The Manitoba Bisons are already locked into their playoff spot for November and await where they will travel for the first game of the playoffs. If Regina wins against UBC the night prior, they will have a say in where they will play next week.
That leaves the Bisons in an interesting position. Play your starters and risk injuries against a rival, or rest your starters and let your backups play.
How Manitoba approaches that will likely be decided when the clock hits zero on Friday in Regina. If the Thunderbirds find a way to win, it is hard to see a rational reason why the Bisons should play their starters in an all but meaningless game.
However, if the Rams come out on top, that conversation shifts drastically. Expect Manitoba to use Saturday as a warm-up for a possible matchup the following week if the Rams win.
Tachinski played great in the Bisons' 33-31 win over Calgary last week, throwing for 333 yards and one touchdown, while also taking off 11 times and finding the end zone himself twice. Expect him to have another stellar performance if Manitoba has something to play for.
The same can be said for Breydon Stubbs, Braeden Smith and Nathan Udoh, who have all been making names for themselves — or upholding their reputations in Stubbs' case.
The Bisons have scored 30+ points in every game since their win over Saskatchewan in Week 3. Can that continue this week if Manitoba's starters suit up?
In search of first place
The Huskies control their own destiny.
It's both a privilege and a burden.
If Saskatchewan is going to lock down first place in Canada West, it means beating the one team that ruined their chances of a perfect season.
There is more than just bragging rights on the line now between these two prairie rivals. And with quarterback Anton Amundrud absent from the past two games, it will likely rest in the hands of rookie signal-caller Jake Farrell.
The freshman answered the call when the Huskies turned to him three weeks ago to face the Alberta Golden Bears and has not let them down. Farrell has thrown five touchdowns and 447 yards through two games as the starter — a stat line which should cement him as the eventual heir to Saskatchewan's offence when Amundrud graduates.
Saskatchewan may need to rely on him again to lead the way for the dogs, with their chances of securing home field through the Canada West playoffs on the line.
Saskatchewan also faces the same dilemma as Manitoba, but not quite to the same extent. The Huskies will secure first place with a Regina loss to UBC on Friday or with a win against Manitoba on Saturday.
You can bet Saskatchewan wants the number one seed and will be prepared to play on Saturday to ensure that is the case. But if UBC wins, do the Huskies aim to get their rookie quarterback more playing time? Or prioritize rest and avoid a possible injury.
The stakes are enormous. Daniel Wiebe, Seth Hundeby, Ryker Frank and possibly Anton Amundrud are all in their final year of football at the school. For a team that is one of the best on both sides of the ball, they should have their eyes on November 22, knowing that this is the last run they will have with this group.
It's all hypothetical until Saturday afternoon, when the regular season and nine weeks of football will come to a close before the real test begins.
Keys to the game
Manitoba
- Apply pressure to Farrell
- Give Tachinski opportunities to throw the ball
- Get out to a good first half
Saskatchewan
- Protect Farrell
- Rely on Wiebe and the veterans to get open in coverage
- Limit Bisons' explosive passing plays
Prediction
This game's score will be heavily influenced by who suits up. Assuming all starters play, it will be a tough matchup for both teams. The Bisons found a way to beat the Huskies and have a chance to prove it wasn't a fluke.
Saskatchewan seems like a different team, though. They rebounded and may be better than when Manitoba last saw them. If Farrell can continue to perform as he has in the past two games, it's hard to know where the Huskies will give an edge to the Bisons.
It feels like a game where Saskatchewan needs to win — especially if first place is on the line. Manitoba used the win against the Huskies as the turning point for their season; Saskatchewan could very well do the same and use a win as the final piece of ammunition to defeat any arguments of being discredited.
With that being said, it's a game you can only imagine the Huskies have been waiting for. And if they want to prove they should be the favourite for the Vanier Cup, a win on Saturday would go a long way in doing so.
Final score prediction: Saskatchewan wins 30-24