After a bit of a hiatus, I’m back with my weekly CFL rankings in 2012.

We had some terrific discussions on a weekly basis two years ago, and I’m hoping for the same this season.

Here’s a look at how I see the league shaking down from top to bottom heading into Week 2. 

1.     B.C. Lions There’s no question, the defending Grey Cup champions are the front-runners. We knew that heading into the 2012 season, and nothing has changed after their wire-to-wire blowout victory over the Blue Bombers.

2.     Calgary Stampeders Drew Tate is the unquestioned leader of the Stamps offense following the departure of Henry Burris. Despite last week’s 38-10 win, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Tate threw for 299 yards and completed 71% of his passes against Montreal, but also tossed a pair of interceptions. 

3.     Saskatchewan Roughriders Is it possible that the Roughriders disastrous 2011 season was a fluke? The talent was certainly there, but there was a lack of drive and leadership. If the Riders 2012 opener was any indication, they’re poised to return to the level they reached in 2010. I’m a big believer in first-year head coach Corey Chamblin.

4.     Toronto Argonauts The Argos could just as easily be 1-0 heading into Saturday’s home-opener against Calgary, but they shot themselves in the foot time and time again in Edmonton last Saturday. Their lack of discipline cost them, but that’s something that can be fixed. The pieces are in place for Toronto to contend for the East title this year.

5.     Hamilton Tiger-Cats I mentioned earlier that it’s important not to overreact to the results we saw last weekend, and the Ti-Cats are a perfect example. This is a much better football team than it showed in its home opener against Saskatchewan last week. That’s not to say the Ti-Cats will bounce back this week, as they face a tough matchup in B.C., but they will get better.

6.     Edmonton Eskimos The Eskimos got it done with smoke and mirrors in their opener against the Argos. I think we’re going to see them struggle offensively with Steven Jyles at the helm, and no real semblance of a running game. Their defense will keep them competitive, but they’re by no means a contender for the West Division crown.

7.     Montreal Alouettes I’m afraid the era of dominance in Montreal may be coming to an end, or at least a brief halt. I still feel that the Als have one of the most explosive offenses in the CFL, even if they didn’t show it last week, but they’re a mess defensively, and have major issues to deal with in the trenches. 

8.     Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Bombers were Grey Cup finalists last season, but they got there thanks only to a fast start. After opening 7-1, they went 4-8 the rest of the way. Now they’re off to a winless start to 2012 after suffering a 33-16 loss in B.C. last week. As long as they’re relying on oft-injured Buck Pierce and inconsistent backup Alex Brink at quarterback, they’re going to have to lean heavily on their defense – a defense that I believe is going to take a step back.

Feel free to chime in with your comments. Rankings can be quite subjective at this early stage of the season, and I would love to get a good discussion going.

I have a free play posted on Sunday’s Eskimos vs. Riders total at Covers Experts. Be sure to check that out, along with the rest of my Week 2 plays.

Best of luck this weekend!

Sean Murphy has been a professional sports handicapper for over 10 years – the last 8 as a member of Covers Experts. For more professional sports wagering advice join Sean at Covers Experts today.