Courtesy: Piper Sports Photography/Harvard Media.
Saskatchewan Roughriders’ president Craig Reynolds sees dollar signs when it comes to the CFL expanding the playoffs in 2027.
According to Reynolds, league commissioner Stewart Johnston mentioned his idea about increasing postseason games last fall.
“Stew’s been tasked with growing the league. He’s looking at how do we grow revenue? How do we move this league forward? That’s what you’re seeing. It’s an effort by the league to move this league forward, make sure it’s successful and grows,” Reynolds told the media.
“This, we believe, will do that. It’s not just gate, it’s sponsorship revenue from a league perspective, so there’s lots of revenue sources. There’s more potential to host home playoff games, which is good for business.”
The Riders won the 112th Grey Cup after finishing first in the West Division with a 12-6 record, earning a bye to the West Final. The Green and White beat the B.C. Lions 24-21 to advance to the CFL championship game, then won 25-17 over the Montreal Alouettes.
In the new postseason format, the teams that finish first in the East and West Divisions have to win at least two playoff games to reach the Grey Cup and record one more victory to hoist the trophy. Conversely, the lowest-seeded team has to win three postseason match-ups — on the road — to reach the CFL championship game.
“It’s already hard to win the Grey Cup, I think this makes it harder. Last year, we were advantaged by finishing first and winning one game to get to the Grey Cup,” Reynolds said.
“Now, you have to win at least two, but finishing first or second, certainly, first gives you an advantage because you’re going to have two home playoff games to help your chances to get to the Grey Cup.”
The Foam Lake, Sask. native acknowledged “there’s some thinking around” potentially devaluing the three-down league’s regular season, but he believes playoff seeding becomes really important. That’s why Johnston feels the regular season could become “more dramatic.”
“If you finish eighth, that’s a tough road to get to the Grey Cup,” Reynolds said. “Especially with the reseeding each round, you have to win essentially four games on the road, which is very, very challenging.”
