The Panda Game is known as Ottawa’s battle for university football supremacy. With 17,500 fans in attendance, there is no doubt that’s what the game is, but this year’s game was for more than just bragging rights and custody of Pedro.
This year’s Panda Game had huge playoff implications involved. The top six teams in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) make the playoffs. Before the Panda Game, the Ravens had a 3-2 record and were sitting in fourth place in the OUA standings. The Gee-Gees were 2-2 and sat in sixth place.
The Ravens still sit in fourth place after the game with a 4-2 record tied with the Queen’s Golden Gaels, while the Gee-Gees are 2-3 sitting in fifth place tied with the Laurier Golden Hawks and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
The next two games of the season for the Ravens are huge, but the Panda Game victory gives them some extra room to work with. The Ravens will face off against a weaker 1-5 York Lions before playing against the powerhouse 5-1 Guelph Gryphons for their final game of the season.
If the Ravens defeat the Lions and lose to the Gryphons they will finish with a 5-3 record, which should be good enough to earn a playoff berth. This is possible because the three teams tied behind the Ravens (the Golden Hawks, the Varsity Blues and the Gee-Gees) are facing each other, making it impossible for each team to win their final three games.
The Panda Game was about more than just being the best team in Ottawa; it may have been the make-or-break moment in the season for the Ravens and the Gee-Gees.
