The Canadian Football League are expanding the number of teams that are making the postseason from six to eight teams starting in 2027 according to the Canadian Press on Wednesday. If you thought the previous sentence was a misprint or a complete joke, it is not. This is the latest change made by Canadian Football League Commissioner Stewart Johnston. However, this change deserves a bucket load of criticism. The fact that eight of the nine teams in the CFL are making the postseason makes the regular season nearly completely irrelevant.
Under the new format, the top two teams in each division will play against each other in the first round. The winners will go directly to the Grey Cup semifinals, while the losers will play the winners of the 5 vs. 8 and 6 vs. 7 games.
I 100% agree with the comments made from Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back and 2024 CFL Most Outstanding Player Brady Oliveira of Winnipeg, Manitoba. According to 3Down Nation, he stated, “eight out of nine teams in the Canadian Football League playoffs takes away from what makes those games special. Playoff football is supposed to be earned. If anything, grow the league by adding more teams, not the number of automatic spots.”
Well said, Mr. Oliveira. If 88% of the teams in CFL make the playoffs starting next year, the majority of regular season games become insignificant and not worth discussing, especially on canadiansportscene.com.
