CFL super power rankings: Can one East team rise above the mediocrity of the pack?

Welcome to the 55-Yard Line CFL super power rankings. Every Thursday we'll look back at the previous week and look ahead to the upcoming week, and rank the best teams, quarterbacks or anything else we see fit to rank.

With Labour Day come and gone, we're on to the second half of the CFL schedule, and it features a lot more divisional games. To date, there have been 10 games within the West Division (out of 23 total involving West teams) and five games within the East Division (out of 18 involving East teams), making for a total of 15 games out of 41 (36.6 per cent) to date being within the league's divisions. There are 40 total games left, and just 14 of them (35 per cent) are across divisions, meaning that 26 divisional games (65 per cent) remain. Moreover, the final four weeks of the season feature all intradivisional play. That's good news for the East, which has been terrible to date; its teams are a combined 8-28 overall and 3-23 against the West. Will one or two East teams be able to separate themselves from the pack once they start playing more intradivisional games, or is the division completely doomed to mediocrity? To find out, let's get to the power rankings.

Team rankings:

1.

Calgary Stampeders (8-1; Previous: 1) - Calgary continues to look like the league's best team to this point following a 28-13 Labour Day win over Edmonton. With Jon Cornish back in form and the defence looking stout, they'll be tough to beat.

2.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-2; Previous: 2) - The Riders edged Winnipeg 35-30 Sunday thanks to some terrific plays from one of the league's best defences. They've now won six in a row. Both their passing and rushing attacks could use more consistency, though.

3.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4; Previous: 4) - Winnipeg came up short Sunday against Saskatchewan, but a five-point road loss at Mosaic Stadium isn't bad at all. Like the Roughriders, though, their offence needs a bit of a tune-up.

4.

Edmonton Eskimos (7-2; Previous: 3) - The Eskimos drop off a spot thanks to that loss to Calgary, one where their vaunted defence looked weak, especially against the run. They have quarterback issues, too, and will be hoping Mike Reilly can return this week.

5.

B.C. Lions (5-4; Previous: 5) - B.C. had a bye this past week, and no one above them fell enough for them to move up. They have a real opportunity to show what they can do against a weak Ottawa team Friday, which may mark quarterback Travis Lulay's return as well.

6.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-6; Previous: 7) - The Ticats may be starting to turn things around, and they might be able to feast on the East. They beat Toronto 13-12 on Labour Day, and Zach Collaros looked good in his return. There are issues here, but potential too.

7.

Toronto Argonauts (3-7; Previous: 6) - Like the Ticats, the Argos have looked like one of the East's better teams to date. They were awful Monday, though, especially offensively. For this team to get anywhere, Ricky Ray needs to shine, and he didn't against Hamilton.

8.

Montreal Alouettes (2-7; Previous: 8) - Yes, the Alouettes won this past week, beating Ottawa 20-10. They sure didn't look good in the process though, and wins against the Redblacks aren't that impressive. Their offence is still a work in progress.

9.

Ottawa Rouge et Noir (1-8; Previous: 9) - Can things get any worse for this team? Losing to the struggling Alouettes and scoring just 10 points would be a low point for anyone, but they've had so many low points this season that it's hard to pick just one.

Quarterback rankings:

1. Bo Levi Mitchell, Stampeders (Previous: 1) - Mitchell was solid but not spectacular against Edmonton Monday, throwing for 252 yards and a touchdown. He keeps his spot mostly thanks to everyone below him struggling. Mitchell didn't have an interception, though, impressive against the pick-hungry Eskimos, and he completed a decent 62.1 per cent of his passes. He did more than enough for the Stampeders to come away with a big win. Having Jon Cornish pick up so many yards on the ground helped him a lot, and that may be key to his success going forwards.

2.  Zach Collaros, Tiger-Cats (unlisted previously; Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was 9 last week): Yes, 9 to 2 is a huge jump for the Tiger-Cats' quarterbacking performance, but this is a combination of Collaros delivering by far the league's best quarterbacking showing this week (317 yards, a touchdown, and a 71.1 per cent completion mark) and most of the rest of the league's QBs struggling. The Tiger-Cats will be very happy to have him back under centre.

3. Darian Durant, Roughriders (Previous: T4): Durant's 204 passing yards and one touchdown against Winnipeg were nothing to write home about, but they were enough, and with everyone else in the vicinity struggling, he moves up to 3. He'll have to improve on the 53.8 per cent completion percentage he posted this week though.

4. Ricky Ray, Argonauts (Previous: 2) - Ray turned in the worst performance of his season this week in a loss to Hamilton, throwing for just 142 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a 55.2 per cent completion mark. He did reach 50,000 career yards, but did so in the least memorable way possible. However, he still leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns, so it's tough to drop him too far.

5. Kevin Glenn/Travis Lulay, Lions (Previous: T4) - The Lions' week off came at the right time, as it should allow Lulay to return to the starting lineup. Glenn struggled to start the season but has been okay since then; he hasn't been burning up the league, though, and threw for just 146 yards in B.C.'s last game, a loss to the Riders. Lulay has much higher upside, and if he isn't too rusty, he could put up big numbers on the Redblacks.

T6. Matt Nichols/Mike Reilly, Eskimos (Previous: T4): Nichols was okay against Calgary, throwing for 203 yards without an interception and with a 60 per cent completion rate. Reilly has a higher ceiling, though, so the Eskimos will be hoping he can return this week.

T6. Drew Willy, Blue Bombers (Previous: 3) - Willy had one of his worst games of the season against Saskatchewan, throwing for 171 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He's still second in passing yards on the year, but he'll need to return to form for the Bombers to start winning again.

8. Henry Burris, Redblacks (Previous: 7) - Burris threw for 245 yards and a touchdown in a loss against Montreal with a 61.8 per cent completion rate. Not terrible, but he's not having a great season. Some of that's on Ottawa's line and receivers, but Burris needs to step it up for the Redblacks to win.

9. Jonathon Crompton, Alouettes (Previous: 8) - Crompton's showing some potential, and he threw for 245 yards against Ottawa with a 60 per cent completion rate, but he did have an interception. He's still adjusting to the CFL, but he might be Montreal's best option at the moment.

What's on deck in Week 11:

B.C. at Ottawa, Friday, 7:30 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3: This one may be worth watching for Travis Lulay's return. The Lions haven't been overwhelmingly great lately, either, and the Redblacks have generally played better at home than they have on the road. Still, Ottawa will need something special to have a chance. Pick: Lions.

Calgary at Edmonton, Saturday, 7 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3: This should be fun, with the Eskimos looking to get some revenge at home. To do so, though, they're going to have to find a way to stop the run. That may be difficult given how good Jon Cornish looked last week. Pick: Stampeders.

Hamilton at Montreal, Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPNNews: The Tiger-Cats will be looking to build off their first win in a while, and the way Zach Collaros played, that may not be impossible. They'll have to improve their ball security, though, and Montreal's also made some progress. Still, Collaros seems like the guy to bet on in a duel with Jonathon Crompton. Pick: Ticats.

Saskatchewan at Winnipeg, Sunday, 4 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN. Who's excited for the Banjo Bowl? This is a huge game, and the Bombers will be looking to get some revenge after a close loss last Sunday. This will be the first game of the year broadcast on the main ESPN network south of the border, and it should be a good one. Look for the crowd in Winnipeg's noise-enhancing stadium to put the Bombers over the top. Pick: Bombers.

Picks: -- Last week: 3-1; Season: 23-13

Bye: Toronto. - Time for Ricky Ray to celebrate reaching 50,000 career yards and wonder what went wrong Monday.

Disagree with our rankings and picks? Join the conversation on Twitter with @IanDenomme and@YahooSportsCFL. It's @AndrewBucholtz filling in for Ian this week.