Playoff seeding on the line as Lions clash with Roughriders

After holding out a spate of starters last week in a 17-16 loss at Winnipeg, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will remove the figurative bubble wrap from most of them on Saturday.

Quarterback Trevor Harris, running back A.J. Ouellette and others will be back in the lineup when Saskatchewan closes out the regular season in Regina against the B.C. Lions.

The Roughriders (12-5) clinched the West title two weeks ago and are using the season's remainder to prepare for a conference final at home Nov. 8. Coach Corey Mace said he wants to strike a proper balance between playing to win and staying out of harm's way with key players.

"You can't mimic live reps," he said. "We think it's crucial for our guys to be able to go out there and do that, but at the same time, you've got to make sure that you're putting the vision on for the future ... but also trying to maintain the balance of having the right guys on the roster to still go win a game."

While Saskatchewan juggles winning with staying healthy, B.C. (10-7) has something at stake. A victory would earn the Lions the second seed in the West and a home game in the conference semifinals next weekend. But a loss could drop them all the way to fourth and force them to travel to Montreal or Hamilton in a crossover matchup with the East runner-up.

"We want to play in front of our fans again," B.C. coach Buck Pierce said. "That's really what it comes down to. Our ultimate goal is to keep getting better."

B.C. might be the hottest team in the league at the moment. Its 37-24 home win on Oct. 17 against Edmonton was its fifth straight. Its offense, led by star quarterback Nathan Rourke, has scored at least 33 points in nine of the past 10 games.

Rourke threw for 332 yards and a score against the Elks while adding a career-long 70-yard touchdown run.

The Roughriders won the teams' first two matchups, including a 37-18 rout at home on June 28.

--Field Level Media