REDBLACKS, meet BLUEGOLDS: Twitter fun adds to crucial Winnipeg-Ottawa game

Friday night's CFL clash between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Ottawa Redblacks (7:30 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3) is a crucial one for Ottawa's playoff positioning and Winnipeg's hopes of making the playoffs at all. The 8-6 Redblacks are a game back of 9-5 Toronto and Hamilton for first in the East, while the 5-10 Bombers are in a desperate fight with 5-9 B.C. and 5-9 Montreal for the league's final playoff berth, the third spot in the West (Montreal would be eligible via the crossover rule if they finish ahead of the Bombers and Lions). With such significant stakes, it's only appropriate that the rivalry has also expanded to Twitter this week, with the Bombers changing their official Twitter name to BLUEGOLDS to mock Ottawa's preferred REDBLACKS spelling (which isn't used by anyone other than league and team websites these days). In return, the Redblacks changed their Twitter name to #NoFlyZone as a shot at the Bombers. That's led to some great back-and-forths between the teams' accounts:

It's far from the first good-natured CFL Twitter rivalry we've seen, as Toronto and Hamilton took some shots at each other in 2013 and Toronto and Ottawa had a #MemeWarMonday going this past offseason. Feuds extend back further, too, with billboards and trash talk also playing roles. This is a fun way to promote the game and get people talking about it.

On the field, the big questions Friday will likely be about the quarterbacks. Ottawa's Henry Burris is playing at a MOP level, but may have a tougher task now running back Jeremiah Johnson has been hurt. Winnipeg's Matt Nichols has shown some potential since the midseason trade that brought him over from Edmonton, but struggled in last week's narrow win over B.C., throwing for just 179 yards and a touchdown. The Ottawa defence will be eager to stop him, especially cornerback Jovon Johnson, who's still mad Winnipeg didn't offer him a new contract in 2014 and told Tim Baines this week he wants to make the Bombers' lives "a living hell." Can the Redblacks establish the #NoFlyZone they're shooting for, or will the BLUEGOLDS be victorious? We'll find out, but the social media shenanigans have added to the rivalry and made this crucial game even more fun.