CALGARY - With one of the best seasons in program history already locked up, the University of Calgary Dinos will look to put the finishing touches on the 2014 campaign Saturday when they visit the Manitoba Bisons (3-4) in Winnipeg.

For the Dinos (6-1), who have already clinched top spot and home field advantage, it's one last chance to tune up and work out any remaining kinks before the postseason begins next week. On the other side, though, the game is crucial for Manitoba: the Bisons control their playoff destiny and will clinch a berth with a victory, while a loss would put all that in jeopardy.

These two teams played one of the best games in the conference this year back on Sept. 26, when the Dinos squeaked out a 42-41 win after the Bisons malfunctioned on a game-winning field goal try. That game sparked a strange sequence for Manitoba: the Herd lost the following week at Alberta, came home to beat Saskatchewan by 33, and then lost a 56-41 shootout at Regina last week.

It is quite possibly a first-round playoff preview, as there are several scenarios in which Manitoba would finish fourth and travel to Calgary next week for the playoffs. Should that happen, it would mark the third year in a row the Dinos will play their Week 8 contest against their first-round playoff opponent after Manitoba (2012) and UBC (2013). In both cases, Calgary won both games.

Action gets underway at 2 p.m. local (1 p.m. MT) Saturday, live on Canada West.tv. Here's a look at the two teams:

No. 2 Calgary Dinos (6-1)
Last week: defeated UBC 67-6; next week: host Canada West Semifinal

Their 2014 season won't officially end at 8-0, but the No. 2-ranked University of Calgary Dinos will search for on-field perfection Saturday. And what an offensive juggernaut they have been.

Through seven games, the Dinos have already set school records for points scored (388) and touchdowns (48) – both of which were set in 2012. And Calgary has at least two more school records in its sights as well: the Dinos need just 37 more rushing yards to match the 2007 total of 2,353, and a team that has averaged 655 yards per game needs just 131 more to equal the total offence mark of 4,720 yards. In fact, the Dinos are in striking distance of the magic 5,000-yard mark in total offence – a spectacular feat.

Mercer Timmis returned to Calgary's lineup last week in the Dinos' 67-6 win over UBC last Saturday after sitting out nearly two full games. And he picked up right where he left off: 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns kept him atop the leaderboard in Canada West. Andrew Buckley, meanwhile, continued his MVP-calibre season, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for another and directing the Calgary offence to another 60-point outburst.

The Dinos will host the second of two Canada West Semifinals next Saturday, Nov. 8 with kickoff at 3 p.m. at McMahon Stadium, live on Shaw TV.

Manitoba Bisons (3-5)
Last week: lost to Regina 56-41. Next week: TBD

It has been an up-and-down, back-and-forth season for the Bisons. They've won all three previous games at home by an average of 22 points, but they suffered losses in all four road games, including a 15-point defeat at Regina last week. That game, an offensive shootout, saw the teams combine for nearly 1,200 yards of total offence. Kienan LaFrance picked up 175 yards rushing, while Nic Demski had 238 receiving yards on just nine catches for Manitoba. Theo Dezar started at quarterback in place of Jordan Yantz against the Rams.

The Bisons are mired in a four-way battle for the last two playoff positions on the final day of the regular season. With a 3-4 record, a win over Calgary would guarantee them a playoff berth and, with an Alberta loss, they would finish third. Should the Bisons end up tied with the Golden Bears, however, Alberta would earn the higher spot because of their seven-point win in Edmonton in early October. But those are just two of several possible scenarios, one of which is a four-way tie between Manitoba, Regina, Alberta, and UBC at 3-5 – and point differential would become critical in that scenario.

For Manitoba, though, it's a simple matter: stay undefeated at home and beat No. 2 Calgary, and they're in the playoffs.

-UC-