The CFL schedule will be a great cleanser for fans of teams based outside of Saskatchewan whose teams didn't take home the top prize.
While Rider Nation hopes for a repeatfans in other markets can dream of what 2026 might hold.
Calgary has a less-than-favorable schedule for the team in 2026, with some very difficult travel, including short weeks on the road and long distances between the three bye weeks.
Lots of pre-season training
When training camp opens, the Stampeders will look to build on last season's success as Calgary doubled its win total from the previous season but ultimately fell short in the playoffs.
With two preseason games in Alberta 11 days apart, one at home against Saskatchewan and the other in Edmonton, Stamps should have plenty of time to put plans in place and see players in practice before the final exhibition game on Friday, May 29.
Not having to travel far and having a long period of time between games should give the Stampeders time to get on the right foot once the games start counting. However, a mitigating factor is that both Calgary and Saskatchewan play a full four days before the rest of the league.
While it's too early to tell what changes each team will have to deal with, playing early in camp could be detrimental to the chances of some new players actually making an impact.
Stampede Bowl is back
The highlight of the league's schedule last year was the inaugural Stampede Bowl, and it returns this year with a few changes.
It is not a guarantee that John Hufnagel will travel with Toronto Argos in his new role as special advisorbut if he does, it will mark his first return to Calgary after 17 years spent patrolling McMahon Stadium in every possible senior management position since 2008.
There's no word yet on the halftime show, but it'll take some effort to top last year's Bret Michael show, which proved the Poison frontman can still talk dirty to (us).
Where have you gone?
For a team trying to reconnect with its fans and bring them back to the league's oldest stadium, the schedule isn't helping.
After the Stampede Bowl, the team will spend four of the next five weeks on the road, including a 26-day break between home games as they play three in a row at other stadiums.
This trip may end up without the Stampeders bothering to return home as they play the Ticats on Saturday, August 1, and play the Argos in Toronto just five days later on Thursday night.
The team will have another 28-day stretch without a home game as they travel to Ottawa, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in the latter stages of the season.
Assuming they fly home between these games, the team will travel almost 9,500 kilometers during that stretch. Far from ideal for games from seasons 15 to 17.
No rest for the wicked
On three occasions, the Stampeders only had five days between games.
The first will be against the Argos in the Stampede Bowl, where the Stampeders will get one less day of rest than their opponents.
In less than a month, the Argos will once again have a tired Calgary team, but they will have the advantage of a full bye week to prepare.
Finally, “Moose” and “Stump” will be on even terms in the Labor Day rematch in Edmonton in September.
Athletic training staff will be working overtime to keep everyone as healthy as possible.
Bye, bye, bye
The Stampeders' bye weeks are fairly spread out, with a second week providing an early reset chance, one towards the middle in Week 12 and one in the final week of the season.
If the team continues to improve and climb the standings and ultimately make the West Final, it will have a full three weeks of rest before the game that will decide the West Division.
If they make the playoffs but miss the Western Finals, this break could be vital to getting healthy before heading into the playoffs.
However, with nine games to play and eight internationals, the Stampeders will have to keep an eye on their health.
Back to back
They say familiarity breeds contempt, which is why we may see extra linen on the field in the form of flags if that happens to Calgary this year.
They play the same team home and away three times and don't play those teams again anywhere on the regular season calendar.
Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton will be able to see the Stamps twice in a row and never again in the regular season.
Vancouver? I hardly knew her
This year, the Lions and Bombers make up the Stampeders' two additional divisional opponents, with the Lions coming to Calgary twice and the Stamps traveling to the Bombers' home.
However, due to the FIFA World Cup being held partially in Vancouver during the season, the Stampeders will not play in Vancouver, but will instead travel to Kelowna to face Nathan Rourke and the Lions in their lone road game against the Vancouver club.
And finally
All things considered, this schedule isn't as kind as the fan had hoped, and with a first-round playoff game scheduled for Halloween, it only gets a little worse as things progress.
Still, with so much time to plan, at least CFL fans who want to travel to games have plenty of advance warning about where and when to be.
