Elks one win from hosting West Final as Alberta's playoff picture takes shape

The Edmonton Elks have locked up a home playoff game, and one more win will make it the Western Final.

Edmonton sits first in the West Division at 12-4 with two games left in the regular season. The Elks host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday (7:30 p.m. MT) and close the schedule at Saskatchewan on Oct. 24, the final day of the CFL regular season.

A win in either game clinches first place for Edmonton, which would host the Western Final at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7 (4:30 p.m. MT). The BC Lions, second at 10-6, are the only team that can still pass the Elks, and they would need to win out and have Edmonton lose twice.

Even if Edmonton finishes second, its playoff run starts at home: the second-place team hosts the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, Oct. 31 (2:30 p.m. MT), with the winner advancing to the division final.

The playoff road ends in Alberta either way. The 113th Grey Cup is set for Sunday, Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

Before then, the Stampeders close their regular season at McMahon on Saturday against BC, in kicker René Paredes' regular-season farewell. Calgary is 8-9 in fifth place in the West.