Post to Post Photos; USN&WR Has Dartmouth 9th

Taken on August 18, these pictures show the goal posts almost finished and the rubber "infill" pellets being spread on the FieldTurf. (Click on photos to enlarge)

It's every bit as controversial as the BCS (and perhaps no more accurate) but the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings are out and Dartmouth is tied for No. 9 in the nation. The Bloomberg report (which unlike the first Associated Press report did not refer to Dartmouth as Dartmouth University) started its story this way: "Princeton University, the fourth-oldest U.S. university, broke a three-year tie with Harvard to become the top college for undergraduates in the nation, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey released today."

The U.S. News & World Report List:
1. Princeton University
2. Harvard University
3. Yale University
4. California Institute of Technology
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. Stanford University
7. University of Pennsylvania
8. Duke University
9. Columbia University
9. Dartmouth College
9. University of Chicago

All Ivy League schools were in the top-15.

Speaking of college rankings, if you didn't see the Aug. 21 issue of Time Magazine, take a look. The cover story is, "Who Needs Harvard?" Subtitle: Forget the Ivy League -- The New rules of the game say the best fit is what matters. ... The artwork on the cover shows an Ivy wall with a big hole in it. For a synopsis of the story, click here. The CNN piece ends this way: "While you may not be able to get into Harvard, it also may not matter anymore. Just ask the kids who have chosen to follow a different road."

How about a little football? For a look at Columbia's new uniforms, click here. Those of you who have followed the blog for the past year will have to excuse me if I'm repeating myself, but you can keep those new uniforms. (And I'm not real crazy about the Denver Broncos, Miami Hurricans and I'll have to admit it, Dartmouth's unis either.) Maybe it's the Penn Stater in me, but I'll take traditional any day. My favorite uniforms in the Ivies belong to Cornell and Yale.

Harvard has put out a release about five football players who spent nine weeks of their summer vacation teaching "low-income children the fundamentals of literacy and learning through the Phillips Brooks House Association." Reading the release had me thinking three things 1) All credit to the players for helping out in the community; 2) It's quite a contrast with the other five players from Harvard who have been in trouble since last year; and 3) It was no accident that the story was written and put on the web site. Harvard football has an enormous black eye right now and a story like that that was, I'm sure, more than welcomed in the Crimson football offices.

Princeton grad Ross Tucker, obtained from the Patriots, is starting at center for the Cleveland Browns for now, at least. The Beacon Journal story is here.