Looking Ahead: 2021 Vanier Cup
Photo courtesy of CTV News Calgary
What would have been the 2020 U SPORTS football season has officially come and gone. With the 2020 calendar year nearing our rearview mirror, all eyes are on 2021 for the heavily anticipated return of Canadian university football. It must be acknowledged that nobody truly knows what the future holds. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is guaranteed and the future is always subject to change. However, if the stars align, football fans across the country are in store for what will be one of the most competitive seasons in U SPORTS football history. We’re conducting a complete analysis of what to expect in 2021 as we unofficially begin the quest for the 56th Vanier Cup.
Canada West (CW)
Most Recent Champions: Calgary Dinos
Canada West currently belongs to the Calgary Dinos. The Dinos have appeared in the last 12 Hardy Cup Conference Finals (longest active conference finals streak) and have won nine. Come 2021, the Dinos will be without the cornerstone of their program for the last five years, Adam Sinagra. However, Josiah Joseph did not disappoint in 2019 and has proven that he is ready to take the helm. In addition, Joseph will have the services of Tyson and Jalen Philpot who have proven to be two of the most dangerous receivers in the nation. Don’t be surprised to see the Calgary Dinos resume their winning ways in 2021 and at least appear in yet another Hardy Cup.
The Saskatchewan Huskies have appeared in the last two Hardy Cup Finals, having won one in 2018 while losing the other in 2019. The Huskies boasted one of the top rushing attacks in the nation in 2019 as Adam Machart rushed for over 1300 yards, earning a unanimous selection for Canada West MVP. The Huskies also had one of the nation’s top defenses, led by Ramsey Derbas (2019 Canada West Rookie of the Year), Nelson Lokombo (2019 Canada West Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year), and Evan Machibroda (2019 Canada West Outstanding Lineman of the Year). With the majority of Saskatchewan’s roster set to return in 2021, there’s no doubt that Scott Flory (2019 Canada West Coach of the Year) is ready to coach his Huskies back to another run at a national championship.
All signs lead to Calgary and Saskatchewan finding themselves on yet another collision course to meet for Canada West supremacy in the 2021 installment of the Hardy Cup.
Atlantic University Sports (AUS)
Most Recent Champions: Acadia Axemen
As of 2020, it has been 13 years since a team from the AUS appeared in the Vanier Cup. At the time, current Carleton head coach Steve Sumarah led the St. Mary’s Huskies past the Laval Rouge et Or in the Uteck Bowl to advance to the 43rd Vanier Cup in 2007. Since then, no Atlantic University Sport team has been able to earn a Vanier Cup birth.
In recent years, the Acadia Axemen have found themselves to be the team that runs the East. Having won the most Jewitt Trophies of the last decade (4). However, if there is one thing that we have come to learn about the AUS, it’s that any team can rise to the occasion in any given year. With every team in the conference having made at least one Loney Bowl appearance within the previous four seasons, there’s really no telling who will claim the Jewitt Trophy in 2021. With that being said the AUS will be a toss-up come 2021.
No matter who claims the Jewitt Trophy, the overarching question will be if 2021 can be the year that a team from the AUS ends the Vanier Cup drought.
Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Most Recent Champions: Montreal Carabins
The RSEQ has always been a tale of two teams. The Laval-Montreal rivalry is the most heated rivalry in not just Canadian university football, but Canadian football in general. Laval and Montreal have met in the last seven Dunsmore Cup Finals, with the winner appearing in the Vanier Cup each time. The RSEQ is not the hardest conference in U SPORTS football. However, Laval and Montreal are two of the top programs in U SPORTS football.
Like always, the road to Vanier Cup goes through Laval or Montreal, and in 2021 there is no reason to believe otherwise.
Short and simple, the Laval Rouge et Or and the Montreal Carabins will find themselves in the Vanier Cup picture in 2021.
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Most Recent Champions: McMaster Marauders
2020 was the first time that the Yates Cup was not presented since the Second World War. In recent years, Ontario University Athletics has undergone an image change. Gone are the days where Western, Laurier, and Guelph ran roughshod over their opponents. With the rise of programs such as Waterloo, UofT as well as the re-birth of McMaster, the OUA is once again the most competitive conference in the nation.
Final impressions from the 2019 season should lead fans to believe that the OUA is up for grabs in 2021; with the Waterloo Warriors, McMaster Marauders, and Western Mustangs all having a solid opportunity at taking home the Yates Cup.
The 2021 Waterloo Warriors will differ significantly when compared to their 2019 counterparts. The Warriors have lost game-changing players on both sides of the ball. 50% of their offensive production in 2019 is gone with the departure of Tyler Ternowski and Dion Pellerin. However, the Warriors still have an immense amount of playmakers returning still returning in 2021 as Tre Ford, Gordan Lam, and Tyrell Ford will all be entering their finals years in the black and gold. Do not be surprised if the Warriors make one last bid at capturing their first Yates Cup since 1999.
At this moment in time, it’s unknown what the Western Mustangs will look like in 2021. The last time the Mustangs took the field, they closed out the Merchant-era in a Yates Cup loss to the McMaster Marauders. With most of Western’s Vanier Cup-era stars now gone, the Mustangs have undergone a complete rebuild. However, the Mustangs have always been the model of consistency in OUA football. Greg Marshall is one of the greatest coaches in U SPORTS football history. Marshall has built powerhouses before, and there is no reason to believe that he can’t build a powerhouse again. With former McMaster quarterback Jackson White at the helm, look out for Western to somehow find themselves back in the championship mix come 2021.
2019 was a comeback year for the McMaster Marauders. The return of Stefan Ptaszek brought forth nostalgic success as the Marauders were able to capture their first Yates Cup since 2014. In 2019, the Marauders had the top defense in the OUA. Combined with an offense led by former CFL mastermind Corey Grant, the McMaster Marauders remain as polished as one can be.
The idea of a sleeper team has become an annual tradition in the OUA. Every year, an unexpected team manages to rise to the occasion and shock the country while en route to a cinderella run. The Windsor Lancers have all the potential to be that that team in 2021. The Lancers haven’t experienced consistent success since the Austin Kennedy era. Entering with a loaded recruiting class that boasts numerous NCAA transfers from Division 1 programs, as well as the return of statistically productive pieces, do not be surprised if the 2021 Windsor Lancers shock the nation and close the book on the narrative of failure that has haunted them for so long.
Quest for the Cup
The 2021 quest for the Vanier Cup is promising on paper, and most likely won’t disappoint. It will be a season like no other, as no one truly knows what to expect from any of the 27 U SPORTS programs. Assumptions can be made, predictions can be written. However, the truth is that the 56th Vanier Cup is completely up for grabs - more so than ever before.
With 2019 in the distant past and 2020 nearing an end, 2021 presents every U SPORTS program with something that seemingly only comes around only once in a lifetime. A clean slate. Does that mean we should completely disregard everything we learned in 2019? No. However, is if used to its fullest potential, 2020 could have proven to be a transformational year for a large amount of U SPORTS programs.
As mentioned, if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is guaranteed and the future is always subject to change. However, if the stars align, rest assured that Canadian football fans will bear witness to the most exciting, entertaining, and fulfilling U SPORTS football season of recent memory.
