LIVESTREAM Western Final: BC Lions @ Saskatchewan Roughriders, Nov. 9, 00:30 CET (12:30 am, 6:30 pm Nov. 8 ET)

By José Ferraz

After six straight years of Winnipeg dominance, the West finally has new blood.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions will clash in a Western Final that doesn’t involve the Blue Bombers for the first time since 2017, a matchup that guarantees a fresh face in the Grey Cup.

The Riders haven’t appeared in the Grey Cup since that 2013 victory at Mosaic Stadium, while BC’s last trip came in 2011, when they captured the title at home. Both fan bases have waited more than a decade for this moment, and both teams have the roster, and star power, to end that drought.

Here are three storylines to watch as the Lions visit the Roughriders on Saturday for a trip to the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg.

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Watch live. BC Lions @ Saskatchewan Roughriders, Nov. 9, 00:30 CET (12:30 am, 6:30 pm Nov. 8 ET

A NEW LOOK OUT WEST

For six years, every path to the Grey Cup ran through Winnipeg. That streak is officially over.

The Bombers’ absence feels strange, they’d won the Western Final five straight times and appeared in five consecutive Grey Cups, winning two. But their exit opens the door for a new narrative, and both Saskatchewan and BC are ready to seize it.

The Lions reached 11 wins behind Nathan Rourke’s record-setting year, while the Roughriders finished first in the West Division and posted an 12–6 mark, powered by a defence that led the CFL in fewest points allowed.

The Riders have got the best of the Lions twice this season, winning in Weeks 4 and 7 before dropping a Week 21 contest, in which they rested some of their key starters. The last time these teams met in the playoffs, back in the 2024 Western Semi-Final, the Riders rolled to a 28-19 win en route to the Western Final.

Saturday’s matchup offers a chance for both teams to do something they haven’t done in a decade. BC is looking for its first Grey Cup appearance since 2011, while the Riders are looking to get back to the big game for the first time since 2013.

QUARTERBACKS AND LEGACY

Two quarterbacks, two legacies, and one defining game.

Trevor Harris has waited a long time for this opportunity. Now in his 13th CFL season, Harris has been part of two Grey Cup–winning teams (Toronto in 2012, Ottawa in 2016), but neither as the starter. After leading the Riders to the Western Final last year, he’s back in familiar territory, and perhaps in the best form of his career.

The veteran threw for 4,549 yards and 24 touchdowns this season, his highest totals since 2018. Behind one of the league’s best offensive lines and with AJ Ouellette powering the ground game, Harris has helped turn Saskatchewan into a balanced, efficient attack.

Then there’s Nathan Rourke, the young Canadian pivot that is rewriting the history books. In his first full CFL season since 2022, Rourke shattered the record for most passing yards by a Canadian quarterback (5,373) and led the league in total touchdown (41). He’s also the first Canadian pivot since Russ Jackson to be named a finalist for both Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.

Rourke’s poise, precision, and ability to extend plays with his legs (a league-leading 564 rushing yards among quarterbacks) have made BC’s offence one of the CFL’s most dangerous.

For Harris, a win would be the ultimate validation, proof that he can lead a team all the way. For Rourke, it could be the first chapter in a career-defining run that cements him as one of the league’s greats.

COACHING CONTRAST IN THE COLD

If the quarterbacks bring the star power, the coaches bring the intrigue.

Both Corey Mace and Buck Pierce represent the next wave of CFL leadership, young, bold, and unafraid to shape teams in their image.

Mace, in his second season as Saskatchewan’s head coach, has built a powerhouse defined by toughness and physicality. His defence ranked top-three in nearly every major category, while his offence, led by Harris and Ouellette, has thrived on long, punishing drives that control the clock and wear opponents down.

Pierce, meanwhile, has unleashed one of the league’s most explosive passing attacks in his first year at the helm. The Lions finished first in total offence, passing yards and scoring, with Rourke, Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis forming a lethal trio that can score from anywhere on the field.

It’s a clash of styles. Mace’s grind-it-out, defensive-minded approach versus Pierce’s wide-open high-octane offence. And with the game set in Regina in mid-November, conditions could favour the Riders’ brand of football. Still, the Lions have proven capable of adapting, averaging over 30 points per game on the road this season.

Whichever coach’s philosophy prevails on Saturday could shape not just the outcome of the Western Final, but the next era of coaching battles in the CFL.

Watch live. BC Lions @ Saskatchewan Roughriders, Nov. 9, 00:30 CET (12:30 am, 6:30 pm Nov. 8 ET