Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Unthinkable

Jake Wilson over at Roar Lions Roar ruminates on the possibility that Dartmouth may finish the year 0-10. For the record, he doesn't believe it will happen. He points out something I hadn't dared to even check: There hasn't been a winless team in the Ivy League in 16 years and, surprise, it wasn't Columbia.

The Cornell Sun writes that 6-foot-6, 313-pound tackle Steve Valenta and safety Tim Bax have their eyes on playing on Sundays (and Monday nights). Apparently the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts have already taken a look at the pair.

In case you are wondering ... the current weather forecast for Saturday in gorges (spelling pun intended) Ithaca is 54 degrees, showers and 8 mph wind from the southwest.

Dave Coulson at The Sports Network is batting about the playoff picture for the various FCS conferences. Both of Dartmouth's Patriot League foes are in the running. Here's what he wrote about the conference:
PATRIOT LEAGUE
Colgate (7-2, 3-0) and Holy Cross (5-3, 3-0) can set up a league title game for the auto bid on the final Saturday of the regular season by winning out. The No. 24 Raiders play at Lehigh on Saturday and have an off-week before facing Holy Cross. The Crusaders host Fordham and travel to Lafayette before meeting Colgate.

Lafayette (6-2, 2-1) has a win over Liberty, with its only losses to No. 21 Harvard and Colgate. But the Leopards would need a lot of help with other teams losing to be considered seriously for an at-large bid.
And here's what Coulson wrote about the Ivy League (but sure to read it all):
IVY LEAGUE





That's right, not a word. And rightfully so, since the Ivies don't go to the playoffs. Because he didn't write anything, I'll fill in the blank.
IVY LEAGUE
The Ivy League does not compete in the FCS playoffs because the Ivy presidents are more interested in image than in fairness. Apparently they don't trust that the student-athletes who play football at their institutions can successfully handle the academic challenges that every other athlete in the Ancient Eight apparently can handle.

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