With a win over Calgary on Friday and a BC loss to Edmonton on Saturday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2014.

The question becomes after that who do they play in the first playoff game? Right now the Roughriders are sitting with an 8-7 record which sits them 4th in the West Division. Normally finishing fourth in your division makes you miss the playoffs but this year with the east being so terrible finishing fourth in the west will get the Riders a crossover playoff spot to play the East Division on the road to the Grey Cup.

According to an article on the CFL website, the Riders have a 99.95% chance of making the playoffs.

I think personally the Riders best choice is to play the east to get to the Grey Cup. History has not fared well though for Western teams crossing over. The farthest any Western team has made it via the crossover was in 2009 when BC lost to Montreal in the East Final. The Roughriders have only played the crossover once before in 2005 losing to 30-14 to Montreal in the East Division Semi-Final.

Here's where I think this year will be different. First of all look at the Riders potential opponents. Should the Riders make it they'd be on the road in Toronto who has a 7-9 record and the Roughriders won both meetings against Toronto this year (38-27 in Regina on July 29 and 27-24 on October 7 at BMO Field). Ricky Ray is not the same QB he was five years ago when Toronto won the Grey Cup and if Chris Jones is smart basing on the way he's played so far I'd start Brandon Bridge who played really well in the game in Toronto and has played well all season. Nothing against Kevin Glenn but who would you start in the biggest game of the season? A 40-year old QB who has looked off during some games this year, or a young upstart Bridge who has filled in well in a relief role this year?

Should they get past Toronto the Riders would be on to the Nation's Capital (Ottawa) for the East Final. Yes, I know Ottawa won on Friday but the Riders came back from a 17-0 hole to win in Ottawa three weeks ago.
This is not the same Ottawa team from a year ago that won a Grey Cup Championship. Sure, they might have the CFL's leading receiver in Greg Ellingson but other than that who are their other playmakers? I like Trevor Harris but he has been up and down this year and missed a couple of games this year with an injury. Ottawa's backup QB is Ryan Lindley a former QB with the Arizona Cardinals who scored the game-winning TD the other night. I'm not a huge fan of Lindley so I think should Harris not play well I say the Riders have a legitimate shot. When I look at the Riders we have several great players.

If Duron Carter doesn't get released after the incident at practice Monday (and as of early Tuesday afternoon I am writing this he hasn't been released) he will be a big star for us in the playoffs. We also have Chad Owens one of the CFL's most explosive receivers who can turn a game on its ear with one big play. And don't forget about that defense (which I personally think is the best in the CFL) that could win us games if the offense struggles.
Now should we get to the Grey Cup (which is right back in Ottawa) we would probably match up with Calgary and we all know what happens when the Riders play Calgary but that's a topic for another day.

So, I think it's better for the Riders to go through the east but let me know what you think.