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Here are some notes, stats and observations as we head into semifinal Sunday in the Canadian Football League.

Let's start by taking a look at the CFL playoffs over the last 20 years and see if history can help shed some light on some of the questions that come up at this time every year, starting with whether or not the bye week for the teams finishing in first in their division helps them or actually hurts them?

Over the last 20 years, the Grey Cup has been won by a first place team 11 times. Of the 40 teams that have competed in the big game over that time, 23 of them finished in first place. Eight times in the last 20 years the game has featured first versus first, so yes there is an advantage for winning the regular season and finishing first no matter how the coach manages the bye week.  

How much has home field advantage helped for the second place finishers in the last 20 years?

It helps them get to the Grey Cup. Second place teams have advanced 13 times, however, it doesn't seem to help them win all that much. Second place teams have only won it six times.  

What about the third place finishing road warriors over the last 20 years?

Of the forty teams that have competed in the Grey Cup in the last 20 years, a third place team has only made it to the big game four times, but of the four appearances have won it three times.

Bottom line here is that it is an uphill battle for the third place finisher but if they can run the table, they have won it more than they have lost it.

There has been talk all year about how bad the East Division is compared to the West Division which is a theory that will be tested this year due to the crossover by the BC Lions.

It should be noted off the top that since the crossover format was instituted in 1996 and first applied in 1997, there have been seven crossover teams (not counting this year) and every time it has been a western team crossing over to the East Division. However, never has a western team advanced to the Grey Cup. As far as the west versus the east in championships, it is almost split right down the middle with the west winning 11 times and the east nine.

Notes from the regular season

The review of defensive pass interference was implemented because of a missed call in last year's east semifinal so after a year, how does the rules committee feel about the new rule?

Glen Johnson, the head of officials, has surveyed the rules committee over the last month and said Thursday: "Our process to review the implementation of challenging DPI is underway. We're early in the process, but the majority of feedback supports what we have done."

It should be noted that now that it is in the rule book, it will take two-thirds of the clubs to vote to remove it. Also, it was implemented because of a missed call in the playoffs. If a coach wins a DPI challenge this year in the postseason, you can bet the rule will not be going anywhere.

The sky is not falling on the CFL because scoring is down. There are actually three main reasons why it was a lower scoring 2014 regular season.

Football can be cyclical due to the athletes at quarterback. In the days of Doug Flutie, Matt Dunigan, Danny McManus and Tracy Ham to name a few, coaches implemented offences that featured a wide open passing game with no backs in the backfield. This year there have been a total of 28 quarterbacks take snaps; seven of which have made their CFL debut as starters. Also, if you add up the starts of Edmonton's Mike Reilly, Calgary's Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton's Zach Collarus, Montreal's Jonathan Crompton and Winnipeg's Drew Willy, you get a grand total of 104 starts. So the first two reasons for lower scoring this year in the CFL is inexperienced quarterbacks and run-first offensive game plans. One of which, of course, has led to the other.

The third is that sometimes the defence wins. This year, eleven players were in double figures in sacks and another five were just one or two away from that list. In 2014, defences dominated, which is why for the first time ever a defensive player in BC Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian is a finalist for Most Outstanding Player in the CFL.

More offensive game plans feature tight ends, two RB's and a strong run game. Inexperience and injuries at quarterback, in combination with dominant defences, are the three reasons scoring is down in the CFL.

On a recent radio interview on CJME Radio Regina, Hall of Fame quarterback Matt Dunigan made a great observation worth repeating.

On the topic of quarterbacks in the semifinal games this Sunday; Kerry Joseph in Saskatchewan, Jonathan Crompton in Montreal and Matt Nichols in Edmonton were all backups to Mike Reilly with the Eskimos last year and will be three of the four starting QB's on Sunday.