While the Riders focus on a future first-place battle with Calgary, all the talk in Saskatchewan is about the past.
The last time the Riders won the division hosting the Western final was back in 1976, when players like Ron Lancaster and Roger Aldag wore the green and white, so long ago that only five current Riders were even born.
"It's an exciting thing around here," said Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant. "And it's something that we want to accomplish as a team. It's a goal that we set at the beginning of the season."
In 1988, the Riders came close to finishing first, tied with the Eskimos with a record of 11-7, but lost the season series, forcing them into second place. That was the only time the Riders ever had a shot at first heading into the final week.
"In a small league, how can a team go this long without finishing first?" said Regina Leader-Post columnist Rob Vanstone. "33 years? Even the Ottawa Roughriders have finished first more recently than the Saskatchewan Roughriders have, and that tells you something."
A win versus Calgary on Saturday would mean more than the end of a drought for the players. First place would give them a bye to rest teammates ravaged by injury and the flu, not to mention a Rider-friendly crowd for the Western final.
"I've been on the road a few times in those games and it's tough," said offensive lineman Gene Makowsky. "It's very tough to overcome going to B.C., going to Calgary. Those are tough places to play, so obviously you want to play all of your games at home, and to have that big of a game at home, I think would be pretty big for us."
Whether it's the West semi-final or final, tickets for the Riders' guaranteed home playoff game go on sale Wednesday at 9 o'clock with just 8,000 tickets remaining for the public. And judging by last year, it will only take minutes for it to be sold out, another reason the Riders feel this community deserves to see a Western final at Mosaic stadium.
"There's no question our fans deserve it," said Makowsky. "That's just far too long a stretch."