The standings at the end of week 18 of the 2004 CFL season in the East has Montreal with 24 points and clinching home field in the Eastern Final. Toronto is second with 19 points, with Hamilton right behind them in third with 17 points. Ottawa has lost 11 of their last 13 contests and will not make the playoffs.

In the West, the BC Lions have gained control of the division and will host the Western Final. Second place is still to be determined, as Saskatchewan is in second place with 18 points, while defending champion Edmonton is in third with 16 points. Calgary's and Winnipeg?s seasons are considered all but lost; but they can both be considered spoilers in the remaining weeks of the season.

Let?s take a look at the remaining schedules for the respective teams.

East Division

Hamilton: The Tabbies? remaining schedule is a tough one -- two road games. After claiming their first playoff spot in three seasons, one must wonder how much gas they have in their tank for their game against Toronto, which could decide second place in the East Division with one week left. The Tiger-Cats will conclude their season at Ottawa.

Montreal: Although the Alouettes have lost three consecutive contests, they still managed to back-end their way to a third consecutive division title after Toronto lost last Saturday at Calgary. The Als will have their home finale against Ottawa at Olympic Stadium, while playing their last week against Toronto, where the Als are sure to rest a lot of their stars for the playoffs.

Ottawa: The Renegades needed to play nearly flawless football in the last four weeks of the season in order to qualify for their first ever playoff berth. However, tough, close losses to Saskatchewan and Hamilton in double overtime last week have signaled the end of the Renegades? playoff hopes. After starting the season at 3-0, they?re left to wonder what might have been.

Toronto: The Argonauts have a pretty tough road ahead in order to solidify second place in the East Division. First, they have to face Hamilton, who is breathing down their necks and only two points behind. Then, they have to face Montreal in their home finale, which may be a preview of the Eastern Final. If they lose both games, kiss that first-round home game goodbye.

West Division

BC: The Lions weren?t predicted to be in the present position they are currently in, but the staff of the organization has built a winner. BC has already secured themselves home field in the Western final, but they still have two tough games to play. They?ll have a tough game against Calgary (don?t let the 4-12 record fool you) and the home finale against Saskatchewan.

Calgary: Although the Stampeders are mired in last place in the West, there is a glimmer of hope for the future of the organization. They have one of the best defenses in the league and are a team building for the future. Nevertheless, with two games to go, the Stamps look to play spoiler in road trips to BC and Winnipeg and their defense will look to slow both teams down.

Edmonton: The Eskimos? have lost four of their last five matches and coupled with a late season surge by Saskatchewan, the Esks sit in third place in the West Division. The last time they didn?t host a playoff game was 1999. They must win their home finale against Winnipeg, and have Saskatchewan lose to BC to assure themselves a chance at second place.

Saskatchewan: The Riders started the season slowly, but have won their last five games in a row -- all by an average score of 35-22 -- and are the hottest team in the league at this point. An Edmonton loss in week 19 would give the Riders a home playoff game for the first time since 1988. But, if the Esks win, the Riders would have to win their final game of the year, which is an away game against BC.

Winnipeg: The Blue Bombers are out of the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season. However, that doesn?t mean they can?t play the role of spoiler in affecting the playoff outcome of Edmonton. Their final game is at home against Calgary, a team they made a multi-player trade deal with only a couple of months ago. So the game will be a homecoming for many players and will be an entertaining game, for sure.