Ivy football preview

Over the last few years, preseason polls in Ivy League football have been about as accurate as a blind man throwing darts, primarily due to the parity that exists in the league. One only has to recall the last Saturday of the 1995 football season in which four teams had a chance to gain a share of the Ivy League title. Coincidentally, two of the four were considered in the preseason to be "lower echelon" teams.

Last year's team

Yale lost 35 seniors, 16 of them starters, to graduation from a 3-7 squad last season. For this reason alone, it is easy to see why many prognosticators have picked Yale to finish near the bottom of this league in preseason polls. But the uniformity of the league last season and the inaccuracy of last season's preseason polls are a reminder that nobody knows really what to expect in the Ivy League.

With that in mind, the following is a guide depicting the strengths and weaknesses of each of the eight teams that will compete for the Ivy League crown, including a "rough" estimate of where one can expect each team to finish.

Brown University
The Brown Bears feature fifteen returning starters from last year's 5-5 squad (2-5 Ivy), including All-Ivy quarterback Jason McCullough. McCullough, an All-America candidate, will graduate from Brown holding school records in touchdowns, passing yardage, and total offense. McCoullough will have Ivy League Rookie of the Year Sean Morey to catch his passes, while honorable mention All-Ivy back Marquis Jesse hopes to improve on his 728 yards rushing of last season. The Brown defense features seven returning starters, including cornerback Greg Parker, who had five interceptions last season. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: Brown is still not ready to break into the upper echelon of the Ivy League. Sixth Place.

Columbia University
The days of the Columbia Lions being the perennial cellar-dweller of the Ivy League seem to be over. With strong recruiting efforts (aided by a lowering of its Academic Index), Columbia managed to put together a winning season in 1994 and had a strong start to the 1995 season before key injuries dashed its hopes of an Ivy League crown. Columbia's defense will be the strength of this year's team, anchored by All-Ivy linebacker Rory Wilfork. Wilfork compiled 141 tackles last season along with four sacks. Columbia also returns defensive end Marcellus Wiley, an All-Ivy lineman two years ago, who might also double on offense as a running back. The Lions special teams will get a boost from Joe Cormier, who was second in the nation in punt returns last season with 16 yards per return. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: Columbia has another rebuilding year before they hit the big time. Third Place.

Cornell University
Experts have termed Cornell as the "sleeper" of the Ivy League this season. Coming off of a loss on the last day of the season to Penn that cost Cornell the outright Ivy League crown, the 1996 squad features the return of the league's two-time defending rushing champion Chad Levitt. Levitt dashed for 1428 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Cornell's defense returns seven starters, including sophomore linebacker John Hanson, who led Ivy rookies with 101 tackles last season. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: Expect big things from the Big Red this year. They will be the sleeper. Second Place.

Dartmouth College
Dartmouth is considered the favorite by most experts this season, primarily due to the strength of its "Gang Green" defense. All-Ivy defensive end Scott Hapgood tallied 12 sacks last season, while Dartmouth's linebacking corps of Mark Abel, Zack Walz, and Brian Schmidt combined for 350 tackles. The Big Green isn't too shabby on the other side of the ball either. Dartmouth's ground attack was first in the Ivy League last year, and star backs Greg Smith and Pete Oberle return. Dartmouth's offensive line returns four starters, who will hopefully give quarterback Jon Aljancic enough time to improve on his 693 yards passing of a season ago. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: The Gang Green defense will carry Dartmouth to the top of pack. First Place.

Harvard University
Harvard just plain sucks. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: A dead last finish.

University of Pennsylvania
A lot of question marks surround this year's Pennsylvania football squad. Who will replace career receptions leader Miles Macik, star defensive end Tom McGarrity, and quarterback Mark DeRosa? While Penn lost many key starters, Coach Al Bagnoli (33-6 at Penn) has always managed to put a winning squad on the field and opponents should expect the same from him this year. Returning running backs Aman and Jasen Scott hope to improve on their combined 1379 rushing yards of a year ago, while Marek Fabish will be called upon to fill the shoes left by the graduation of Penn's wide receivers. On defense, Penn will feature a strong line, and will count on linebacker Tim Gage to step up his game with some increased playing time. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: Penn will have a bit of an off year before its next set of recruits restore it to the prominence it held in early '90s. Fourth Place.

Princeton University
The Princeton Tigers are the returning Ivy League champions, and will count on a defense which allowed just 12.4 points per game last season to keep them on top of the league. Third team All-America defensive back Damani Leech will be the star on defense. Leech led the nation in interceptions a year ago with eight. The secondary also features three returning starters and should be the strength of the team. On offense, second team All-Ivy running back Marc Washing will have to improve upon his 992 yards last fall, considering that expected starting quarterback Harry Nakienly is taking the year off from school. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: The loss of Harry Nakienly could prove costly for a Tiger squad that finished the last season on a bit of a skid. The Tigers will try to stay focused and not suffer an unexpected loss like last year's at the hands of the Yale Bulldogs. Fifth Place.

Yale University
And last, but not least are the Yale Bulldogs. The strengths of this year's Bulldog team are its defense and senior leadership. Honorable mention All-Ivy Robert Selzer, SM '97, will be called upon to anchor the defensive line, although big contributions will be expected from Adam Hernandez, BR '98, and Isiah Wilson, DC '98. At linebacker, Senior Bryan Whalen, DC '97 (65 tackles last year) will be the leader in the middle, with Paul Tryon, ES '97, Todd Scott, CC '98, Brandon Jacoby, PC '98, Tony Kim, TD '98, and Tim Mulvihill, TD '98, all expected to see time on the outside. The defensive backfield could be the strength of the Bulldog defense, as it features returning starters Tim Reed, SY '97, (12 tackles in The Game last season) and captain Rob Masella, SY '97. Kevin O'Callahan, BK '97, and Nate Boxrucker, BK '99, also will be key contributors to this unit.

On offense, the big question mark is who will be the signal caller, Kris Barber, SM '97, or Blake Kendall, SY '97. Barber's strengths are his mobility and his ability to make things happen, while Kendall is more of the traditional dropback style quarterback. Both are expected to receive playing time. Three returning lineman, Allan McCall, SM '97, Doug Cullum, SY '98, and Jack Hill, CC '97, should give either quarterback enough time to throw the ball and should help create holes for starting tailback Jabbar Craigwell, JE '98. Yale's special teams feature John Lafferty, TC '97, one of the leagues best punters and kickers, along with many kick returners who have the ability to make the big play. EXPECTED OUTLOOK: What a fitting end it would be to Carm Cozza's 32-year career as he is carried off the field after The Game with his 11th Ivy League title in hand Well, it could happen in the movies. Seventh Place.