CALGARY – A year later, and here we are again: the University of Calgary Dinos hosting the UBC Thunderbirds in the 80th Hardy Cup football championship.

Though it's the same two programs on the field as a year ago, the situation is far different. Both teams have experienced significant injury woes over the course of the season, and neither has been as dominant as they were in 2015. But both are coming in after big wins last week, with UBC looking to continue the defence of its Vanier Cup title while the Dinos aim to head back to the national playoffs after a two-year absence.

At stake is not only the conference title, but hosting rights for the U Sports Mitchell Bowl next week, with the Atlantic champion set to head west. Mount Allison visits StFX in the Loney Bowl earlier Saturday, while the other conference finals see Laval at Montreal and Western hosting Laurier.

The Hardy Cup goes at 1 p.m. MT Saturday at McMahon Stadium, live on Shaw TV and CanadaWest.tv.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

HEADLINES

• Second straight Hardy Cup meeting between the Dinos and T-Birds, and third in the last six years. Calgary won in 2011, with UBC winning in 2015
• Both teams boast 15 all-time Hardy Cup titles, tied for second best in Canada West history behind Saskatchewan (18)
• UBC's last four Hardy Cup wins have all come over Calgary: 1986, 1987, 1997, and 2015
• Since the Hardy Cup became a permanent playoff game, it has been hosted at McMahon Stadium on 14 of a possible 41 occasions (including 2016). This is the seventh straight year and the eighth in the last nine that the Hardy Cup will be handed out on McMahon Stadium turf
• UBC is Calgary's most common playoff opponent, with Saturday's game the 11th all time. The record is an even 5-5, with the Dinos holding a 4-1 edge at home
• The Dinos swept the two meetings between the teams this year, winning 35-8 at home on Sept. 9 before escaping with a 41-35 OT win Oct. 29 in Vancouver
• The winner will host the U Sports Mitchell Bowl next Saturday, with the Atlantic champion making the long trip west. The winner of that game advances to the 52nd Vanier Cup at Tim Hortons field in Hamilton.

No. 6 CALGARY DINOS (7-2)
Last week: defeated Saskatchewan 47-17

• The Dinos' OT win at UBC two weeks ago came against
• For the second straight year, the Dinos enter the Hardy Cup after defeating Saskatchewan. However, where last year Calgary had to come from behind in the fourth quarter against the Huskies, last week the Dinos scored 40 unanswered points to win their semifinal going away at 47-17
• The semifinal win over Saskatchewan saw contributions from all three facets: the offence moved the ball and scored points, the defence turned over the ball and held the Huskies at bay, and the return game was strong with two 70-plus yard runbacks, including a 96-yard kickoff return TD. As a result, the Dinos swept the conference player-of-the-week nods: Austen Hartley (offence), Connor McGough (defence), and Denzel Radford (specials)
• Winners of six straight Hardy Cups from 2008-13, the Dinos have lost the last two championship games at home to Manitoba (2014) and UBC (2015)
• The Dinos are 23-4 at home in the playoffs all-time and 50-6 overall at McMahon Stadium since 2008
• Dinos QB Adam Sinagra has started the last three games, tossing for seven TDs and no interceptions in relief of the injured Jimmy Underdahl. Their top target, Hartley, led the conference with 110.2 yards per game in the regular season, adding seven receptions for 145 yards and a TD against Saskatchewan last week
• Calgary's depth has been called on all season long as the Dinos dealt with a rash of injuries at quarterback, tailback, offensive line, and defensive back. All told, Calgary has used 64 different players on rosters this year.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (4-5)
Last week: defeated Regina 40-34

• After losing their last three games of the regular season, the Thunderbirds turned it around with a big performance to knock off first-place Regina at Mosaic Stadium last week – though the Rams did make a game of it late
• Michael O'Connor tossed for 397 yards and two TDs in the contest against the Rams, completing 29 passes to six different receivers and out-passing conference MVP Noah Picton in the process
• UBC enjoyed two 17-point outbursts in the game, one in the second quarter in 5:11 and the other taking just 6:54, giving them enough to withstand a furious Regina comeback effort in the fourth quarter
• Second-year safety Stavros Katsantonis led the conference and finished tied for second in the nation with five interceptions on the year
• UBC head coach Blake Nill is in his ninth straight conference title game, the first seven of which came with the Dinos from 2008-14
• The Thunderbirds are just the second team to reach the Hardy Cup after a sub-.500 regular season, joining the 2010 Alberta Golden Bears, who also visited Calgary in the final
• Other than the Dinos, who won six in a row from 2008-13, the last team to win back-to-back Hardy Cups was Saskatchewan with three straight from 2004-06. UBC last repeated as conference camps in 1986 and 1987.

-UC-