With less than a month to go before Princeton's Ivy League opener versus Columbia, here is a capsule look at the other seven teams in the Ancient Eight, including a brief thought on each from Tiger head coach Roger Hughes.
Brown Bears
2002 Recap: Typically a contender, Brown is coming off a 2-8 (2-5 Ivy League) season in which four of its five league losses came by a total of 11 points. Only Penn managed to run away with a 31-7 victory. After starting with eight straight losses, the Bears topped both Dartmouth and Columbia to finish the season with some momentum.
Strength: Senior Kyle Slager, the fifth-leading passer in the nation last season, returns at quarterback to lead a high-powered Brown offense, but he will have to do so without graduated Chas Gessner, who led the nation in receiving last season.
Question Mark: The Bears lost 16 starters from a year ago and will have to overcome lack of experience on both sides of the football. Brown's top three leaders in tackles from last season have all graduated.
Key Game: Sept. 27 at Harvard. The Bears' first Ivy League game takes place at 100-year old Harvard Stadium, home of one of the top teams in the conference. A win would be a huge boost to a team looking to return to prominence.
Hughes' Take: "They do a great job schematically. It gets down to how good their skill is on offense."
2003 Prediction: Offensive punch will not overcome the losses on defense. Tied for seventh place (1-6 Ivy League).
Columbia Lions
2002 Recap: Columbia had the opposite problem as Brown last season — an encouraging start with a disappointing finish. The Lions won their season opener against Fordham, then lost their last nine games, going 0-7 in Ivy League play.
Strengths: Offensively, the Lions have some positives. Quarterback Steve Hunsberger threw for over 200 completions and 2,000 yards last season, both Lion rarities. Columbia also starts two seniors at wide receiver and four on the line.
Question Mark: The Lions have a new coaching staff with a big task ahead as they try to build a winner out of a team that was undersized and outgunned last season.
Key Games: Between Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, the Lions play the Ivy League's best, taking on Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, and Harvard in consecutive games that could quickly bury any hopes of a championship.
Hughes' Take: "I think there is a renewed enthusiasm around there. Columbia could be the surprise."
2003 Prediction: Renewed enthusiasm does not win football games. Tied for seventh place (1-6).
Cornell Big Red
2002 Recap: After a slow 1-4 start, Cornell won three of four Ivy games before getting drubbed 31-0 by Penn on the final day of the season, finishing with a record of 4-6 (3-4).
Strengths: Last year's high-powered offense returns eight starters, including the quarterback and all five linemen. The kicking game also looks solid, with an All-Ivy second-teamer returning to place kick and a quality punter returning from an injury-hampered season.
Question Mark: Only four starters return on defense, none in the backfield.
Key Games: Five of Cornell's first six games are at home, giving it plenty of chance to make a strong start, but road games against Dartmouth and Penn in the last three weeks of the season will be a tough hurdle for Ivy supremacy.
Hughes' Take: "They are still in the building process, although I do know they have some very good defensive players up there."
2003 Prediction: Their games will be shootouts. Fifth place (3-4).
Dartmouth Big Green
2002 Recap: Dartmouth had a three-game mid-season winning streak sandwiched between three and four-game losing streaks. The school's 3-7 (2-5) record could have easily been different as nine of its 10 games were decided by eight points or fewer.
Strengths: Seventeen starters, many on defense, return to a team eager to turn last year's ugly record around. Tight end Casey Cramer and wide receiver Jay Bernard return as perhaps the best receiving duo in the league, and first team All-Ivy running back Scott Wedum is also back.
Question Mark: Star quarterback Brian Mann has graduated and will be replaced by Scott Wille, a senior transfer from Wisconsin. Last year's punter has graduated and the returning place kicker, Tyler Lavin, missed five of 23 extra point attempts a year ago.
Key Game: Oct. 4 vs. Penn. The Big Green's first Ivy League game will be a good indication as to whether they are ready to make the leap to the top tier of Ivy League teams.
Hughes' Take: "Their two defensive ends are very good. They've got [free safety] Clayton Smith back. They've got [Steve] Jensen back, who was Freshman of the Year two years ago, at corner. They have two very good linebackers. They are still a little up in the air at quarterback. It depends how their quarterback progresses."
2003 Prediction: Quarterback is a risky spot to have qualms. Tied for third place (4-3).
Harvard Crimson
2002 Recap: Harvard made a run at the Ivy crown a season ago before getting shelled by Penn, 44-9, near the end of the season in what was essentially the league championship game. The Crimson played in seven games decided by a touchdown or less and finished 7-3 (6-1).
Strengths: Dante Balestracci, the Ivy League's best defensive player from 2002, returns to anchor the defense. Ben Butler and Chris Raftery also return as exceptional cornerbacks. The Crimson's rotisserie of defensive linemen also saw significant playing time last season.
Question Mark: The incumbent kicker attempted just three field goals and four extra points a season ago. Harvard's top quarterback, running back, and wide receiver (All-Ivy Carl Morris) have all graduated.
Key Game: Nov. 15 vs. Penn. Harvard is expected to compete for the title once again, and this showdown on the ninth week of the season could once again be for the ultimate prize.
Hughes' Take: "There is only one coach returning on their staff, so it is going to be interesting to see what changes — if Coach Murphy wants the defensive coordinator to run the defense they've been running or if he lets him bring his own defense in."
2003 Prediction: A lot of upside, but you need to beat Penn to get first place. Second place (6-1).
Penn Quakers
2002 Recap: Penn won all its Ivy League games by no fewer than 21 points in any instance, never scoring fewer than 31 or giving up more than 20. The Quakers rolled to the Ivy title, going 9-1 on the season, losing only to Villanova.
Strengths: Twelve All-Ivy players and 15 starters return to anchor the defending champions, including quarterback Mike Mitchell and the entire offensive line, possibly one of the strongest in Penn history. The defensive line that was a question mark last season returns intact as well. The returning punter and kicker were both All-Ivy last season.
Question Mark: Four unanimous first team All-Ivy selections, including the school's all-time leading receiver, have graduated.
Key Game: Nov. 15 at Harvard. When you are the defending champs, the spotlight is always on, but if the cards fall as they are predicted, this will be the most important league game of the season once again.
Hughes' Take: "I would say that they're loaded, and I don't see a weakness right now."
2003 Prediction: It hurts to be this good. First place (7-0).
Yale Bulldogs
2002 Recap: Yale started the season with three wins, then lost three to even out the record, then won three more before losing the finale to Harvard. The Bulldogs finished 6-4 (4-3), tied with Princeton in the Ivy standings.
Strength: An amazing 22 starters return to lead a team that excelled beyond expectations when its players were inexperienced a year ago. The system is in place and everyone is familiar with it.
Question Mark: Both lines were hurt by graduation. The offensive line lost four starters and the defensive end lost two All-Ivy ends. With the top replacement for defensive end lost to injury, Tate Rich and Josh Flaster will man the positions.
Key Game: Nov. 22 vs. Harvard. If Penn goes undefeated again, a win for the Bulldogs on the final day of the season could give them second place ahead of the Crimson.
Hughes' Take: "I think Yale being picked third is probably correct."
2003 Prediction: He's the boss. Tied for third place (4-3).
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