VANCOUVER – It's been 10 months since the UBC Thunderbirds last hit the gridiron for a meaningful contest, but the long wait is finally over as the blue and gold head to Calgary for their 2026 Canada West season opener against the host Dinos on Friday afternoon at McMahon Stadium.
It's the first battle of the campaign for both sides but it's also a rather pivotal moment for the longtime rivals, both of whom have a bad taste in their mouth from how their previous respective seasons ended.
A win in week one means as much as it does in week eight, and given the short schedule and little margin for error, many eyes will be on this matchup to see who can take a big early advantage in the conference standings.
"This summer, guys have been calling me about this first matchup," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill, as he prepares to face his former team for the 19
th time as the T-Birds boss. "Coach (Ryan) Sheahan has a very good football program. Last year their season could have been totally different given a couple situations that cost them games and you have to feel they're feeling good about their chances this year. They're a big, large, athletic crew and they're going to be very tough. We're preparing for a battle as you do every week in Canada West, but the Calgary Dinos are going to be a team to contend with in 2026."
It's been nearly two years since UBC faced the Dinos in Calgary, a 32-30 T-Birds win in September 2024, the of first three straight victories including last year's lone meeting at Thunderbird Stadium for Homecoming – a win which stood up as the tiebreaker, putting the 'Birds into the playoffs while the Dinos missed for a fifth straight season.
The 2026 version of the T-Birds has yet to reveal itself, but many indications are the team will have a strong year on offence.
Drew Viotto returns for his second season at quarterback after finishing 2025 as the conference's leading passer.
Receiver
Trey Montour is back for his third season after leading the 'Birds with six touchdowns last year along with 704 total yards.
Running backs
Riley Michaud and
Caleb Yang are both back for 2026. Combine the returning veterans with an impressive crop of freshmen and transfers such as receiver
Barron Miles Jr. and there's every reason for the blue and gold to be excited about what they're capable of.
"We had some loss with veterans leaving the program which is typical, this team though is highly focussed, very motivated and I think looking forward to creating their own path and legacy starting in 2026," said Nill. "We've learned to count on different athletes, we've noticed there's a high level of athleticism, there's more depth than there has been in the last few years, and more quality depth. The competition has been at an increased level, there's less room for mistakes and overall, it's a significant improvement over the last couple years. We're looking forward to seeing what results come with that."
Perhaps a bigger question mark will be on the defensive side of the ball.
There are quite a few returnees such as 2024 Rookie of the Year defensive lineman
Deacon Sterna, fellow DL
Malcolm Fraser and
Aaron Parker along with linebacker
Isaiah Cooper and defensive backs
Jehovany Batalonga and
Darrien Brown, to name a few. But aside from the latter two, the T-Birds secondary will look mighty different.
"Defence is our uncertainty right now, but we feel we've made some strides defensively. Coach (Noah) Cantor is working hard to find out what works and what doesn't. Our reality is that our defence has to start establishing itself at a higher level if we're going to have the kind of year we want."
Aside from playing at home in week one, another benefit the Dinos have to kickstart the season is their experience from playing an exhibition contest August 23 against the Regina Rams.
"You're only fooling yourself if you feel there's not a competitive advantage to playing in the pre-season. You play at a level of urgency, a level of reality that you can't get in an intrasquad game or practice. We're definitely not in the same scenario as Calgary is coming into the game, we just got to hit the road quick and count on our execution to keep us in the game as long as possible until we start getting a feeling of what it's really like to play football again."
Kickoff for the 2026 Canada West season is set for 4:30 p.m. PT Friday, September 4 at Calgary's McMahon Stadium.
The game will be streamed
live on Canada West TV.
