Welcome to a new feature on the blog. We’re trying something this week called the (obviously) OUA Morning Warmup. This will get you ready for the week’s OUA action by recapping the schedule, game storylines and big stories of the week that was. It’s part preview and part linkdump but 100% OUA football. (At least, that was the plan at the start. It deviates a bit near the end.) This week, we have two big games to look forward to. One has likely playoff implications while the other has definite implications at the top of the OUA standings.

Queen’s Gaels (1-1) at Guelph Gryphons (2-0) [1:00 PM]

This one will be a lot more interesting than their first two games would have you believe. Guelph’s two wins have come over the two Toronto teams and just had their bye week. However, this is their first real test of the season. Queen’s, on the other hand, started the season with a close loss to Mac before rolling over Windsor last week. Guelph may be the better rest of the two teams (two weeks between games as opposed to six days for Queen’s) but their season hasn’t started. At least Queen’s has played a game against a playoff team. Even though that was a loss, I think they’re ready to answer the bell and drop Guelph on their own turf. It’s also important to note the potential implications on the OUA playoff picture. A win here will go a long way to securing a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Pregame Coverage:
Queen’s Student’s Death Not Foul Play: Police (CBC Ottawa)
Stittsville Footballer Sets Queen’s Record (YourOttawaRegion)
Gryph Back-UP QB Ready for the Call (Guelph Mercury)
Football Gryphons Showdown with Queens Gaels on National TV (The Ontarion)

Broadcasters:
TV: The Score
Radio: CFRC 101.9 FM (Kingston)

York Lions (0-2) at University of Toronto Varsity Blues (0-3) [1:00 PM]

One team will leave the annual Red and Blue Bowl as the certified OUA cellar dweller while the other can take comfort in the fact that it won’t be a winless season. And that’s all you can really say to hype the annual all-Toronto battle on the gridiron. I can tell you that it’s Red & Blue Bowl XLI which I believe is 41 if my conversion from roman numerals is right. York has been thoroughly embarrassed in its two games this year (losing by a combined 66 points) while Toronto has been reasonably competitive in its matches except for last week’s game against Laurier. I think that this one is the Varsity Blues’ to lose.

Pregame Coverage:
From QB to OC (Big Man on Campus)
Blues, York Vie For Argo Cup This Saturday (University of Toronto Intervarsity Athletics)

Broadcasters:
Online: SSN Canada

#8 McMaster Marauders (2-1) at #2 Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-0) [1:00 PM]

I don’t think that anyone thought that the top of the OUA standings could be decided before the halfway point in the season but here we are. If Ottawa drops Mac, their wins of McMaster and Western should put them over the top in any potential tiebreaker scenario. If the Marauders win, we’ll have a three-way tie atop the OUA standings at 3-1 with a possibly nightmarish tiebreaker scenario. However, it would be most likely that Western would come out on top. So we’re already at a point where Ottawa has homefield for the playoffs up for grabs and McMaster has a first round playoff bye on the line. After looking at least week’s performances, though, it looks like Mac has to improve a lot very fast over last week’s game to have a shot against Ottawa. But, as Dave Alter and I were fond of saying, anything can happen in the OUA.

Pregame Coverage:
Gee-Gees Looking to Avenge 2009 OUA Quarterfinal Loss (University of Ottawa Gee-Gees)

Broadcasters:
TV: Cable 14 (Hamilton), Rogers TV 22 (Ottawa)
Online: SSN Canada
Radio: CHML 900 AM (Hamilton), CFMU 93.3 FM (Hamilton)

#5 Western Mustangs (2-1) at Windsor Lancers (1-2) [7:00 PM]

It’s been two big wins and one close loss for the consensus #2 in the OUA. All three of those games were against legitimate (or in Laurier’s case, potentially legitimate) Yates Cup contenders. Windsor, on the other hand, has been respectable in keeping Ottawa and Toronto within two scores before getting decimated by Queen’s. Since Sam Malian has taken over as the starter of the Lancers (in 2008), Western has won both games by a combined 106 points. I’m not sure that Donnie Marshall and the Mustangs will be taking a 50 point win but don’t say I didn’t give you a heads up.

Pregame Coverage:
Plan Calls for Marshall to Keep Running (London Free Press)
Morencie Gets Vote of Confidence. No, Seriously (Big Man on Campus)
Power Rankings Week 3 (Always OUA)
They Are the Fish ‘n’ Chips of Kickers (London Free Press)

Broadcasters:
TV: Rogers TV 13 (London), TV Cogeco 11 (Windsor)
Radio: CJBK 1290 AM (London)

CIS/OUA News and Notes:
Canadian women’s hockey hero Hayley Wickenheiser is the newest famous member of the CIS. Mike Danton joined St. Mary’s last year as a men’s hockey player. Wickenheiser will join the Calgary Dinos women’s hockey team to keep in shape for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Is it really fair that a woman who is a three times Olympic gold medallist and who played professional men’s hockey in Sweden and Finland is playing against kids in university? Not really. But it’s well within the CIS’s rules so there’s no sense in complaining about it because it won’t change anything. I’m more interested to see if this will allow Calgary to break up the Laurier and McGill stranglehold on women’s hockey. And I realize that she’s going back to get her degree but that doesn’t mean she has to lace them up for the school team.

Another of the week’s controversial moments came thanks to the media. The Score’s sideline reporter (and resident champion of the sweater vest) DJ Bennett submitted a baffling CIS Top 10 ballot. He ranked five OUA teams in the CIS top 10 based on the criteria on which teams have proved themselves so far this season. Somehow, two teams the rest of the media didn’t consider top 10 material made DJ’s list. First was Queen’s at #9 which is a bit more understandable because they fought hard against Mac and are a solid contender for the OUA’s top 4. Slightly more baffling was the inclusion of Guelph at #8. They’ve scored two unimpressive wins against Toronto and York without one passing touchdown. And you wonder why the rest of the CIS hates Ontario. I guess it has to do with more than just the sound of Tim Micallef’s voice.

Standings
1. Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-0
2. Western Mustangs 2-1
3. Guelph Gryphons 2-0
4. McMaster Marauders 2-1
5. Queen’s Gaels 1-1
6. Laurier Golden Hawks 1-2
7. Windsor Lancers 1-2
8. Toronto Varsity Blues 0-3
9. York Lions 0-2

Note: Information on broadcasters has been pulled from athletic department websites, the OUA website, and various articles read during the week. We make no guarantees over the completeness or accuracy of the listings.