Alouettes, Stamps advance to division finals

And then there were 4. Playing 18 games gets us to 6 teams in the 2005 CFL playoffs. Playing two games gets us to 4 teams. Congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos, winners of their divisional games earlier today.

The Alouettes trounched Saskatchewan 30-14 at Olympic Stadium. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo had 3 touchdown passes, all of them in the first half as the Alouettes went up 24-0 at intermission. The Roughriders tried to make a game of it in the second half, but it wasn't nearly enough.

Edmonton came from behind to defeat its provincial rival on hostile turf 33-26. Trailing 23-12 at the half, the Eskimos switched quarterbacks from longtime starter Ricky Ray to Jason Maas. What a difference that made. Edmonton had 0 touchdowns and 4 field goals in the first half; 2 touchdowns and 2 field goals (plus a single) in the second half.

Calgary had three 1-yard touchdown runs, all in the first half. The Stampeders had to run the ball, thanks to Edmonton's tough pass defense. Ultimately, Calgary was hurt by committing six turnovers.

Montreal advances to again play Toronto for the right to go to Vancouver from the East. Last year, Calvillo got injured in the second half for the Alouettes, so Montreal wants revenge against the defending Grey Cup champions. Montreal at Toronto is truly a battle between the two best in the East; Toronto has the edge as the defending champs, especially with home field next week.

Edmonton travels to Vancouver to play the B.C. Lions in the West Division championship next Sunday. The Eskimos now have a quarterback controversy. B.C. has its ongoing battle over the quarterback job between Dave Dickinson and Casey Printers. Will the team that started 11-0 show up, or will it be the team that limped into the playoffs?

The winners of next Sunday's contests will play in the Grey Cup on November 27 in Vancouver.

So, here's the playoff update:

East
Montreal vs. Toronto at Rogers Centre in Toronto, November 20, 3p EST

West
Edmonton vs. B.C. at B.C. Place in Vancouver, November 20, 6p EST

The Grey Cup will be November 27 at 6p EST at B.C. Place in Vancouver (sites are determined long before the season starts). All postseason games air in Canada on the CBC and on selected sports cable channels in the United States.