CALGARY - After another wacky week in Canada West with a second helping of mid-week changes to the standings thanks to player ineligibility, the four remaining teams in the conference football playoffs hope to shift the focus this weekend back to the football field where it belongs.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

First, a quick synopsis of the week's events: the Saskatchewan Huskies defeated Regina last Friday night to clinch first place in the conference, eliminating the Rams from the playoffs in the process. A day later, Manitoba defeated Simon Fraser while the Dinos laid a 40-5 defeat on the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton, and the playoff positions were set: Alberta would visit Saskatchewan, while Calgary would host Manitoba.

Tuesday morning, however, Canada West announced that Manitoba would be stripped of three victories this season due to the use of an ineligible player. The Bisons dropped from 5-3 to 2-5 and out of the playoffs, while Alberta improved to 4-4 after receiving one of those games by forfeit. The Regina Rams, who thought they were eliminated Friday night, suddenly had new life and began practicing again. And so, the rarest of circumstances has brought about the rarest of circumstances: both Canada West semi-finals this week feature provincial rivalries, the third meetings of the season between the two sides, and are re-matches of last week's final regular season games with the venue reversed after the higher seeds won significant victories on the road.

After all that, the second-ranked Calgary Dinos, fresh off their best regular season since 1988 at 7-1, get set to host the Alberta Golden Bears in the playoffs for just the second time in history and the first since 1993. Kickoff is 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 at McMahon Stadium (Shaw TV, The FAN 960, www.fan960.com).

Calgary Co-op and Dinos Football's Fifth Quarter Association have teamed up once again to present the playoff tilt. Tickets are available now until Friday at all Calgary Co-op customer service centres for the discounted price of $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and $25 for a family of up to five.

Tickets will also be available at the McMahon Stadium box office on game day, with regular playoff ticket pricing of $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and $40 for families in effect.

University of Calgary students will be admitted to the game at no charge, courtesy Calgary Co-op.

Of the four playoff games between the provincial rivals in history, just one has been played at McMahon Stadium when the Dinos defeated the Bears 32-12 in the 1993 Canada West final. Calgary owns a 2-2 record all-time against Alberta in the post-season with wins in 1984 and 1993 and losses in 1980 and 2004. In that 2004 game at Foote Field in Edmonton, the fourth-place Dinos paid a visit to the top-seeded Golden Bears and returned on the wrong end of a 39-13 decision.

Much has changed in five years, and the roles are reversed this season as the 4-4 Bears visit the 7-1 Dinos. Calgary took both ends of the two-game season series with a 34-31 win at McMahon Sept. 12 followed by last weekend's 35-point win in Edmonton. Defeating a team three times in a season is a tall order, one which both favourites in this weekend's playoff action will have to overcome as the Saskatchewan Huskies host their provincial rivals, the Regina Rams, also Saturday afternoon.

The winners of the two semi-final games will meet for the 73rd Hardy Cup Championship next weekend at the home of the highest remaining seed. The Canada West champion will then head to Halifax to meet the Atlantic champion for the Uteck Bowl, with the winner of that advancing to the Vanier Cup at Université Laval in Quebec City.

Having to prepare for a new opponent mid-week is always a challenge, but the Bears and Dinos are very familiar with each other as they prepare to meet for the third time in 2009. Here's a look at the two sides as the Battle of Alberta takes a rare tour down the playoff trail:

No. 2 Calgary Dinos (7-1)
Last week: won 40-5 @ Alberta

Their 35-point win last Saturday was among the largest in history against the Golden Bears, but the No. 2 Calgary Dinos are fully aware that it means nothing in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario like the Canada West playoffs.

The 2009 season will long be remembered in the record books for the Dinos after setting a new team total offence record (4,651 yards), obliterating the first down record by 40 (236), and tying the school record for touchdowns (39). But all those milestones mean nothing if the team fails to advance through the post-season.

After opening the season with a loss to Saskatchewan, the Dinos eked out a three-point win over Alberta and have basically been rolling ever since. Their margin of victory in the seven-game win streak they currently ride has averaged better than 21 points, with the two games against the Bears representing both the lowest spread (3) and the highest (35).

Erik Glavic had the most accurate passing season in school history, completing 67.5 per cent of his passes while directing the nation's top offence. He led Canada West in both touchdown passes (14) and fewest interceptions (6) among starting pivots, and he finished in a fourth-place tie in rushing with 503 yards – all earning him Calgary's nomination for the Hec Crighton Award.

The rushing title went to the Dinos' Matt Walter for the second straight year with his career-high 1,103-yard season. Walter led the conference in touchdowns with 12, followed closely by leading receiver Anthony Parker, who had 10 majors to go with his 816 receiving yards – which also led the conference.

The Dinos have finished the regular season at 7-1 only two other times in their history: 1984, when they won Canada West but lost the Bowl game to Guelph, and 1988, when they won their third Vanier Cup title. Calgary is 19-17 all-time in post-season action, including a 10-2 mark at McMahon Stadium.

Alberta Golden Bears (4-4)
Last week: lost 40-5 vs. Calgary

At times looking like world-beaters – a 27-7 win over Saskatchewan in Week 4, a late comeback against Calgary Week 2 – the Golden Bears struggled with consistency all season and will look to play spoiler as they make their first post-season appearance since 2005.

In their final two games against the Huskies and Dinos, the Bears managed just eight total points while giving up 79 and will need to find their offence if they plan to pull off an upset on Saturday. Alberta's season-high in points was 33 – a mark the Dinos bettered in each of their seven wins and, if you include the points scored in overtime of the Saskatchewan game, Calgary had 33 in that one, too.

Starting quarterback Quade Armstrong threw a conference-high 15 interceptions on the year against just four touchdowns, racking up 1,315 passing yards. His top target was Laine Rogers, who averaged just under 60 yards per game. Running back Tendayi Jozzy missed the first Calgary game and didn't see a single carry in the second one, despite leading the Bears with 503 yards along the ground on the season.

Craig Gerbrandt is the defensive star for the Golden Bears, recording 10 of Alberta's conference-leading 21 sacks on the year – three of which came against Erik Glavic.

-UC-