Way Too Early Power Rankings.

1. Montreal Alouettes (Last Rank: N/A)
   Winning the Grey Cup is going to automatically put you in the top position on the next season’s power rankings. The Als are looking to repeat and are off to a good start with HC / GM Danny Maciocia keeping the core veteran leadership together, even with Shawn Lemon’s unexpected retirement, the Alouettes would be the betting favourite to win the East.
   
   
2. BC Lions (Last Rank: N/A)
   The Lions may have come up short on their quest to make it back to the Grey Cup for the first time since 2011 (coincidentally the last time they were the host city of the big game) but they are looking to continue the upward trend they have been on since HC Rick Campbell came into the fold. They may have lost Mathieu Betts to the Detroit Lions, but when you can replace him with a 9-year NFL vet like Christian Covington as well as Pete Robertson and Ciante Evans, the Leos defense might be on par with their explosive offense and make a run for first in the West.
   
   
3. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Last Rank: N/A)
   Winnipeg is coming off back-to-back upset losses in the Grey Cup and father time might be starting to show up in this veteran core that has dominated the CFL’s West Division for the last three seasons. GM Kyle Walters was able to keep his job and keep his top two free agents in Brady Oliveira and Dalton Schoen, but that came at the expense of two all-stars in defensive back Demerio Houston and offensive tackle Jemarcus Hardrick. QB Zach Collaros was the runner up for MOP, but he’s going to have to have his head on a swivel while he gets comfortable with a new look offensive line.
   
   
4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Last Rank: N/A)
   It was one last gutter ball for previous HC Craig Dickenson as his contract was not renewed after consecutive seasons without a win after the Labour Day Classic. GM Jeremy O’Day was able to get a chance to hire a new head coach and went with Corey Mace. Mace is saying all the right things about building up this team, but also the community, and most of the fans have bought in. The Riders have improved on both sides of the ball with new additions like AJ Ouellette, Jermarcus Hardrick, Jameer Thurman and Ryan Sceviour. A few questions remain. Can the new regime hold their players accountable, something that has been lacking the past few years, and can Trevor Harris bounce back after his season ending injury last year?
   
   
5. Edmonton Elks (Last Rank: N/A)
   We are on year three of HC / GM Chris Jones’ rebuild of the Elks. After a promising
   second half of the season with Tre Ford finally seeing the field, things seemed to start trending up for the Green and Gold. With the fanbase on board, most were looking forward to see what Ford could do with the full support of the coaching staff only for Jones to sign McLeod Bethel-Thompson to become the starting pivot. MBT has a great arm and led the Toronto Argonauts to the 2022 Grey Cup, but decided to try the USFL and led the league in passing. The Elks have also added a trio of former Argonauts in free agency in kicker Boris Bede, receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and dynamic returner Javon Leake and will look to continue the upwards trend.
   
   
6. Toronto Argonauts (Last Rank: N/A)
   Toronto may have had the best record in the CFL last season, but with that usually comes the annual pillage of the players and sometimes coaches. Gone is defensive co-ordinator Corey Mace, AJ Ouellette, Andrew Harris, Qwan’tez Stiggers, Jamal Peters, Kurleigh Gittens Jr, Adarius Pickett, Javon Leake and Boris Bede among others. They have reloaded the cabinet with some good players like star runningback Ka’deem Carey, Tunde Adeleke and were able to re-sign the massive Shawn Oakman, but will also be dealing with the distraction and possible fallout of the lawsuit that the team and star quarterback Chad Kelly are faced with currently.
   
   
7. Ottawa REDBLACKS (Last Rank: N/A)
   Ottawa has improved this offseason, but it’s what happens on the field that counts. They have “won” free agency each of the last two off seasons, but the results didn’t come. General manager Shawn Burke took a different approach to try to start to improve the team before free agency. Hopefully QB Jeremiah Masoli can come back healthy after back-to-back seasons with season ending injuries. Adding Adarius Pickett will certainly help bolster their already impressive defense. It’s also the tenth anniversary of football coming back to the nation’s capital, so Bob Dyce and Co. will be looking to give fans something to cheer for while they celebrate all season long.
   
   
8. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Last Ranking: N/A)
   After another disappointing season, failing to make it to the Grey Cup (which was played at Tim Hortons Field) the Ticats are looking to reload instead of rebuild. Former head coach Orlondo Steinauer has stepped back from his coaching duties to focus on his role as the team president. Insert Scott Milanovich taking over as head coach and Ed Hervey taking over as general manager. They have restructured starting QB Bo Levi Mitchell’s contract, re-signed Tim White and picked up Brandon Barlow and Jamal Peters from the rival Toronto Argonauts. But can Bo get back to the level of play when he was with the Stampeders?
   
   
9. Calgary Stampeders (Last Ranking: N/A)
   Look, someone must be last, and maybe they can use this as fuel, but barring a complete collapse by the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season, Calgary would have missed the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Stamps are not the same team that they were when John Hufnagel was general manager and head coach. Dave Dickenson could focus more on the on-field coaching opposed to being in complete control of everything. Hopefully for Stamp fans, the kinks have been figured out and they can return to form, but the rest of the west has improved more than them, as of now.