FB: Golden Bears top coaches poll

Aug. 29, 2024 - With a wide open playoff race and veteran-laden rosters across the conference, the 2024 Canada West football season is shaping up to be equal parts unpredictable and unforgettable.

The conference has announced the results of its pre-season coaches poll, with last year's Hardy Cup participants Alberta and UBC leading the way. The Golden Bears narrowly edged the T-Birds by two points for first place, receiving four first place votes, while UBC had two first place nods of their own. Manitoba came in third in the poll, followed by Saskatchewan in fourth. Calgary and Regina, two teams looking to return to the CW playoff picture this season, finished tied for fifth.

The battle between the Golden Bears and Thunderbirds will be must watch all season, beginning with tomorrow night's season opening showdown from Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. It'll be a rematch of last year's 86th Hardy Cup, a 28-27 UBC victory that made headlines across the nation thanks to a thrilling comeback authored by T-Birds QB Garrett Rooker, who will return for his fourth season of eligibility this fall.

With a number of returning players of their own, the Golden Bears have high hopes as they pursue their first Hardy Cup championship since 1981. Expect a dynamic Bears offence to be a handful for opposing defences, led by star running back Matthew Petersen. The Hamilton Tiger Cats draft pick led the conference with 1,142 rushing yards and 1,297 all-purpose yards in 2023, en route to being named Canada West's Player of the Year. Behind a talented offensive line, he should be in line for another productive season.

“[We have] a good number of returning players in 2024 as do many other programs in Canada West," says Golden Bears head coach Chris Morris. "This season is, once again, going to be a dog fight to see which four teams qualify for the playoffs.”

Coming off their first conference title since 2015, the T-Birds will look to repeat as Canada West champions for the first time since 1986/1987. Last year's edition of the T-Birds went on to defeat St. FX convincingly in the Mitchell Bowl, before falling to Montreal 16-9 in the 58th Vanier Cup.

With a roster bolstered by veterans who gained national championship experience, including fifth year linebacker Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown, UBC has their sights firmly set on returning to both the Hardy and Vanier this season.

“It has been 37 years since UBC has repeated at conference champions," notes T-Birds head coach Blake Nill. "The 2024 edition is returning the majority of the athletes who started in the Vanier Cup. Key holes to fill are at the tackle spots on both offensive and defensive lines.”

After qualifying for last year's postseason in what can only be described as the most unbelievable way imaginable, a veteran Manitoba Bisons squad will also look to prove their status as a Hardy Cup contender. The team returns 22 of 24 starters and is led by fourth year pivot Jackson Tachinski, who will look to take another step forward after a productive offseason where he attended Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp and had an impressive showing at the U SPORTS East-West Bowl.

The team will also have the added motivation of wanting to send off revered head coach Brian Dobie in style, following the announcement he will retire at the conclusion of the 2024 season after 29 seasons of leading the Herd.

Following back-to-back Hardy Cups in 2021 and 2022, the Saskatchewan Huskies will be seeking a return to championship form this fall after falling in the CW semis a year ago. Expect quarterback Anton Amundrud to look even more comfortable in his second season at the helm of the Huskie offence, as the Lloydminster, Sask. product looks to build on a strong season where he threw for 2,184 passing yards and 14 TD.

Placing tied for fifth in the coaches poll, quarterback Owen Sieben and the Regina Rams hope to push for playoff contention. Sieben was one of the best stories across the conference last season, as the Langley, B.C. product took over at quarterback in Week 3 and never looked back. He was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year, finishing second in the conference and top ten in the nation with a 64.6% completion percentage. Besides throwing for 1,356 yards, Sieben also showed he could run the ball with 22 rushes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Joining the Rams at fifth in the poll are the Calgary Dinos, where there's also positive optimism with new head coach Ryan Sheahan taking over the reigns. Last year's Dinos nearly completed an improbable comeback story, bouncing back from an 0-5 start to put themselves on the brink of qualifying for the postseason. And while they found themselves on the wrong side of the "Manitoba Miracle," it shouldn't overshadow the fact the team ended the season on a three game win streak over playoff bound opponents, including UBC and Saskatchewan. Led by veterans like receiver Ben Britton and linebacker Daniel Flanagan, expect the Dinos to push for a playoff spot this year.

The eight-game CW regular season runs through Oct. 26, with semifinal playoff games set for Nov. 2.

The 87th edition of the Hardy Cup will take place Nov. 9, hosted at the highest finishing seed.

View the 2024 Canada West Football schedule here.

View Canada West Football history here.

Catch the action on SASKTEL, TELUS and CANADA WEST TV

The excitement and drama of hard-hitting Canada West football is returning to SaskTel maxTV and maxTV Stream and TELUS Optik TV subscribers this fall. ​

The conference has unveiled its 2024 CW Football Showcase schedule, which will bring 17 games to SaskTel subscribers on SaskTel maxTV and maxTV Stream. All Rams and Huskies games will also be available on maxTV Local on Demand. Viewers can find them on channels 48 or 348 for the Rams and 49 or 349 for the Huskies. Fans in British Columbia and Alberta will be able to watch Showcase games on TELUS OptikTV, channels 997 and 998.

Fans can also stream all the action live and on demand through CanadaWest.TV, which now allows fans to watch games on popular Connected TV apps like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.

Learn more about the Canada West Football Showcase here.

2024 CW FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Team - Points (First-place votes)

1. ​ Alberta Golden Bears - 24 (4)

2. UBC Thunderbirds - 22 (2)

3. Manitoba Bisons - 16

4. Saskatchewan Huskies - 14

T5. Regina Rams - 7

T5. Calgary Dinos - 7

TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW

Alberta Golden Bears

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: #1

2023 Regular Season Record: 6-2

From the coach: “Alberta has a good number of returning players in 2024 as do many other programs in Canada West. This season is, once again, going to be a dog fight to see which four teams qualify for the playoffs.” – Head Coach Chris Morris

Key Offensive Performer: Matthew Peterson
​RB
​5th Year
​Hometown: Rock Island, Illinois

Coming off one of the most dominant seasons in program history, 2023 Canada West MVP Matthew Peterson returns for a fifth and final season with the Golden Bears. A 2024 Hamilton Tiger Cats draft pick, Peterson led the conference with 1,142 rushing yards and 1,297 all-purpose yards last season. Behind a talented offensive line, he will be in line for another productive season.

Key Defensive Performer: Jonathan Giustini
​DB/K
​5th Year
​Hometown: Calgary, Alta.

One of the most versatile and talented players in the nation, U SPORTS All-Canadian Jonathan Giustini returns to anchor the Golden Bears defence. The fifth-year safety led Canada West in points (95), field goals (22), and interceptions (4) in 2023, and should produce another monster season this fall.

UBC Thunderbirds

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: #2

2023 Regular Season Record: 6-2

From the coach: “It has been 37 years since UBC has repeated at conference champions. The 2024 edition is returning the majority of the athletes who started in the Vanier Cup. Key holes to fill are at the tackle spots on both offensive and defensive lines.” – Head Coach Blake Nill

Key Offensive Performer: Garrett Rooker
​QB
​4th Year
​Hometown: League City, Texas

A 2023 Canada West All-Star, the League City, Texas native led the conference in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. Rooker threw for more than 300 yards six times, including a season best 378 yards in the Hardy Cup, leading UBC to their first conference title in nine years. Rooker guided the T-Birds to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 2015 with a 303 yard, four touchdown performance over St. FX in the Mitchell Bowl and was named the game's offensive MVP.

Key Defensive Performer: Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown
​LB
​5th Year
​Hometown: Hamilton, Ont.

Leading the team with 6.6 tackles per game (second in the conference), Ciraolo-Brown was named a Canada West defensive All-Star. The Hamilton native added another 13.5 tackles in the Hardy Cup playoffs and was named the Mitchell Bowl Defensive Player of the Game with 5.5 tackles along with a sack.

Manitoba Bisons

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: #3

2023 Regular Season Record: 3-5

From the coach: “Our team will lean on our experience, including 22 of 24 returning starters. Offensively we will be led by returning starter Jackson Tachinski at QB and an OL that returns all five starters.” – Head Coach Brian Dobie

Key Offensive Performer: Jackson Tachinski
​QB
​4th Year
​Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.

Starting quarterback Jackson Tachinski has a rare combination of size, strength and athleticism that are difficult to match. His numbers at the U SPORTS level back up the hype, and when discussing the Bisons' offence, the conversation has to start with Tachinski, who has all the skills to be a favourite in the Hec Crighton conversation.
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​He's been with the program for six years, was starting quarterback when the team went to the Hardy Cup in 2021 (their first trip in seven years), and he's coming off a summer where he attended training camp with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and also took part in the East-West Bowl.
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​During the latter – a showcase of the top CFL Draft-eligible prospects in the country – Tachinski led all quarterbacks with 152 passing yards along with a touchdown, while adding 37 rushing yards and ten points over his first two drives in a Team West win. That's not to mention his abilities as a rusher, where the 6'4", 215-pounder's 12 majors are tied for tenth in program history. He was also fifth in Canada West last year with 477 rushing yards to lead all quarterbacks.

Key Defensive Performer: Nick Thomas
​LB
​5th Year
​Hometown: Surrey, B.C.

A CFL Draft pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, senior linebacker Nick Thomas enters 2024 as the most experienced player on Manitoba's defence. Entering his eighth year with the Herd (including COVID), Thomas' leadership, physicality (nicknamed "the brick") and football IQ will be invaluable for a Manitoba defence that returns 11 of 12 starters. ​
​​
​An All-Canadian when Manitoba advanced to the Hardy Cup in 2021, Thomas needs just 7.5 regular season tackles to reach 100 for his career. That feat would make him the 25th player in school history to do so.

Saskatchewan Huskies

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: #4

2023 Regular Season Record: 5-3

Key Offensive Performer: Anton Amundrud
​QB
​3rd Year
​Hometown: Lloydminster, Sask.

Anton enters his second season at the helm of the Huskie offense having dropped a little weight and gained another year in the system. Thanks in part to a fantastic offseason, Amundrud will return to the field calmer and in better shape to lead the Huskies. In 2023, he went 163-260 (62.7%) with 2184 passing yards and 14 TD.

Key Defensive Performer: Seth Hundeby
​LB
​4th Year
​Hometown: Saskatoon, Sask.

Seth brings a perfect combination of size and athleticism to the centre of the Huskie defence. The 6-foot-3, nearly 250 lb, linebacker is a true hybrid player, he runs well and is physical. The East-West Bowl participant is also likely to take a leadership role in 2024 following the departure of Nick Wiebe.

Calgary Dinos

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: Tied #5

2023 Regular Season Record: 3-5

From the coach: “Calgary is a good combination of veterans and freshmen at various positions. ​ Dedicating ourselves to executing the game plan each week and taking care of the details will be crucial to our season's outcome. ​ We play in the best conference in the country, so each week we will need to be sharp and physically ready to take on our opponent. ​ We will need to stay healthy and play our best football at the end of the year.” – Head Coach Ryan Sheahan

Key Offensive Performer: Ben Britton
​REC
​3rd Year
​Hometown: Calgary, Alta.

Ben Britton was an instrumental leader for the Dinos young offensive unit a season ago. The local product battled through injury and came back strong, notching the two most productive games of his young career down the stretch. In five games last season, he tallied 15 catches for 224 yards and two TDs.

Key Defensive Performer: Daniel Flanagan
​LB
​4th Year
​Hometown: Calgary, Alta.

Daniel Flanagan returns for his fourth season on the field for the Dinos and will help lead a veteran unit into the 2024 season. Calgary's defence was one of the toughest in all of U SPORTS down the stretch a season ago, with Flanagan leading both on and off the field during that run. In five games last season, the hometown product had 29 total tackles, including 5.0 TFL and 3.0 sacks.

Regina Rams

2024 Coaches Poll Rank: Tied #5

2023 Regular Season Record: 1-7

Key Offensive Performer: Owen Sieben
​QB
​2nd Year
​Hometown: Langley, B.C.

Owen Sieben looked to be headed towards a redshirt season in his first year with the Rams, but ended up taking over at quarterback in Week 3 and excelled. He was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year, finishing second in the conference and top ten in the nation with a 64.6% completion percentage. Besides throwing for 1356 yards, Sieben also showed he could run the ball with 22 rushes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Key Defensive Performer: Jackson Sombach
​DB
​5th Year
​Hometown: Regina, Sask.

One of just four fifth-year players on the Rams roster, Jackson Sombach is considered an outstanding leader, player, and teammate by the team's coaching staff. Sombach was a seventh-round selection by Calgary in the CFL Draft earlier this spring, but will return for his final season of U SPORTS eligibility. He goes into the year with an impressive streak of 23 consecutive games started, all at the halfback position.