2021 U Sports football season
| 2021 U Sports football season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regular season | ||
| Duration | August 28, 2021 – November 6, 2021 | |
| Playoffs | ||
| Start date | November 6, 2021 | |
| Vanier Cup | ||
| Date | December 4, 2021 | |
| Site | Telus Stadium Quebec City, Quebec | |
| ||
The 2021 U Sports football season began on August 28, 2021 with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or hosting the Montreal Carabins in Sherbrooke, Quebec.[1] The Atlantic University Sport conference will begin play on September 17, 2021 and ten Ontario University Athletics teams are scheduled to open their seasons on September 18, 2021.[2][3] The Canada West conference will begin their regular season last with all six teams playing on September 25, 2021.[4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, all conferences except the RSEQ will play six regular season games while the RSEQ will play eight.
The conference championships will be played on the weekend of November 20 and the season will conclude on December 4 with the 56th Vanier Cup championship.[5][6] 27 university teams in Canada are scheduled to play U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
Schedule changes[]
The Atlantic University Sport conference was the first to announce their 2021 schedule after no conference played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[2] The AUS confirmed a schedule of six regular season games instead of the usual eight with a start date three weeks later than the 2019 scheduled start with the additional one-week delay of this year's Vanier Cup game.[2][7] The AUS will also have four out of five teams qualify for playoffs, instead of three, with the fourth seeded team playing the top team and the second seed playing the third.[2] The Loney Bowl is scheduled to be played on November 20, 2021.[2]
The Canada West conference announced their schedule shortly after the AUS, on June 21, 2021, with all six teams playing on September 25, 2021.[4] Canada West will feature six teams playing six regular season games apiece with each team playing one game against the other plus one additional game.[4] The first week's opponents are the same as the last week's opponents with the host switching for the last week.[4] All playoff dates are subject to stadium availability, but the 84th Hardy Cup game will be played on the weekend of November 20, 2021.[4]
On June 30, 2021, both the OUA and RSEQ released their schedules.[1][3] The OUA also play on a reduced schedule with each team playing six regular season games over a seven-week regular season. Notably, some OUA teams' schedules feature repeat matchups with some teams playing opponents twice in order to reduce travel.[3] The OUA has also shifted to a two-division set up with Carleton, Ottawa, Queen's, Toronto, and York in the East Division and Guelph, McMaster, Waterloo, Western, Wilfrid Laurier, and Windsor in the West Division.[8] The 113th Yates Cup games will be played on November 20, 2021.[3] The RSEQ is scheduled to play a standard eight-game schedule with five teams playing over the course of a ten-week regular season. Notably, the Dunsmore Cup will not endure the same delay as the other conference championships and is scheduled to be played on November 13, 2021.[1]
Regular season[]
Standings[]
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Post-season[]
The Vanier Cup is played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2021, according to the rotating schedule, the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl championship team will visit the Yates Cup Ontario championship team for the Mitchell Bowl. The winners of the Canada West Hardy Trophy will visit the Québec conference Dunsmore Cup championship team for the Uteck Bowl.[6] These games are scheduled to be played on November 27, 2021.[6] On June 17, 2021, it was announced that the 56th Vanier Cup would be played in Quebec City, Quebec and would be hosted by Université Laval for the seventh time in school history.[7]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Calendrier / Résultats / Classement 2021" (in French). Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "2021-22 AUS schedules released". Atlantic University Sport. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "OUA announces football schedule for 2021 season". Ontario University Athletics. June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Conference action returns September 25". Canada West Universities Athletic Association. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ "Carabins and Rouge et Or to launch the 2020 university football season at TVA Sports". U Sports. February 28, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "U Sports Championship Information". U Sports. February 20, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "U Sports awards 56th Vanier Cup championship to Université Laval". U Sports. June 17, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Football Standings". Ontario University Athletics. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
External links[]
- 2021 in Canadian football
- U Sports football seasons