1. Winnipeg
2. Calgary
3. Edmonton
4. BC
5. Riders
East
1. Toronto
2. Ottawa
3. Hamilton
4. Montreal
I see the West as Wpg, Edmonton, Calgary, BC, Riders. As much as I loathe Jones, Cornelius is improving and they added major firepower on offence. I think the loss of Butler will hold BC back.
In the East, I am calling it Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal. This is all about QBs. I think Masoli-Arbucklke will be the best 1-2 punch. I don't think MBT plays, and I think Bo Levi will disappoint. And Montreal really doesn't have a QB at all.
Of course the real determining factor will be injuries.
I too think EDM will be a powerhouse. Their WR/SB corps is almost as good as ours and look scary on paper. That kid at RB is legit unstoppable. Corny is going to turn into a great QB, if not this year then soon. And even though I haven't studied it much yet, C.Jones should have a solid D. In fact, the team is being built much like WPG is these days: a heavy emphasis on O.
VAJ ain't gonna get it done in BC, and no Burnham is gonna bite them. Just not happening, sorry. Heck, maybe even T.Harris in tire-fire SSK will be better.
I just don't see CGY being as strong. Meier smells like a Jennings or Franklin. He's not the solution long term and is a big gamble.
I'm going:
WPG
EDM
CGY
BC
SSK
The East is so up in the air with gambling everywhere. If BLM can not suck HAM is going to go legit attempt for a home GC. They are going the "gonna stop you on D" route, and it might work. OTT will be very good if Masoli doesn't go down. TOR: who really knows. The only sure bet is MTL will stink worse than '22 EDM/OTT. Free bingo spot everyone!
My gut says everyone-but-MTL will be duking it out in early weeks to establish dominance and consistency, but they should shake out into "what kind of team they are" pretty quickly. TOR is known for flash-in-the-pan years and GCs, so if they stay true to form they'll suck. BUT, maybe Pinball has anticipated this. HAM let most of their good WRs go. And my gut says don't sleep on OTT. Their ST sales and fan base need a good year.