The McMaster Marauders and Laval Rouge et Or have one tough act to follow.
Today's 48th Vanier Cup is a rematch of last year's classic - a 41-38 double overtime win for McMaster, dubbed by many as one of the greatest games in Canadian university football history.
The Marauders and Rouge et Or will meet before a Rogers Centre gathering expected to exceed a record 33,000 spectators. Although Laval is downplaying the revenge factor, the bitter taste of last year's loss still lingers.
"The only place we could [get] revenge was back here," Laval head coach Glen Constantin said.
"Obviously, that was our motivation for the year [but] right now it's not about revenge, it's about execution and playing a real good game of football.
"You can lose this game emotionally because you're thinking about revenge."
The Marauders jumped out to a stunning 23-0 lead on Laval last year in Vancouver. The Rouge et Or rallied to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter only to watch McMaster kicker Tyler Crapigna boot the game-winning field goal in the second extra period.
McMaster's potent offence is led by quarterback Kyle Quinlan. He was the OUA's most valuable player and set a conference record by completing 69 per cent of his passes for 2,457 yards while leading Canadian university football with 19 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
"To be here two years in a row is not something that's lost on this team. We're really excited to be battling Laval," Quinlan said.
