Posted: Apr 08, 2014
The ultimate goal is a spot at the 50th Vanier Cup, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championship, on November 29th at a location soon to be announced.
Opening the eight-game schedule a week later than recent years, the conference season commences Friday, September 5th with a trio of football games that sees all six conference teams take the field.
Conference Teams
Alberta Golden Bears
UBC Thunderbirds
Calgary Dinos
Manitoba Bisons
Regina Rams
Saskatchewan Huskies
Each team will play eight regular season games, all on Friday and Saturday, with a “bye” for all schools on the October 10-11 weekend to rest and prepare for the playoff drive.
The top four finishers make the post-season, with first- and second-place teams hosting Canada West semifinals on November 7th and 8th.
Following the Canada West title game on November 15th, the winner advances to represent the conference at the Uteck Bowl, a national semifinal hosted by the RSEQ champion from Quebec on November 22nd. On the same day, the OUA champion (Ontario) will host the AUS winner from Atlantic Canada.
Note: Details of the 50th Vanier Cup showcase were announced by Canadian Interuniversity Sport on April 9th as Montreal will host the event for the first time ever on November 29th, 2014.
2014 Football Schedule
Canada West and Shaw Television team up for the eighth straight year, bringing live gridiron action to homes across Canada throughout the season on Shaw TV and Shaw Direct (channel 299), with broadcast details still to be announced.
Opening the season at home will be the defending Hardy Cup champion University of Calgary Dinos as they play their provincial rival, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, on September 5th. Calgary went undefeated in 2013, while Alberta was winless. The Dinos won an unprecedented sixth consecutive Canada West football banner last November, with each title game victory since 2008 coming against a different opponent.
Making it all the way to last year's conference final, the University of Manitoba Bisons, 5-3 a year ago, look to challenge again as they open the season in Saskatoon against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, who were also 5-3. Manitoba and Saskatchewan played several close contests last season, each winning once in the conference season series, followed by a thrilling semifinal won 37-36 by Manitoba before 2,200 fans in Winnipeg. Manitoba is still the last Canada West team to win the Vanier Cup, back in 2007.
Rounding out Week #1, the UBC Thunderbirds which, at 4-4 made a return to the playoffs in 2013, travel east to play the University of Regina Rams, coming off a tough 2-6 campaign.
Other games of note on the schedule include Manitoba at Calgary on September 26th in a Hardy Cup final rematch and a second head-to-head battle on November 1st in Winnipeg. Provincial foes meet on September 27th as Saskatchewan travels to Regina, while Alberta, which made big strides on offence in 2013, hosts Regina on September 20th and UBC a week later in a pair of games that loom large for a team trying to make playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Detailed radio, television and canadawest.TV webcast schedules will be released in the coming months.
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, winning 96 CIS national titles over the last 10 seasons. Comprised of 17 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games. canadawest.org / canadawest.tv / @cwuaa on Twitter
A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).