Football | 10/15/2025 12:00:00 PM
For the second straight year, it all comes down to Week 9 for the York University Lions football team.
The Lions, sitting at 2-5, will travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons, also at 2-5 in the season finale, needing to win and get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard to break a 21-year postseason drought.
The Lions and Gryphons are tied for eighth with their 2-5 records, with the loser of this game knowing their season is over. However, should the Lions win, they will have a chance to make the playoffs if the Carleton Ravens down the McMaster Marauders (both teams 3-4) on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton and the Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-4) beat the Toronto Varsity Blues (1-6) in the nation's capital.
In this scenario, the Lions and Marauders would finish tied with identical 3-5 records. By virtue of York's Week 1 win over the Marauders, the Lions would earn the seventh seed and take on the loser of the Western-Laurier game in Week 9 in the OUA quarterfinals. However, if McMaster were to beat Guelph, Carleton would earn the seventh seed over York due to their Week 5 win over the Lions.
However, a win by the Varsity Blues over the Gee-Gees would eliminate the Lions from playoff contention – even if York beats Guelph – either due to head-to-head record (if Carleton wins over McMaster) or record against common opponents (if McMaster wins). In each scenario, York would end up eighth and miss the postseason.
So, while the Lions need some help, there is a clear – and plausible – path to the playoffs for the Lions, something that would signify a huge step forward for the program in its second season under head coach Dexter Janke. However, in order to do that, they will need to take care of their own business and avoid worrying about things they can't control. The Lions enter this game on a four-game losing streak, which includes two games that they probably feel got away, none moreso than in Week 7 against Waterloo where they led 33-24 with under a minute to play and lost 34-33.
However, those games are in the past, and the present is the most important thing, with the potential to rewrite the program history books should things break right. The Lions have shown they can score points, the most recent example putting up 28 – including three Nicholas Adair touchdowns to earn him York male athlete of the week – against Western. In two of their other losses in their four-game slide, they scored 36 and 33, respectively. This game will be won and lost on defence, against a Gryphons offence that is loaded with talent but has had an up-and-down season.
The Lions also have to feel good about the matchup against the Gryphons given last year's result: a 33-19 Guelph win in Week 8, which moved the Gryphons to 5-2 on the year. While York benefitted from some poor discipline from the visiting Gryphons, they managed to hang right with one of the top teams in the conference. With more talent on offence and the potential of some returning forces on defence, this is a game that is there for the taking for the Lions.
They will need to make big plays in all three phases of the game at critical moments, and in so doing limit the number of big plays Guelph can make. Execution – particularly offensively – will be paramount for the Lions against a Guelph defence that has allowed 30.4 points a game on the season. Given the Lions propensity for allowing yards and points, outscoring the Gryhpons may be the way to win this game. It's something the Lions have struggled to do, even when putting up points, but if they can get the Gryphons stagnent offensively and get off the field regularly on second down, there is a real recipe for a win and – should things go well in Ottawa and Hamilton – the program's first playoff berth in more than two decades.
Kickoff from Guelph's Alumni Stadium is set for 1:00 pm and can be streamed live on OUA TV.
