"Week 9" Ivy League Football Preview

Harvard Crimson vs. Penn Quakers - Saturday 12:00 pm 

With their most recent win the Crimson just keep rising in every poll and now they are securely inside the top 10 and looking at a prime playoff spot. What the Crimson have been doing is as consistent as anyone in the nation. Their dominance can;t be overrated as they have just beaten teams up all year. Columbia scored with just seconds left on the clock to end their record chasing streak of beating teams by 20 or more points but 17 was good enough last week. 

The Crimson still have scored 30 or more points in every game this season and they have allowed more than 14 points just once. The Crimson defense looked vulnerable for the first time all year early in the last game, then they clamped down and did what they do best, which is turn the ball over. They lead the Ivy's in turnovers and it seems at times they are almost daring teams to try to make completions so they can get the pick. Bascon ran for two scores and Craig threw for two touchdowns, once again showing how versatile this offense can be. 

They can't take their foot off the gas though because as good as they have been Yale is within striking distance. Penn is having a nice season themselves and with O'Brien under center they are always dangerous. Their chances for a title probably went up in smoke last week in their loss to Cornell, but if they beat Harvard here they have a shot. Their offense carries this team and when it goes cold they just can't win. The Quakers have scored 13 and 17 points in their last two losses, while scoring 28+ in each of their last four wins. Going up against this Crimson defense will be tough and O'Brien will have to play lights out to keep this one close. 

Brown Bears vs. Columbia Lions - Saturday 12:00 pm  

The Lions looked inspired against the Crimson on national TV last week but they came up short. That seems to be a trend this year. There are positives to take away from the Harvard game and their QB situation looks like it can be a bonus. Ultimately though this offense just can't score enough. They have now been held to 21 or less points in every game this season and have failed to score more than a single TD in four of them. That puts the defense in bad spots and short fields which is why you see four of the last five teams scoring into the 30's on them. They have to limit the turnovers and if they play a clean game they can upset anyone. 

Brown meanwhile, continued their losing ways. This team was red hot and beating their chest early in the season but the bottom has dropped out and now they have dropped four games in a row. Nothing seems to be working right now as the defense just allowed 34 points last week and now that's 28+ in each of those last four losses. The offense isn't much better creating bad field position and they are turning the ball over. 

This game will be all about if Columbia left it all on the field against Harvard or if they can sustain some of those positives to take down this reeling Bears team. 

Yale Bulldogs vs. Princeton Tigers - Saturday 12:00 pm 

The Bulldogs just keep rolling along and now they have a shot at the Ivy title and a playoff spot. Yale can't get in a look ahead here on the road against a rival with Harvard coming up next week. The Bulldogs have won four in a row and their defense was again a highlight. 

While the Bulldogs control their own destiny they have to feel good with Josh Pisenberger rushing the ball. Last week he went for 173 yards and 2 TDs to lead the way and he is the rock on this offense. His 33 career rushing TDs now rank him third in program history for a running back and the Bulldogs will lean on him once again here. Yale has really only had one bad defensive game and that is in part because of the offense controlling the ball. I expect a heavy dose of that here this week. 

Princeton dropped their third game in a down and for the second straight week scored just 17 points. The Tigers fought back late showing some heart which is why this Yale game could be dangerous but they have to be able to put up more offense. The defense has looked much better but they can't win when they are dealing with their own QB throwing multiple picks each week. If they play a clean game Yale could be in trouble, but if it's the same old Tigers we are set up for a showdown next week. 

Cornell Big Red vs. Dartmouth Big Green - Saturday 1:00 pm 

The weather calls for a nasty day and Dartmouth couldn't be happier about that. The Green have found their defense after a slow start to the season and now Dartmouth looks to keep things going. Outside of their Harvard loss Dartmouth has been great defensively. They have held four of their last five opponents (Harvard) to 17 points or less and it looks like the D that we expected this season. This team forced two more turnovers last week and that has become a calling card for this opportunistic secondary. 

Offensively they are taking advantage when it's needed but they need to have more success before they can breathe easy and look past Cornell. The Big Red evened their season long record to 4-4 and are red hot right now, pardon the pun. This team has won four games in a row and put up 39 last week against a good Penn team. That's three times in the past four weeks they have scored 30+ points, after not doing that in the first four games. The offense is carrying the team right now and getting the headlines but the defense has also stepped up as they haven't allowed more than 20 in regulation in these four wins. 

Cornell is alive in upset mode here and Dartmouth has to play a careful game if they want to avoid the surprise.