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.

Red Zone blogger Andy Baechler, and former Vanier Cup champion 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

The list of East and West nominees for the Gibson’s Finest Players Awards was released this week, and I have to admit there’s not much to argue about with the names on the list.

Normally, I can quibble top-to-bottom when players are chosen from the divisional lists for these awards, but it’s an extraordinarily strong field this go around full of deserving names (though I might have gone Damon Duval over an injured Dominique Dorsey for Special Teams Player of the Year from the East!).

Henry Burris and Anthony Cavillo have both enjoyed MOP-quality seasons. Arguments either way are sure to be strong and meritorious when voters get to it next week. I’d have to lean toward Calvillo, and not only because his stats are better. AC has gone way beyond anyone’s expectations this year. Burris has simply lived up to what’s expected of him, finally.

For Outstanding Canadian, you couldn’t have two finer candidates than Kamau Peterson and Ben Cahoon. In fact, I can’t even imagine a conversation on the topic devoid of those names. Cahoon’s had an exceptional year, but Peterson has flat-out been an inspiration to his team with his heart and his big-time play-making. While I’d be happy either way, if it were my trophy to give, I’d pass it to KP for that reason alone.

Defensive POY? Slam Dunk—Cam Wake. No offense to Doug Brown, but there’s just no way to go with anyone else.

Offensive Lineman of the Year is another tough category, with Gene Makowsky and Scott Flory going head-to-head. Both are superb players who’ve had excellent years. Both play on exemplary o-lines. Coin toss goes to Flory, and not because I’m a homer, but because the Als have kept their QB a little cleaner this season.

I’m already on record as saying Wes Dressler deserves Top Rookie distinction. Prechae Rodriguez definitely belongs in the conversation, but Dressler had a much bigger hand in keeping the Riders’ title defence hopes alive, especially when Wes Cates was out to injury.

And finally, with Dominique Dorsey coming out of the East as the nominee for Special Teams POY, I have to lean towards Sandro DeAngelis for the prize. Had Dorsey stayed healthy enough to finish out the year on pace, he’d be a shoe-in. But…he didn’t, so Mr. Heavy Foot gets my vote. Actually, this is the one category I have issues with. Luca Congi and Damon Duval had better seasons than DeAngelis, in my opinion, but they aren’t on the ticket…

PLAYOFF PICKS DOOMED TO FAIL

I may have finished the year 41-31, but everybody’s 0-0 now that the playoffs are set to kick off. So here goes…

Normally, I’d run away from picking a crossover team, given the history of failure that route’s cultivated, but I like Edmonton’s chances in Winnipeg this week. Even with Winnipeg’s strong finish to the season, I’m going with the Esks in the East semis.

Out West, I’m backing the Riders at home 110%.

UP NEXT

Check back early next week for my take on the first round of playoff tilts. I’ll also throw together a short list of my favourite moments from the 2008 season Until then, enjoy the games. And get your post-season grills on. It’s all one and done now!

Well here we are, it's the final week of the regular season and just two games separate the six of us now veteran CFL prognosticators.The last week of the season is always a little strange as playoff implications impact the way teams decide to play out the string.

You can tell by the variety this week, that we're all taking some calculated risks in order to try to come out on top, so with the regular-season picks title is on the line, here are our Week 19 selections:

	Andy Baechler (40-28)	Jack Bedell (39-29)	D.J. Bennett (40-28)	Bob Coatsworth (40-28)	Derek Jory (41-27)	Jann Shreve (41-27)
Sask. vs. Toronto
Edmonton  vs. Montreal
Hamilton vs. Winnipeg
B.C. vs. Calgary

BACK'EM UP

Each week we ask someone to back up their selections. After going 3-1 last week we call on Andy - to the delight of you Rider fans out there - to give us some support for his selections.

Saskatchewan over Toronto - The Riders' 55-9 thumping over the Eskimos last week was enough to convince me that this team is once again a force to be reckoned with in the postseason. The Riders need a win, coupled with a Lions loss this week, to secure a home playoff game. With that motivation driving them, look for Saskatchewan to come away with a victory on the road versus an Argos squad that is merely playing for pride.

Montreal over Edmonton - Both teams already know their playoff scenarios (the Als enjoying a bye to the East final, while the Eskies crossover to face the Bombers in the East semi). Despite the fact that this game will not have any impact on playoff positioning, both teams will want to enter the playoffs on a positive note. Although the Eskies will be eager to redeem themselves after an embarrassing trip to Mosaic Stadium last week, I expect the Als to redeem themselves after dropping one at home last week to Winnipeg. Also, with a bye week to look forward to, Montreal may also be a little more tempted to leave some first stringers in. I'm taking the Als in this one.

Winnipeg over Hamilton - The last place Ticats visit Winnipeg for the Bombers final tuneup before hosting the Eskies. In what has been an up-and-down season for the Bombers, it's important that Winnipeg establish some consistency before they kickoff the postseason. A win over the Als last week was a step in the right direction, and I'm banking on the Bombers to keep the good vibes going in handling an inferior Hamilton team.

Calgary over B.C. - This is my upset of the week I suppose.  I like the Lions...but I'm hoping that my fellow bloggers are all picking B.C....so hopefully I can make up some ground here! If the Lions win, they host a playoff game. The Leos are also playing some great ball right now (with convincing wins over both Toronto and Edmonton in their last two contests). But the Stamps will be playing at home and will be playing relaxed and pressure-free as they finish off their regular-season schedule and look ahead to their bye. While this game certainly means a lot more to B.C. than it does to Calgary, I'm going to go with the first-place Stamps to pull off the victory at home.

WEEK 18 RECORDS:
Andy 3-1
Jack 2-2
D.J. 3-1
Bob 3-1
Derek 2-2
Jann 2-2