Riders beat Lions to punch ticket to CFL West final
Nov 03, 2024
The Riders are back in the West final for the first time since 2021.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were shut out of TSN’s top Grey Cup teams off all time.
TSN started with a final eight and none of the four Grey Cup championship teams out of Saskatchewan made the list.
Some have argued for the ’89 team, while others believe the 2013 team could hold its own against anyone.
So, of the four Rider teams to win a championship, which was the best one?
You have to consider where the teams ranked during their seasons as well as all-stars and that brings me to the top two: The 1966 and 2013 squads.
When I look at ’66, I see Ron Lancaster and George Reed with the No. 1 offence in the league and 11 West Division all stars. Eight of those were on offence.
In 2013, the team was well-rounded, with nine divisional all-stars — five on offence, four on defence — with five of them getting league honours. That team had the second-best offence in the league but also came in with the best defence in the league.
A four-game slide mid-season allowed the Riders slip to an 11-win season, when they were good enough to win 13 or more.
So, while they may have been snubbed from TSN’s final eight list, the 2013 Riders team has to be considered the best championship team this province has ever seen.