2025-2026 Offseason thread

[Esks4ever]

we decided to make regular season pretty pointless....maybe we should add more gimmicks like an in season punting tournament.

This new playoffs format is stupid af. I'm sure TSN had a major role in this garbage.

[Esks4ever]

The Elks are putting an inflatable dome over Clarke park so the weather won't be an issue for camp next year.

slap that badboy over Commonwealth...

[tigerdar]

This new playoffs format is stupid af. I'm sure TSN had a major role in this garbage.

I wouldn't mind if we had 12 teams at 12 teams ok this is fun but 8 out of 9 it just I dunno. Maybe we're going to merge with the UFL or something. At this point I guess it is what it is.

[Sectionq]

This new playoffs format is stupid af. I'm sure TSN had a major role in this garbage.

I am sure the TV rights and they fact they need a new contract for sure played a role. The new Commish came from the broadcasting world and he would know playoff games probably have more viewers so the more playoff games you have, you get more money. Like it or not, the CFL needs every last cent they can get to keep going.

[glenvb]

You just know, some day in the near future, two teams with records of 4-13 and 3-14 will play a game at the end of a regular season to get into the playoffs.

[bone]

You just know, some day in the near future, two teams with records of 4-13 and 3-14 will play a game at the end of a regular season to get into the playoffs.

Likely just to get smoked a week later anyway though against the 5th place team. The 5th best record under this format over the last 20 years would have been 12-6 (x2), 11-7 (6x), 10-8 (2x), 9-9 (4x), 8-10 (4x), 8-6 (1x)

If they win that game, they are guaranteed to play a team with an even better record than the first opponent in the 2nd game, and probably a team with an even better record game 3 if they win game 2.

The re-seeding makes it unlikely for a real Cinderella story. It's still lame that only 1 team misses, but I don't think this format is going to make for lesser Grey Cup matchups, likely better matchups.

[Looner]

Likely just to get smoked a week later anyway though against the 5th place team. The 5th best record under this format over the last 20 years would have been 12-6 (x2), 11-7 (6x), 10-8 (2x), 9-9 (4x), 8-10 (4x), 8-6 (1x)

If they win that game, they are guaranteed to play a team with an even better record than the first opponent in the 2nd game, and probably a team with an even better record game 3 if they win game 2.

The re-seeding makes it unlikely for a real Cinderella story. It's still lame that only 1 team misses, but I don't think this format is going to make for lesser Grey Cup matchups, likely better matchups.

great breakdown

[Eskie54]

Man when I heard this I thought it sounded like an April Fool's prank but it's not April 1st. The league already gets made fun of for having 6 of 9 teams make the post season and now its 8 of 9. How can they say that the regular season now means more. I'm fine with the season starting early but having 8 of 9 teams make the playoffs makes the regular season just about meaningless IMO.

I almost expected there would be a participation award given to the 9th place team. This is ridiculous!

[Looner]

I almost expected there would be a participation award given to the 9th place team. This is ridiculous!

I don't understand everyones hate for this. The CFL gets grief for how easy it is to win the Grey Cup, this made it a little harder. At the end of the day sports is about entertainment and meaningless games are typically not as entertaining. With the new format, teams will stay in the race till the end, eliminating most of the meaningless games.

I understand that typically professional sports doesn't have 89% of their teams make the playoffs but the CFL isn't a typical professional league. We don't have the financials that the other leagues do and need to think outside the box to attract interest.

[glenvb]

For me, this takes away a lot of the significance of the regular season. Especially in the first half of the season, I just won't see any game as making as much of a difference as it used to. There is a fixed sum total of excitement in any league, and if it's mostly moved to the playoffs, the regular season becomes less meaningful than it was.

[Esks4ever]

For me, this takes away a lot of the significance of the regular season. Especially in the first half of the season, I just won't see any game as making as much of a difference as it used to. There is a fixed sum total of excitement in any league, and if it's mostly moved to the playoffs, the regular season becomes less meaningful than it was.

teams will half ass it - just as long as they are better than the last placed team....

[Looner]

teams will half ass it - just as long as they are better than the last placed team....

I can't see that, a good portion of these players are still trying to get to the NFL

[Looner]

great article on the matter.

https://3downnation.com/2026/05/03/w...-format-slaps/

[bone]

great article on the matter.

https://3downnation.com/2026/05/03/w...-format-slaps/

The article is good, but it misunderstood some key details when it was talking about re-seeding for the Semi-Finals.

The Divisional Showdown winner still hosts the Semi-Final as does the Divisional Showdown loser host the Elimination game/Quarter Final.

What changes here in those seasons where the top 4 teams are all in the same division is that they'd be hosting the team with the best record to survive, whereas before they'd play the team with the lesser record by virtue of the crossover.

[bombervu]

teams will half ass it - just as long as they are better than the last placed team....

Players will play. Management will half ass it in some situations except for Deb and maybe Doman.

Also hope Saskatchewan finishes 9th forever and certainly don't see them as any kind of favorite for 2026.