Parity continues to rule as we head into Week 6 of the CFL season.
No fewer than five teams are deadlocked with three victories apiece, good enough for top spot. Just two games separate the best from the worst, and even the Blue Bombers, who looked like a down-trodden team a couple of weeks ago, appear ready to make some noise.
Here's my take on how the league shakes down from 1-through-8.
1. B.C. Lions The Lions suffered through a tough two-week stretch, dropping a heart-breaker in Saskatchewan before returning home to be shocked by the Eskimos. They more than righted the ship last week, however, blasting a quality Stampeders squad 34-8 in Calgary.
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats There's no question, the talent is there for the Ti-Cats to contend for a title this season. It wasn't surprising that they struggled out of the gate, given all the new faces at key positions, but now that they've got things rolling, they're going to be tough to stop. Hamilton's offense remains the driving force, putting up a league-high 162 points to date.
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders The Riders will enjoy a much-needed week off before hitting the road for a tough back-to-back set in Edmonton and B.C. They're coming off a pair of disappointing losses, first blowing a 17-point lead in Calgary and then coughing up an 18-point cushion at home against Hamilton last week.
4. Toronto Argonauts Despite their sputtering offense, I'm a believer in this Argos squad. They've gutted out back-to-back division wins over the Bombers and Als thanks to stifling defensive efforts. Now it's measuring stick time with a Monday date against the Lions.
5. Edmonton Eskimos No team has given up fewer points than the Eskimos this season. In fact, they've allowed a grand total of just 40 points in their two losses. Unfortunately, I don't think Steven Jyles is the answer at quarterback.
6. Calgary Stampeders The Stamps are a much better team than they showed in last week's shellacking at the hands of the Lions. Prior to that no-show, they had scored at least 32 points in each of their first four games. Perhaps a bye week will help them get their defense in order.
7. Montreal Alouettes Montreal has gotten used to being the 'hunted' over the years, but it's currently looking up at two teams in the East Division, and headed in the wrong direction following back-to-back losses to the Ti-Cats and Argos. Until the Als get their offensive line issues sorted out, they'll continue to struggle.
8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers I see the Bombers as a team on the rise, but they'll remain in the basement for one more week thanks to their league-worst 1-4 record. Alex Brink has brought some stability at the quarterback position, breaking out with his best game of the season in last week's win. He'll continue to get better, and so will the Bombers.
Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on this week's rankings.
You can check out my complete Week 6 card at Covers Experts, where I'm off to a 13-3 start this season, and 41-20 going back to the start of 2010.
Best of luck this weekend!