The #8 and third seed Manitoba Bisons (5-3), defending conference champions, begin the playoffs on the road as the play in Canada West Semi-Final at #6 and second seed UBC Thunderbirds (6-2) on Saturday, November 7 with a 2 p.m. CT kickoff at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium. The playoff game will be shown live nationally on Global TV.

Manitoba and UBC played twice during the conference regular season in 2015. They met earlier in week three with the Bisons losing 51-48 at home on Sat., Sept. 19 and then just last week as UBC won 24-10 in week eight at UBC on Sat. Oct. 31. 

This is only the third time the two teams have meet in conference playoffs. Brian Dobie was at the Bison' helm when the last meeting occurred in the post-season during the 2000 season as the Bisons won 14-4 in Canada West Semi-Final on Nov. 4. The only other playoff encounter was in 1982 as UBC won 57-3 at home in the Hardy Cup (Canada West Final). Manitoba seeks first-ever playoff win at UBC.

The way the Bisons will have to defend the conference championship won in 2014 could take a similar path. Last season, Manitoba won on the road in consecutive weeks in the post-season at Saskatchewan (Nov. 7) and then at Calgary (Nov. 15) to make the CIS Final Four. 

The other Canada West Semi-Final will pit #1 and first seed Calgary Dinos (8-0) hosting the fourth seed Saskatchewan Huskies (3-5) on Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m. CT.

Manitoba has made the CIS Top 10 in all nine weeks so far and now at number eight while UBC moves up to number six. This year entering the playoffs, the T-Birds have won four in a row while the Bisons have won four of the last five matches.

Bison Notes: Bisons have now made the conference playoffs in football for four consecutive years, tying the longest playoff run in the programs' history (1999-02). Manitoba seeks a win at UBC since the 2013 season and has a 10-6 record at UBC over the 20 years that Brian Dobie has been head coach at Manitoba.