The 2010 CIS football season began on August 31, 2010, with the Windsor Lancers hosting the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the defending Vanier Cup champion Queen's Golden Gaels visiting the McMaster Marauders. The season concluded on November 27 at the PEPS stadium in Quebec City, Quebec with the Laval Rouge et Or winning the 46th Vanier Cup, a record tying sixth championship for the school. In this year, 25 university teams in Canada played CIS football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
After their successful application into the NCAA Division II, the Simon Fraser Clan left the Canada West Universities Athletic Association to join the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, leaving Canada West with six teams. The Clan, whose athletic programs were moved from the NAIA to CIS as a temporary refuge (up to that point, the Clan was to compete only against American universities), will continue to play football under Canadian (and CIS) rules when they play the UBC Thunderbirds in their annual cross-town rivalry matchup in October, but will otherwise play American football under the NCAA's rules.
The Waterloo Warriors have suspended its football operations this season, following a steroid investigation the previous season that had led to all 65 members of its team tested for steroids in March, with 3 positive results. Charges against the three Warriors players testing positive for drug trafficking by the RCMP are still pending. A further round of testing also saw players from the Windsor Lancers and the Acadia Axemen suspended for doping violations, though both universities will still field teams for the season.
Montreal vs. Bishop's game on 2 October 2010 was postponed to the following day due to severe rain and flooding in the Lennoxville region.
The Vanier Cup is played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2010, according to the rotating schedule, the Dunsmore Cup Quebec championship team will meet the Ontario conference's Yates Cup champion for the Uteck Bowl. The winners of the Canada West conference Hardy Trophy will host the Atlantic conference Loney Bowl champions for the Mitchell Bowl.
Ranks in italics are teams not ranked in the top 10 poll but received votes. NR = Not ranked, received no votes. Week 2 in CIS poll is Week 1 in Player of the Week poll.
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