Week 8 of the 2025 CFL season is officially in the books and it resulted in a change atop the 3DownNation power rankings.
The East Division swept three interdivisional games this past week with two of the wins coming on the road in come-from-behind fashion. After two low-scoring games to start the week, fans were treated to an uptick on Saturday before a 70-point outing on Sunday.
3DownNation’s power rankings are created by having 10 contributors rank each team from No. 1 to No. 9 independently, then averaging out the scores. The previous week’s rankings are in brackets. As always, please be sure to check back every Monday morning for our updated power rankings following each week of action in the CFL.
Enjoy the rankings and feel free to roast us on social media for anything you think we got wrong.
1) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3)
The Ticats have gone from worst to first thanks to a five-game winning streak, which was extended thanks to a late comeback over the B.C. Lions. It was an uncharacteristically quiet night from Kenny Lawler, though Kiondré Smith fell only two catches shy of tying the single-game franchise record as he snagged 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. It’s tough to win when you lose the turnover battle on the road but Hamilton accomplished just that thanks to 486 yards of net offence.
2) Saskatchewan Roughriders (2)
Saskatchewan’s pass rushers were treated to a bottomless buffet of quarterback sacks against the Elks as they brought Cody Fajardo down eight times, though it wasn’t enough to get them atop our rankings. Samuel Emilus recorded his second 100-yard game of the season, though he also suffered his second injury of the year as he left the game and didn’t return. Regardless, the Riders are riding high right now as the CFL’s only one-loss team.
3) Calgary Stampeders (1)
Just when everybody agreed that the Stampeders were the undisputed best team in the CFL, they suffered a home loss to a backup quarterback. Vernon Adams Jr. was unable to finish the game after suffering a suspected head injury and P.J. Walker struggled in relief. Calgary also lost the turnover battle and managed only one sack, which was surprising given how well they were able to rush the passer amid a 5-1 start.
4) Montreal Alouettes (4)
The Larks limited the high-flying Stampeders to 21 points and 323 net yards at McMahon Stadium to get their first win of the season without franchise quarterback Davis Alexander. McLeod Bethel-Thompson bounced back from an ugly first-quarter interception to finish with a solid stat line but the true hero was veteran kicker Jose Maltos, who hit a 57-yard field goal that turned out to be the game-winner. The boot was a new franchise record.
5) Toronto Argonauts (7)
The Boatmen got some bad news this week as Chad Kelly hit the six-game injured list and the team’s battered offensive line struggled at times against a middling Blue Bombers pass rush. The important thing, however, is that they finally got their second victory of the season and did so in convincing fashion. Nick Arbuckle was particularly impressive in the win at BMO Field as he threw for 316 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
6) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5)
It was a case of double déjà vu in Bomberland this week as the team suffered a double-digit loss and an injury to Zach Collaros, making it a repeat of last year’s Grey Cup and the previous week’s loss to Calgary. As per 3DownNation reporter John Hodge, Winnipeg has now lost three straight games by double-digit margins for the first time since 2014, which clearly has our contributors feeling down on them.
7) B.C. Lions (6)
The Leos got over 100 yards and two touchdowns from James Butler in his revenge game against Hamilton but choked away a late 10-point lead after multiple defensive breakdowns and an untimely two-and-out. It’s tough for any team to swallow a late-game collapse but this one was especially bad given that it occurred at home against a team that flew five hours for what felt like a late-night game. B.C. simply isn’t good enough right now.
8) Ottawa Redblacks (8)
The Redblacks were idle in Week 8, giving them a chance to take stock of how things went wrong amid a 1-6 start. The standings are still ugly but the good news for R-Nation is that franchise quarterback Dru Brown, receiver Bralon Addison, centre Peter Godber, and cornerback C.J. Coldon all look primed to return from injury this week, which should improve Ottawa’s chances of knocking off the Stampeders at home.
9) Edmonton Elks (9)
Cody Fajardo breathed some life into Edmonton’s anemic offence in his long-anticipated return to Riderville but it took until the fourth quarter for the team to find the end zone. The biggest concern for the Elks has to be their pass protection as Saskatchewan got home for a whopping eight sacks. If he continues to face such consistent pressure, it seems inevitable Fajardo will end up with an injury before long.
