CALGARY – It was a wild and wacky Week 7 in Canada West football, but when it's all said and done the University of Calgary Dinos are still in the driver's seat as they welcome UBC to close out the regular season Saturday.

Kickoff goes at 3 p.m. MT from McMahon Stadium, live on CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

There's plenty to unpack as the Dinos look to rebound from their 43-29 loss at Manitoba last week and get set to face a UBC squad that pulled of a major upset with a 38-37 win over Saskatchewan, a victory that greatly assisted the Dinos' cause in trying to lock down first place. The scenario could be simple for Calgary: a win Saturday would guarantee them first place outright and home field advantage all the way through the Mitchell Bowl.

A loss, on the other hand, opens up a Pandora's box of scenarios that could have the Dinos anywhere from first to third, depending on other results around the league. A summary of those possible outcomes is available from Canada West HERE.

In the midst of all that, the Dinos will pay tribute to an outstanding group of graduating seniors prior to Saturday's contest – and it's a star studded list: defensive backs Sterling Taylor IV and Nick Statz, linebacker Ross DeLauw, receivers Jack McDonald, Hunter Karl, and Dallas Boath, running back Jeshrun Antwi, and quarterback Adam Sinagra. Those eight will also be feted at a postgame celebration with alumni, parents, and friends of the program at the Red and White Club.

HEADLINES

• Second of two meetings between the Dinos and Thunderbirds, with Calgary winning 47-13 at UBC back on Sept. 14
• The Dinos are headed to the postseason for the 13th consecutive season with their 5-2 record, while the young Thunderbirds will miss the playoffs with 2-5 their best-possible record
• UBC can play spoiler, however, as they did to Saskatchewan last week. The Huskies' chances at first now rest on another upset by the Thunderbirds, along with a win of their own.
• The top three seeds all fell in CW action last week, resulting in a major shake-up in the national rankings. The Dinos fell from No. 4 to No. 8, while Saskatchewan dropped from third to seventh.

RECORDS WATCH
A quartet of school records are under threat as a pair of fifth-year athletes chase some program legends:

• Passing Yards: Sinagra enters the game with 8,062 career yards, 339 shy of Greg Vavra's 8,401
• Passing TDs: Sinagra's 59 is four behind Vavra's 63
• Receptions: Karl has 149 career catches, six back of Chris Dobko's school record of 155
• Receiving Yards: With 2,524 yards, Karl trails Don Blair's 2,611 by just 87 yards

No. 8 CALGARY DINOS (5-2)
Last week: lost to Manitoba 43-29
Next week: Canada West semifinal

• The Dinos have topped the CW standings seven of the last eight years and can guarantee themselves another with a win over UBC
• Turnovers and field position have been key concerns of late, including last week's loss at Manitoba where the Dinos dominated statistically but found themselves down on the scoreboard.
• In their last outing against UBC, the Dinos fell behind 13-0 early before reeling off 47 unanswered points – their highest output of the season
• The Dinos will look to go 4-0 at home for the second year in a row. McMahon has been one of the toughest places in the country for visiting teams over the last decade-plus, with the Dinos owning a 43-4 regular season record on home turf since the 2008 season.
• Following the game, the Dinos will recognize their seniors and honour former Sports Information Director Jack Neumann for an incredible milestone: earlier this season, he attended his 200th consecutive Dinos football home game – a streak dating back to 1978.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (2-5)
Last week: defeated Saskatchewan 38-37

• After starting the season 0-5, the Thunderbirds have found their footing and reeled off back-to-back wins, first beating Regina on the road before their last-minute, come-from-behind win over Saskatchewan last week at Thunderbird Stadium
• With the notable exception of their 2015 Hardy Cup win, McMahon has not been a kind place to the Thunderbirds. Their last conference win in Calgary was Sept. 15, 2000, and all-time the Dinos are 39-11-2 at home against UBC in conference and playoff action
• Gabe Olivares has taken over UBC's starting QB duties, throwing for more than 300 yards in each of their two wins, including a 376-yard, 2 TD performance against Saskatchewan.
• UBC will miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

-UC-