State of the CFL belt
Updated November 13, 2026—Chance to win the next defense
—No schedule on file
—Teams with a 1%+ shot
#6Holder's Elo rank
Season outlook
Calgary Stampeders are done for the season while the rest of the league plays on, so the belt is frozen: they carry it into the 2027 season, and nobody can take it until the Stampeders play again. The outlook comes back as soon as the next schedule is out.
Elo power ranking
| # | Team | Elo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Alouettes | 1620 |
| 2 | Edmonton Elks | 1570 |
| 3 | BC Lions | 1542 |
| 4 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 1526 |
| 5 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 1526 |
| 6 | Calgary Stampeders Holder | 1523 |
| 7 | Toronto Argonauts | 1473 |
| 8 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 1432 |
| 9 | Ottawa Redblacks | 1287 |
How the numbers work
Every team gets an Elo rating built from every game in the record, not just belt games. Wins against good teams count more; bigger margins count a little more in football and basketball. Home teams get a bump worth about 50 rating points, and between seasons each rating slides a third of the way back toward average.
The chance to defend comes straight from the two ratings. The outlook plays the rest of the schedule thousands of times. They're honest rough odds, not betting lines.