Now that the handful of confetti that was set aside for the Stampeders has been thrown and the 2008 Grey Cup champs are back and have greeted their fans in dashing white cowboy hats and my pictures are uploaded, I figure I'll give my own Cup Wrap-up.

I'll start by saying it's a shame that I wasn't able to snap a picture of everything my eyes could see so I will point out some highlights and off-season parting thoughts.

In The Mix of the Game:  I sat in a fairly rowdy section (such as it could be once the Alouettes 13th man was benched) needless to say, I was often cheering only with Henry Burris' parents as the other seats near mine were Roughrider fans who were cheering for the Als and CFL players who were selective about their moments of enthusiasm.  But what can be said?  No defense really wants to allow a shoot-out in the Grey Cup and I have no problem saying that I wasn't let down by the game.

In Case You Didn't Know:  CFL superfans are some of the best people!  The Spirit of Edmonton party was more like a rock concert, the amount of people on the street wearing their team colors, painted faces, flags, horns, the works.  The Grey Cup Village was fun despite the bitter cold too.  In no other league will you be able to go to a championship and literally trip over the players in your daily travels and be able to just go and talk to them.  The Stampeders ended up spoiling the post-game party far more than I would've imagined but I suppose that's the drawback to having the host team be in the big dance.

Pleasant Surprises:  Perhaps the best one was being seated at the only rowdy table at the FRC lunch which included my fellow Redzone blogger Jack Bedell who is one of the coolest of the cool and to be around so many reporters that I either respect or wholeheartedly dislike was pretty cool, not to mention how funny they are.  I now have a deeper appreciation for how the CFL is covered in more enthusiastic CFL cities.  My other pleasant surprise was exactly how funny CFL players and other league employees are when they let loose.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

Thoughts for the Off-Season:  The off-season should be every bit as interesting and drama-filled with many free-agents on the market and another impressive CIS draft class.  Could 2009 be the year to develop a CIS-made quarterback??  Benoit Groulx's got better stats than a few current starters...I'm just saying.  Many teams will be shaking up their head offices as well as rosters.  Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for fallen NFLers too.

Shout outs to:  My pal Russ and the Roughrider fans in section 116, you guys are fanhood done right!  Also to Bob Coatsworth who called the Stamps win too for the best reasons I've ever heard!

Peace out to: Cam Wake and Jamel Richardson (most likely).  As much as there's talk about how much fans claim they'll miss Wake, I'm skeptical.  We'll only miss him until Buono makes another one.  He does that you know.  Both have legit chances of sticking around in the NFL if the opportunity is right.

It's been real Redzone.

The Grey Cup. Stampeders against Alouettes. The momentous conclusion. 

Enough preamble, let's do this:

	Andy Baechler (46-30)	Jack Bedell (44-32)	D.J. Bennett (45-31)	Bob Coatsworth (46-30)	Derek Jory (45-31)	Jann Shreve (46-30)
Calgary vs. Montreal

BACK'EM UP

Each week we ask someone to back up their picks. But we're talking Grey Cup here and everyone has an opinion.

Andy - Alouettes - With both Henry Burris and Anthony Calvillo performing at the top of their games, I look for the play of the running backs to be the difference in the Grey Cup.  While Joffrey Reynolds has certainly established himself as one of the best backs in the league, he has struggled in the second half and tallied just 43 yards last week versus the Lions. I look for Avon Cobourne come up big for Montreal like he has all year. Cobourne appears to be back to his usual self after missing time with an ankle injury. Last week, his ability to pick up the blitz and help protect A.C. was a huge part of Montreal's success against the Eskimos. Expect the Stampeders to do everything they can to get to Calvillo on Sunday to upset his timing and disrupt his rhythm. Cobourne will be called upon once again to help in the protection schemes to protect Calvillo, don't be surprised if he makes some big plays catching the ball out of the backfield, whether on designed screen passes or simple checkdown routes. I'm calling for Cobourne to get in the end zone a couple of times. Cobourne is your MVP.

Jack -  Alouettes - Calgary's two wins over Montreal were a lot closer than people seem to remember. In the first game, the Alouettes had the Stamps on the ropes and let them off the hook at the end of the game. In the second tilt, the Stamps kept their composure a little better and were the more consistent offence on the day.  At this point in the season, Montreal has evolved into an ultra-consistent offence and is a more composed team than Calgary, especially in terms of picking up major penalties. They'll take this game at home, one way or the other.

D.J. - Alouettes - Montreal has home field. The Als' players already have parties planned on Ste. Catherine Street and they don't want to let the fans down. I fully expect to see Cobourne, Anwar Stewart and Ben Cahoon at Club Super Sexe with Cabbie and Tony Ambrogio after the game.

Bob - Stampeders - I've been on the Stamps to win the Grey Cup for the last three seasons. Now they finally have a chance to do it and this time they have a defence to support the offence. I hate to go against the Alouettes in their home city, but I'm gonna go with my gut.

Derek - Alouettes - It's only fitting that the toughest prediction of the season would be the final one. Now typically I've lived by the stats but keeping with that theme made this decision even harder. Calvillo had the top QB rating. Reynolds was the league's top rusher with Cobourne not far behind. Rambo led in receiving, but Richardson and Cahoon didn't trail by much. The only thing the stats prove is that the two best teams, with the league's best players, are playing for the Grey Cup. Montreal will win this game because they've been the most consistent in the CFL this season, they've got game-changers on both sides of the ball and playing in front of a home crowd the Alouettes will have the fans on their side. It should be tight, but the Als will come out on top.

Jann - Stampeders - Numbers have this thing looking even pretty much down the page, but Henry Burris has a fair bit to prove and sometimes that chip on the shoulder looks good on him. I'm seeing it coming down to who's defence gets tired first as both teams have weapons on the ground and in the air. While a Montreal win in Montreal sounds like a nice football storybook, the Stamps have a chance at a plot twist.

DIVISON FINAL RECORDS:
Andy 2-0
Jack 2-0
D.J. 1-1
Bob 2-0
Derek 1-1
Jann 1-1

Fans of Canadian university football are sure to be in front of the TV this Saturday when Western takes on Laval for the Vanier Cup at 2 p.m. ET on The Score.

You can also catch the broadcast live online starting with the pre-game show. And as an added bonus we'll host a Vanier Cup live blog so you can watch the game and talk about it at the same time.

Andy Baechler and Ryan Pyear, Vanier Cup champions with Laurier in 2005, will be taking part in the live blog so be sure to check it out.

Log onto TheScore.com Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and look for the link to launch the webcast and live blog. See you then.

Shame on all of us. Doesn't this seem to happen every year? The league gets very predictable down the final stretch of the regular season and then WHAM!! The playoffs arrive and things don't make sense anymore.

Playing favourites and taking home teams doesn't pay when it comes to the CFL playoffs. Remember last year when Winnipeg went into Toronto as a touchdown underdog and stunned the Argos while they pined for a Grey Cup appearance in their own building? Or what about the Riders grinding out a win at B.C. Place?

Anything can happen, as demonstrated by the Lions and Eskimos' easy walkthrough to this point. None of us forecasted it, while two of us completely whiffed; myself included.

We'll try to get things figured out with our Division Final picks:

	Andy Baechler (44-30)	Jack Bedell (42-32)	D.J. Bennett (44-30)	Bob Coatsworth (44-30)	Derek Jory (44-30)	Jann Shreve (45-29)
Edmonton vs. Montreal
B.C. vs. Calgary

BACK'EM UP

Each week we ask someone to back up their picks. Jack "steps up and in" to provide his insight on the Division finals. He's informed me that he's tossed analysis aside and is playing hunches this week. Of course, Als over Eskimos, is clearly just his hunch.

Montreal over Edmonton — The Alouettes and Eskimos split a pair of home-field blowouts this season. My bet is neither of those games are accurate barometers for how the final will go down. Ricky Ray and Anthony Calvillo are both elite QBs on top of their games. In fact, both offences are so good, that side of the game is a wash. The Als' defence is the better of the two units, though, and has more of a chance to tilt the field toward the home team. Montreal has the better ground attack as well. Those factors bode well for controlling the clock and punching a ticket to the Grey Cup.

Calgary over B.C. — The B.C. Lions are on a roll coming off an impressive road victory in Regina. They boast the league's best defensive line and a ball-hawking secondary. They also have serious playmakers on offence like Stefan Logan and Geroy Simon. But something tells me it's time Henry Burris steps up in a playoff game. The Stamps' talent on offence and a drastically improved defence should win the day.

DIVISON SEMI-FINAL RECORDS:
Andy 1-1
Jack 1-1
D.J. 1-1
Bob 0-2
Derek 0-2
Jann 1-1

The playoffs are here. And this Saturday, following a season where the football has been played closer than it has in years, really anything could happen.

We could easily have an 8-10 team move onto the Division Finals. In fact, the Bombers are listed as two-and-a-half-point favourites over the Eskimos. And while the Lions face going into the madhouse that is Mosaic Stadium, they've gone there before and won. The last three times to be exact.

A look at our semi-final selections reiterates that Saturday's games are there for anyone's taking:

	Andy Baechler (43-29)	Jack Bedell (41-31)	D.J. Bennett (43-29)	Bob Coatsworth (44-28)	Derek Jory (44-28)	Jann Shreve (44-28)
Edmonton vs. Winnipeg
B.C. vs. Sask.

BACK'EM UP

Each week we ask someone to back up their picks. Following a 4-0 finish to the season I'll do the honours for the opening round.

Winnipeg over Edmonton - Winnipeg won six of its last eight games, while Edmonton has lost two of three. Looking at the inconsistent trend of Edmonton's season, they're due for a win here. But the Esks are on the road where they've been brutal. Game-time conditions are expected to be cold and windy. That's not good for Edmonton's aerial attack and plays into what Doug Berry will want to do with Joe Smith and Fred Reid.

Bombers win 25-18.

Saskatchewan over B.C. - What a war this will be. Two teams that hate each other and play smashmouth defence. Throwing four interceptions last week in Toronto was the best thing Michael Bishop could have done. Turnovers are what will decide this game and the 'Riders coaching staff will be extra careful with Bishop in order to avoid them.

Riders win 30-23.

WEEK 19 RECORDS:
Andy 3-1
Jack 2-2
D.J. 3-1
Bob 4-0
Derek 3-1
Jann 3-1