Having already checked the Blue Bombers and Roughriders off their list, Calgary will be looking to do the same this week with another Western foe.

Wins in Week 2 and Week 5 against Winnipeg along with recent back-to-back triumphs over Saskatchewan enabled the Stamps to claim an early pair of all-important season series.

Now the Red and White are preparing for their third and final regular-season matchup with the Lions and, having split their first two encounters, the Stampeders can claim yet another potential tie-breaker on Friday night.

“If you win your season series, it’s likely that you’re going to finish atop the West Division,” punter Rob Maver explained. “Obviously, you want a ticket to the dance, but you want to be at the top of the list so you can get that first-week bye and host the West Final. If you win your season series, you greatly increase your chances of doing that.”

Likewise, defensive lineman Junior Turner is no stranger to what is at stake this weekend as the victor will also obtain the added benefit of occupying an outright first-place position in the West through eight games.

“It’s definitely important for us because it’s a Western conference opponent,” said Turner when asked about the upcoming clash. “We want to always take care of the Western games. That’s not saying that other games aren’t important, but it’s imperative (to beat the West teams) and to get those season series and see where we are in the standings.”

Over the past five-plus years, Calgary has secured a season series on 24 occasions, 11 of which have come against teams from the West. Further motivation for the two veteran members of the Stamps is firsthand experience with paying the price for coming up short in crucial head-to-head matchups.

“If you win your season series, it’s likely that you’re going to finish atop the West Division” – Rob Maver

In 2011, the Stampeders were relegated to a third-place finish after a three-way tie with BC and Edmonton due to 1-2 records against both the Lions and Eskimos.

Likewise, the Stamps and Esks each finished 14-4 in 2015 but Edmonton was awarded home-field advantage after taking two of three decisions over its provincial rival. The Esks would eventually end Calgary’s campaign in the West Final at Commonwealth Stadium.

“You’ve got to win your divisional games – that’s what it comes down to,” offered Maver. “The more of them you win, the better off you’re going to be when the weather gets cold and when the games mean a little bit more.”

Including a pre-season affair back on June 17, the Stampeders will soon face the Lions for the fourth time in nine games. However, don’t expect complacency to set in when the Stamps take to the field at BC Place.

“I think we just look at the schedule and say, ‘OK, this is the next game up,’ ” Turner remarked. “We don’t try to look at it in that aspect. We take it week-by-week, game-by-game and opponent-by-opponent. We’re not looking too far down the road. We’re just trying to handle BC.”