The McMaster Marauders have been on a tear of late, beating Western, Queen's, and competing against NCAA teams (photo courtesy of McMaster.ca)

The most recent standings are out for the CIS men’s overall top 10. From the table we saw before the break, there are some noteworthy changes. To begin, the standings are decided through a complex series of calculations. They involve judging a team based on how they perform at home and on the road, their opponents’ records, their opponents’ opponents’ records, and how recent any wins came. Of course, each of those aspects are given only a certain percentage of worth. In the end, the CIS comes out with a top 10 they feel is justified.

Since the turn of the New Year, a couple things have changed. At Kill on Two, we covered the Spartan Holiday Classic Tournament, which came down to third and fourth-ranked Calgary and Trinity Western. It turns out that, by winning, Trinity Western swapped ranks with the Calgary Dinos. That swap is fairly minor. Both teams still sit adjacent to each other, and neither risks dropping off of the chart.

The major changes come where the OUA is concerned. Western, who managed to take top place in the York Excalibur Tournament, moved up ahead of both the Trinity Western and Calgary squads. They then started regular season play, and had their undefeated season ended by a tough McMaster Marauders team. That win, and the momentum of some good wins before and after the holiday break, have catapulted McMaster into the top 10. Not only have they moved into the highest ranks in the country, but they catapulted all the way ahead of Western. The McMaster Marauders are currently ranked third in the entire country.

The OUA’s standings are currently dominated by a four-team pack. With McMaster ranked third, and Western fourth, the other two teams need to stay on their toes to keep pace. And so far, they have managed to do just that. Where Western was once the only team on the CIS top 10, now both Guelph and Queen’s have joined the Mustangs (and now the Marauders) by showing up at seventh and eighth respectively.

That’s right, the OUA shows up overall on the CIS at 3) McMaster 4) Western 7) Guelph and 8) Queens. As was outlined at the top of this post, the standings are not simply record based. Western’s record shows up as 20-2, while McMaster sits at 12-7. Regardless of one record being decisively better, the top 10 aims to reflect the competition each team plays. According to the CIS, McMaster has had the second most difficult schedule of any team in Canada. Guelph and Queens are considered third and fourth strongest schedules, while Western sits at 10^th.

Some peculiarities appear on the table. For example, Queen’s record shows as 9-9, while they have 10 wins in regular season play, and won multiple times during the Spartan Holiday Classic. Obviously, only some games qualify as CIS-relevant. I’m not sure which do and which do not. And these records will mean nothing if teams don’t manage to get through their playoff rounds. It all still comes down to a playoff format, and eventual eliminations.

However, it sure is interesting to see McMaster show up in the top three of all teams in Canada. We’ll keep a close eye to see how things develop.

Here is a full list of the current Men's CIS Top 10:

1    Laval
2    Alberta
3    McMaster
4    Western
5    Trinity Western
6    Calgary
7    Guelph
8    Queen's
9    Manitoba
10    Dalhousie