Every Argument For and Against Queen's being The Top Ranked Team In The Nation

By Dashawn Stephens

In a surprising turn of events, the Queen’s Gaels have finished the 2021 regular season as the OUA’s lone undefeated team.

Since Week Two, Queen’s have been a mainstay on the U SPORTS Top 10. However, despite running the table and being the only team in the OUA, RSEQ and Canada West to do it, the highest honour that voters have been able to award the Gaels has been a #3 ranking.

And so, the biggest debate of the season has been born.

Does Queen’s deserve to be the #1 team in the country?

We’re not choosing sides. Instead, we’re just playing devil’s advocate.

As for the final say, we’ll leave that you.

Let’s take a closer look at every argument for, and against, Queen’s being the top ranked team in the nation.

Top Arguments Against Queen’s #1 Bid:

Before we dig deeper, it must be acknowledged that the Gaels had no control over these situations. However, it must also be acknowledged that these situations do play a key role in determining the underlying narrative behind their success.

1. The’ve Only Faced One Nationally Ranked Team

It’s often overlooked, but Queen’s is the only team on the Top 10 that hasn’t had to dread facing other nationally ranked opponents this season.

Within their six-game schedule, Guelph was the only Queen’s opponent to have been nationally ranked this season, while Ottawa, Carleton, and U of T have not.

Asides from Queen’s, teams who’ve appeared in the Top 10 this season have, or will have, played at least three games against opponents have also appeared on the Top 10 in 2021.

Teams such as (1) Montreal, (2) Western, (4) Laval, (5) Saskatchewan, (6) Manitoba, (7) Guelph, (8) Laurier, (10) Calgary, Regina, Concordia, and McMaster, have four games on their schedules against teams who have appeared on the Top 10 in 2021.

The Waterloo Warriors face five opponents who’ve appeared on the Top 10, while the Windsor Lancers, a team that hasn’t been nationally ranked in nearly ten years, are the only team in the nation who face Top 10 opponents in every game on their schedule.

Fact: Based on their schedule, the assumption can be made that the Queen’s Gaels have not been tested to the same degree that other nationally ranked teams, and uneven unranked teams, have been tested this season.

2. They’ve Only Faced One Team With a Winning Record

It’s true, surprisingly.

The only time the Queen’s Gaels have played a team with a winning record were when they travelled to Toronto to take on the 1-0 Varsity Blues in Week Three.

Week 1: Carleton (0-0) Week 2: Toronto (1-0) Week 2: Ottawa (0-1) Week 4: Guelph (1-1) Week 5: Carleton (2-2) Week 6: Ottawa (2-2)

3. Their Division Is “Easy”

This is by far the biggest argument for why Queen’s can’t be viewed as the top ranked team in the nation, for now at least.

When the schedule-makers decided to split the OUA into two divisions, their intentions were pretty clear.

Excluding Windsor, the OUA West is comprised of every team that has appeared in the Yates Cup trailing back to 2014, plus the Waterloo Warriors - a team many pointed to as the favourite to win this year’s Yates Cup.

On the other side of the conference alignment, the OUA East features teams who have most notably struggled to find their footing when chasing success in recent years, Queen’s included. The most recent Yates Cup appearance from any team in the OUA East was, coincidentally, Queen’s in 2013. Only once over the last five years have two or more teams from the the OUA East finished the regular season with a winning record. In fact, prior to this season, two teams from the division haven’t finished with a winning record or qualified for the playoffs in over 25 years.

It’s clear that the OUA East was created with the intention of establishing a competitive atmosphere for teams who would otherwise struggle in the normal field of OUA competition, while providing the opportunity for one team to break through to a Yates Cup berth.

As a result, Top 10 voters are conflicted, and rightfully so. Is Queen’s actually a national powerhouse? Or is there a correlation between their success and divisional alignment?

This is what we like to call the “AUS effect”.

Top Arguments For Queen’s #1 Bid:

Before we dig deeper, it must be reiterated that the biggest argument for the Gaels being #1 is the fact that they’re undefeated. But, if you’re reading this, you probably already knew that.

1. They Have One Of The Top Defences In The Nation

Regardless of how their season finishes, 2021 Queen’s Gaels will go down as one of the more dominant OUA defences of recent memory.

This season, the Gaels have only allowed 44 total points - a number that will most likely be the lowest in the nation (Acadia’s defence sits at 42 points with two games remaining).

Through six games, the Gaels defence limited opposing offences to single-digit scores on four occasions.

Queen’s secondary hauled in 12 interceptions.

Their elite front-seven limit ball carriers to only 86.7 yards per game, while recording 17 sacks.

Anthony Federico, alone, had more sacks than several other U SPORTS defences altogether.

Fact: despite going undefeated, their biggest offensive challenges are still ahead of them. However, the pedigree that exists within the 2021 Queen’s Gaels defence cannot be denied.

2. They Have One Of The Top Rushing Attacks In The Nation

You’ve probably heard it hundreds of times by now, but Rasheed Tucker has had a season to remember.

Tucker finished the regular season with 700 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 114 carries.

Collectively, the Gaels have rushed for 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021. Their highly-praised ground game is ranked third in the nation, and they are most likely going to finish as one of only three teams to score over ten rushing touchdowns this season.

3. They Won Their Cross-Over Against Guelph

For what it’s worth, the one time the Gaels did matchup up with a nationally ranked team, they came out on top.

Queen’s Week four victory over Guelph was an old-school defensive onslaught that saw only two touchdowns scored throughout the entire game.

Those two touchdowns came on the ground via the aforementioned Rasheed Tucker. Those two touchdowns have also been the only rushing majors given up by the Gryphons all season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Queen’s held Guelph to only 8 points, including a scoreless 4th quarter.

The Gryphons are no pushovers. They’ve shown that they can compete with some of best in the OUA West, and are perennial Yates Cup contenders.

Therefore, Queen’s 14-8 victory over Guelph should be viewed as a huge bright spot for their season.

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