• The University of Regina Rams face a must-win situation on Saturday afternoon against Manitoba at Mosaic Stadium as a loss to the Bisons would eliminate them from the Canada West postseason race.

• There's also point-spread considerations at play. The Rams need to win by four points to clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker over Manitoba should the two teams finish the Canada West schedule with an identical record.

MIMBS BREAKS OUT: Another week, another productive outing for SB D'Sean Mimbs. He became the first Rams player since 2019 to collect 10 receptions in a game last game at Alberta, catching 10 passes for a total of 119 yards and a touchdown. Mimbs now leads Canada West with 28 receptions, ranks second in the conference with 450 receiving yards, and is currently third in the nation with an average of 90 receiving yards per game.

MORE ON MIMBS: Mimbs is on pace for a 720-yard season, which would be in the top 10 in U of R history and the most by a Rams player since Mitchell Picton had 761 in 2017. The school's single-season record is held by Chris Bauman, who had 923 receiving yards in 2006 and went on to be drafted first overall by Hamilton in the 2007 CFL Draft.

ALDO BACK: After K Aldo Galvan was injured in warmups in Week 4 at Manitoba, backup WR Andrew Sweeney stepped up and handled punting and placekicking duties in that game. K Isaac Wegner dressed for Galvan in Week 5 at Alberta, but Galvan is expected to return for Saturday's game against the Bisons.

DOLANI BACK: In his first year with the Rams, DB Dolani Robinson is tied for second in Canada West with five pass breakups. Robinson missed the Alberta game due to injury, but is expected to return to his starting position at boundary corner on Saturday.

UNDER CENTRE: Since taking over as the team's starter midway through the Week 3 game against Calgary, first-year QB Owen Sieben has ranked among the most accurate passers in U SPORTS. He was an impressive 25-for-36 last game at Alberta, increasing his completion percentage to 66.3% for the season. Sieben ranks second in Canada West (behind only UBC's Garrett Rooker) and 10th in the nation in that category.

GROUND GAME: The Rams erupted for 224 rushing yards last game at Alberta, led by Olivier Savard rushing 14 times for 106 yards and Marshall Erichsen getting 12 carries for 62 yards. It marked the first time that the Rams went over the 200-yard mark in rushing as a team since Oct. 25, 2019, when Sam Varao and Colin Stumborg led the Rams to a 233-yard performance in a win over Manitoba at Leibel Field.

CHART CLIMBING: SB Bennett Stusek continues to climb the U of R's all-time receiving lists. He's ninth in school history with 122 career receptions and is tied with former Rams receiver Michael Thomas for ninth with 1759 career receiving yards. 

DRAFT REPORT: Mimbs, LB Cameron Mah, and DB Jackson Sombach all participated in the U SPORTS East-West Bowl earlier this year, a showcase which features (for the most part) players available for selection in the 2024 CFL Draft. Galvan, QB Bryden O'Flaherty, OL Matthew Hajewich, and DB Gowrishan Aravinthan are also eligible.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Rams have 99 players on this year's roster, including 70 who call Saskatchewan home. The team also has 15 players from Alberta, 9 from British Columbia, 2 from Manitoba, 1 from Ontario (Robinson), 1 from Quebec (Savard), and 1 from Mexico (Galvan).

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Saturday's result between the Rams and Manitoba can be split into four different scenarios - a Rams win by at least four, a Rams win by three, a Rams win by one or two, and a Manitoba win. Here's the impact to the Canada West standings in each of those four scenarios.

SATURDAY SCENARIO 1 - RAMS WIN BY AT LEAST 4: The Rams and Manitoba would both have identical 2-4 records, but the U of R would have the tiebreaker based on head-to-head points and would pull into fourth place in the Canada West standings. The Rams would then have to match or exceed Manitoba's win total in the final two weeks of the Canada West schedule to make the playoffs. The Rams finish off conference play at UBC and at home to Saskatchewan, while Manitoba is at home to Alberta next week before finishing off at Calgary. 

SATURDAY SCENARIO 2 - RAMS WIN BY 3: The season series between the Rams and Manitoba would be tied in terms of both wins and points scored, sending it to the next tiebreaker which is points differential in all league games. Manitoba would take fourth place over Regina with a three-point edge in that final tiebreaker over the Rams, but the Week 7 and Week 8 results would further affect those totals. Should the two teams end the season tied in the points differential tiebreaker as well, the tie would be settled by a coin flip by Rocky Olfert, the managing director of Canada West.

SATURDAY SCENARIO 3 - RAMS WIN BY 1 OR 2: Again, the Rams and Manitoba both sport 2-4 records but the Bisons would hold the tiebreak over Regina. The Rams would need to exceed Manitoba's win total to make the postseason.

SATURDAY SCENARIO 4 - MANITOBA WINS: The Bisons would clinch a playoff spot with a win on Saturday combined with a win by heavily favoured UBC over Calgary.