Sunday, November 16, 2008

Four-Way Tie Not Probable ... But More Probable

A four-way tie for the Ivy League title remains a possibility with one week remaining. Given resurgent Columbia's strong showing against Cornell, another solid defensive effort by Yale and Harvard's struggles against Penn, it could happen. Probably won't but could.

The standings:
Brown 5-1
Harvard 5-1
Penn 4-2
Yale 4-2
Princeton 2-4
Columbia 2-4
Cornell 2-4
Dartmouth 0-6

Here's what needs to happen:
Columbia has to beat Brown
Yale has to beat Harvard
Penn has to beat Cornell

If that happens Brown, Harvard, Penn and Yale would share the title at 5-2.

The Providence Journal didn't send anyone to Hanover for a game involving a first-place team, a comment about the current state of newspapers as well as Ivy League football. Here's what the Brown sports information office sent along.

Saturday's Roundup
Harvard 24, Penn 21
Penn's late-season hero at QB runs for 174 yards but is intercepted in the end zone on potential winning drive at the end

Columbia 17, Cornell 7
Big Red road woes continue

Yale 14, Princeton 0
Terrific defense and struggling offense a bad mixture for Princeton

New Hampshire 52, Massachusetts 21
UNH win is less of a surprise than the score

Holy Cross 27, Lafayette 26
Holy Cross and Colgate (off this week) to play for the Patriot title

Dave Coulson of The Sports Network covered the Penn-Harvard showdown Saturday. Although his story was a "gamer," the Ivy League's prohibition against the playoffs got these mentions:
"Harvard sponsors 43 sports and the athletes get to play for national championships in 42 of them," said Jay Mills, the former Crimson offensive coordinator and now the head coach at Charleston Southern. "It's really a shame that they don't get to compete for a national championship in football."
And ...
Obviously, this issue isn't about the balance between athletics and academics.

One Harvard official said on Saturday: "The college hockey season seems like it lasts for eight months. You would think they could let the football team play for a few extra weeks."

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