TORONTO — There are exactly 100 days until the 2026 season kicks off and CFL fans across the country are starting to look forward to warmer days and touchdowns.
With the dust settling on free agency and CFL Combine and CFL Draft season just around the corner, it’s the time of year that excitement for the start of a brand new season blossoms.
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That’s where we come in.
To be clear, these are just predictions. This is more of a thought exercise to help us get through the next few months of the year without CFL football. We’re not saying any of these things will happen, but isn’t it fun to think that they might?
HAMILTON GETS ITS REVENGE
Ask any Hamilton Tiger-Cat player or coach how they felt their 2025 season finished and you’re sure to get many of the same answers. Heartbreaking. Disappointing. Not good enough.
Losing in the Eastern Final was their fate last November, ending their season oh-so-close to playing in the 112th Grey Cup. The opening game of the 2026 season features the Tiger-Cats starting their campaign the same way they ended it, hosting the Montreal Alouettes, giving Hamilton a chance for redemption from the sting of their playoff exit.
Wouldn’t it be the perfect way for the Tabbies to start their season: getting their revenge on the Als at home, and kickstarting their journey to the 113th Grey Cup? And as an added bonus, if they do get to the big game in November, Mitchell and newly signed Wynton McManis will play for the championship trophy in the building where their careers began, McMahon Stadium. The story kind of writes itself, no?
Two of CFL.ca’s writers agree that the Tiger-Cats will win the Grey Cup this year, but do you?
KID CANADA TAKES OVER AS PASSING LEADER
Who will be this year’s passing leader? A safe bet would be Nathan Rourke securing that title.
2025’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian led the Lions’ prolific pass attack last year, finishing the season just six yards back from Mitchell at the top of the leaderboard. Rourke’s 5,290 yards through the air was a career-high for the 27-year-old, as he led his Lions to the Western Final.
While the BC Lions lost a big play receiver in Ayden Eberhardt in free agency to Ottawa, their receiving corps still features Keon Hatcher Sr., Justin McInnis, Jevon Cottoy, Stanley Berryhill III and Hergy Mayala. There’s plenty of playmakers around Rourke to make big plays through the air.
With those weapons at his disposal, and a running back who can catch passes out of the backfield as well in James Butler, Rourke should be set to win the passing crown in 2026.
BIGGEST RISER
The Ottawa REDBLACKS have been the talk of the town this off-season, with new head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie wasting no time getting to work on rebuilding his roster.
The REDBLACKS were the most active team in free agency, signing multiple playmakers across all phases of their team.
We’ve seen before that an active free agency period doesn’t always equate to a winning team in their first year, but wouldn’t it be something if it worked out for Ottawa this year?
Our big prediction may not be that Ottawa wins the Grey Cup (but that would be fun if they did!), but that Dinwiddie’s group will be the biggest riser in 2026, vastly improving on their 4-14 record.
