University football has started in Canada. Stephen Curry Jersey . Last week, the OUA kicked off with some games, this week Canada West and the Quebec Conference go at it. And next week, the four-team Atlantic conference will begin play. To no ones surprise, Laval is the top-ranked team in the nation. Laval has started seven of the last nine seasons in the number one spot and the other two times they were in second spot. One of those times was last year when they were second to McMaster to whom they had lost the 2011 Vanier Cup, 41-38 in overtime. Laval has been in four Vanier Cups in the last five years, a mark only done by the Saint Marys Huskies, who appeared in three in a row and won two of them. I can pull out last years column or the year before or the one before that because its the same year after year. In brief, the Laval Rouge et Or are strong. The have depth, experience and usually get the recruits that they want. The Rouge et Or are the defending CIS champions, winning an unprecedented seventh national crown since 1999 with head coach Glen Constantine becoming the first man to coach six Vanier winners, all with Laval. Laval is solid everywhere. They have a glorious past but Constantine doesnt dwell on it, in fact he doesnt wear any of his six Vanier Cup rings. "The rings stay in a drawer and maybe when I am done as a coach, I will look back fondly on all of them," he said. As for the current year, he says "every year is different and we always lose veterans and get new talent. Its challenging and interesting and I always enjoy it." Other teams from Quebec in the top 10 include the Montreal Carabins and Sherbrooke Vert et Or. Sherbrooke has steadily improved over the years while the Carabins seem to be the only team that can beat Laval or stay close to them in conference tilts. Its been years since Laval has lost a home conference game and that was to Montréal on September 19th 2004, losing a 14-13 squeaker. In fact, they havent lost since. Thats almost a decade of home field wins. Simply amazing. The proverbial question is not will Laval win the conference but will they lose a single game on the road or at home. In Ontario, there are four teams from this conference in the top ten. Western University, coached by Greg Marshall, always seems to be there. Another, McMaster has been a power for five straight years under coach Stefan Ptaszek. They have been in the Vanier Cup the last two years, winning in 2011. Guelph came out of nowhere to make the conference final last season and have many returnees. And every four or five years, Queens has a really strong team and this year seems to be the case. "Weve got a great group of returning seniors, some were here during our Vanier Cup season (they won the Vanier in 2009, beating Calgary 33-31)," head coach Pat Sheahan said. "Weve had solid recruiting classes since and have built a competitive nucleus. And, there are a number of big-play guys on this club. We play McMaster on Monday so we will know if were for real or not." They must have a good club to start the season as the #2 team in the nation. Also theres a new team in the Ontario conference as the Carlton Ravens are back in the fold after a 15-year absence and coach Steve Sumarah is getting ready for a "learning experience". "This is a very strong conference with some of the top teams in the country so Im sure we will get our knocks but I see us growing in the next few years," Sumarah said. Sumarah is the former head coach of the Saint Marys Huskies. In fact, the last time an Atlantic school made it to the Vanier, Sumarah led SMU against Western in 2007. They won the Uteck Bowl by upsetting Laval, 20-2. Out west, the Calgary Dinos have won five straight Canada West titles for the first time ever under head coach Blake Nill, who is glad to be placed as the third-ranked team but admits it could be hard to repeat. Nill keeps hearing the names of his former payers on CFL on TSN broadcasts. "Weve had great success in the last five years and there are around nine guys playing in the CFL such as Edmontons Nate Coehoorn, Calgarys Matt Walter and Anthony Parker," said Nill. The first overall pick in this years CFL draft was Calgary Dinos lineman Lindon Gaydosh. But Nill sees Saskatchewan and Manitoba as strong teams out west. "The Saskatchewan Huskies are always strong and I hear this season Manitoba is up there," said Nill. And, in Atlantic Canada there is not one team ranked in the top ten for the first time ever. "That is not surprising," said Jeff Cummins, who coaches the defending Atlantic champions Acadia but his Axemen have lost a lot of seniors, including MVP quarterback Kyle Graves. Saint Marys which usually gives Acadia its best battle and may be the favourite in this conference, reason being they may have one or even two good quarterbacks. "Last year, senior Jack Creighton got knocked out for the season in the first game of the year. Creighton is trying to make a comeback following neck surgery and we have Ben Rossong, who transferred from Western but could not play last season," head coach Perry Marchese said. In a conference that has very limited quarterbacking talent now that Acadias Graves is no longer a force, Rossong may be the QB to watch. The Atlantic conference hasnt made the Vanier Cup since 2007 and have been soundly beaten in the national semifinal the last five seasons and that may well be the case this year. For TSN.ca, Im Alex J. Walling Alex j can be reached via email at: ajw@eastlink.ca JaVale McGee Jersey . Josh Mazzola drove in five runs to lead the Goldeyes (20-12) past the Capitales 11-5 Friday night at Le Stade Municipal in Quebec City. Jordan Bell Jersey . The Packers, Lions and Bears were a combined 35-15 and as long as Jay Cutler can say healthy, all three could make the playoffs in 2012. http://www.nbawarriorsauthority.com/tim-hardaway-warriors-jersey-c-13/ . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for tonights Pro Bowl.DETROIT -- Don Mattingly wouldnt mind a rematch. The Los Angeles manager knows full well that if his Dodgers face the Detroit Tigers again this year, it can only happen in the World Series, so despite Wednesdays 4-1 loss in Motown, Mattingly would be happy to return. "Well take that right now, and Im sure the Tigers would, too," Mattingly said. "Wed love to be here again." The Dodgers split two games against the Tigers in Los Angeles in April, and Detroit swept the two-game series this week. Max Scherzer pitched seven impressive innings Wednesday, outdueling Zack Greinke and lifting the shorthanded Tigers. Detroit was without sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, but the AL Central-leading Tigers scored two runs in the first inning against Greinke, and Scherzer (11-3) made the lead hold up. The All-Star right-hander allowed a run and four hits. He struck out seven and walked two. "Hes a great pitcher, and he showed why again today," Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon said. "You dont get many chances against him, and when you do, hes got so many pitches that hes able to throw that you cant just sit on something." Joba Chamberlain struck out two in the eighth, and Joe Nathan fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 23 chances. Greinke (11-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out eight without a walk. "You look at their lineup today, and you think you are getting a break with Cabrera and Victor being out," Greinke said. "But they were putting up great at-bats all day. I was throwing good pitches." Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers hit his first career homer in the fifth. Cabrera was given a day off by Detroit manager Brad Ausmus, and Martinez is dealing with a lingering back issue. The Tigers won without them. Scherzer escaped a first-inning jam thanks to some impressive fielding behind him. Yasiel Puig hit a one-out triple, butt with the infield in, Hanley Ramirez hit a sharp grounder to Eugenio Suarez, and Detroits rookie shortstop threw quickly to third to catch Puig off the base. Nate Thurmond Jersey. "That was a great play," Scherzer said. "He just made an instinct play -- saw Puig was off the base, and made a quick little snap throw. That just helped keep the game where it was." Rajai Davis made a sliding catch in left field for the third out. Austin Jackson opened the bottom of the inning with a triple of his own and scored on Ian Kinslers single. Kinsler advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Don Kelly. Greinke was sharp after that. Detroit scored again in the fourth on an RBI single by Nick Castellanos, but the Los Angeles right-hander retired the last nine hitters he faced, striking out the final four. But the Dodgers couldnt overcome Scherzer. They put men on first and second in the third, but Puig hit into a double play. In the sixth, Puig hit a leadoff double, but the next three batters couldnt hit the ball out of the infield. Matt Kemp went hitless with three strikeouts. Hes now 0 for 21 against Scherzer. Torii Hunters sacrifice fly in the eighth gave Detroit another run. NOTES: Mattingly says he doesnt plan any major changes to the lineup when OF Carl Crawford returns from a sprained left ankle. There could be a logjam with OFs Kemp, Puig and Andre Ethier also in the fold. "Were playing pretty well," Mattingly said. "Well just talk about it with (Crawford) -- let him know where everything is." ... Kelly drew the second intentional walk of his career in the eighth inning. ... Detroit faces Kansas City on Thursday night. The Tigers send LHP Drew Smyly (4-8) to the mound against RHP Jeremy Guthrie (5-7). ... The Dodgers return home to take on San Diego. Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw (10-2) faces RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (2-0) of the Padres. Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '