Toronto, ON (My Sportsbook) - The playoff picture in the East Division is set.

The Toronto Argonauts will host Hamilton in the East Division semifinal after earning an exciting 38-31 win over the Ticats on Thursday night. That victory clinched second place for the Argos, thus giving them home-field advantage for the opening playoff game, which will be played November 5. The CFL had originally scheduled the first-round matches to be played November 7, but the East semifinal had to be pushed back two days due to a weekend concert at SkyDome.

The win improved Toronto's record against Hamilton this year to 4-0-1, including exhibition games, but the Argos do have some concerns heading into the playoff contest.

Toronto (10-6-1) took a commanding 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Kick returner Bashir Levingston ignited the fireworks by taking the opening kickoff 97 yards for the touchdown. Then, after Damon Allen's one-yard touchdown run and Clifford Ivory's 18-yard interception return for a score, Levingston took a missed field goal 115 yards for another TD to put the Argos up by 28 points.

But from that point on, Hamilton (8-8-1) outscored Toronto 31-10. Quarterback Danny McManus led the comeback with over 400 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to receiver Craig Yeast. But McManus also threw four interceptions, giving him a CFL-high 30 this season.

The Argos also needed three big field goals from backup kicker Chris Hardy to secure the win. Hardy, who connected from 18, 40 and 30 yards, was forced to take over kicking duties when regular kicker Noel Prefontaine suffered a hip injury in the second quarter. Hardy, a backup defensive back with Toronto, was a college kicker with the Manitoba Bisons but had tried just one field goal during his pro career, a 17- yard effort he missed while with Edmonton during a game against Toronto.

Out West, the only certainty right now is the B.C. Lions have clinched first and will host the division final November 14.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) are currently second and are off this week. But they can clinch the No. 2 spot -- and home-field advantage in the opening round -- if Winnipeg (6-10) can beat Edmonton (8-9) on Sunday.

If the defending Grey Cup-champion Eskimos beat the Bombers, then they will qualify for the CFL playoffs for the 33rd straight year. Edmonton also holds the tie-breaker advantage over Saskatchewan, meaning if the two teams end the year tied, the Esks will finish ahead of the Roughriders.

Therefore, an Edmonton win Sunday would mean the Roughriders having to beat or tie B.C. on October 30 to capture second place.

The Blue Bombers also have a shot at the playoffs. They need to win their two remaining games, which would put them into a tie with Edmonton for third. Winnipeg earned the tiebreaker because it captured the season series against the Eskimos, and a tie would for bump the Esks out of the postseason for the first time since 1972.

LOFTY PLATEAU: McManus became just the third player in CFL history to pass for more than 50,000 career yards Thursday night.

McManus achieved the milestone in the second quarter of Hamilton's road loss to Toronto with an 88-yard touchdown pass to Yeast. The others to do that were Argonauts veteran Damon Allen and Ticats general manager Ron Lancaster.

McManus, 39, was honored after the convert by CFL commissioner Tom Wright, Lancaster and Allen afterwards, forcing a brief stoppage in play.

RONA CUP: The Montreal Alouettes have already clinched first place in the East Division and the Ottawa Renegades are destined to finish the season in the last spot.

But the two teams will have something to play for when they meet Saturday afternoon: The inaugural RONA Cup. The trophy will be given annually to the winner of the final regular-season game between the two clubs.

The winning team will receive a trophy and RONA will donate $10,000 to the victor, who will then give the money to a charity that encourages education and aims at lowering school drop-out rates.

PONDERING RETIREMENT: Yo Murphy might be having a change of heart.

Earlier this year, the Ottawa Renegades receiver said this would be his final CFL season. But with 49 catches for 871 yards, his best season ever in Canada, Murphy is leaving the door open to playing in 2005.

Murphy will become a free agent at season's end, but says being able to contribute will factor heavily in his decision.

Murphy's given name is actually Llewellyn, but his sister couldn't pronounce it and instead called him Yo because he looked like a yo-yo bouncing in his crib. The monicker has stuck.

Murphy, 33, has enjoyed a pro career that has spanned North America and Europe.

He signed with the B.C. Lions in 1992 and spent three seasons there, earning a Grey Cup ring with the club in 1994. He then played parts of five seasons with the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe before appearing in seven games with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings in 1999.

After not playing in 2000, Murphy began the 2001 campaign with the XFL's Las Vegas team before joining the NFL's St. Louis Rams later that year. He appeared in the Super Bowl with the Rams that season. In 2002, he was released by the Rams and signed by Kansas City, appearing in the Chiefs' final two games.