CFL semifinals: Argos and Lions take the field

The CFL semifinals kick off this weekend, and two long-standing clubs are right in the thick of it. The Toronto Argonauts, founded in 1873, and the B.C. Lions, founded in 1954, both finished the regular season at 9-9 and 10-8 respectively, and both have a shot at the final from their home regions.

The East semifinal is on tomorrow, Saturday, October 31, at 1:00 p.m. ET at BMO Field in Toronto. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who finished 9-9 and fourth in the West Division, travel east to face the Argos, who finished second in the East at 9-9. The two sides split their regular-season meetings 1-1, so there's no clear edge on paper. Winnipeg's status is a bit uncertain going in: quarterback Zach Collaros is listed as questionable with a rib injury he picked up in the regular-season finale against B.C., and he took part in a limited capacity at Thursday's practice. Running back Brady Oliveira (ankle) and receiver Nic Demski (hand) are also questionable. On the Toronto side, quarterback Chad Kelly signed a five-year extension on October 27 to stay with the Argos through 2031, according to the club's announcement.

The West semifinal takes place on Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, pitting the Saskatchewan Roughriders against the Lions. Saskatchewan finished 10-8 and third in the West, and they are the defending Grey Cup champions after their 2025 title. The Lions also finished 10-8, placing second in the division. The two clubs have met four times this season, and B.C. is looking to extend a run of three straight wins over them. For the kickoff time and broadcast details of that game, the TSN and CFL.ca schedule pages are the best places to check.

If you want to follow the East game from Halifax, TSN and RDS carry it in Canada, and radio listeners can tune in to 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or TSN 1050 in Toronto. Whichever game you pick, the match-ups are close enough on paper that the injury reports will be worth a look before kickoff, and the rest is up to you.