This And That

Columbia has announced its 2012 football schedule and Dartmouth will be the Lions' homecoming opponent on Oct. 20. Don't take it personally. At Dartmouth the decision about which game will be homecoming is dictated for the most part by the calendar (and the alumni office) rather than the opponent, and it's probably little different in the Big Apple. Still, come to think of it, they could have chosen Yale the next week ;-)

Wait a minute, you say. Don't I remember Columbia playing Yale in the snow at Wien Stadium this season? Why, yes you do. And the Lions will host the Bulldogs in the same venue next season as part of their six-game home schedule. What gives?

The return engagement in NYC for the still-coachless Yale team is part of a rejiggering of the Ivy League schedule that will see also Dartmouth play in New Haven for the second year in a row next fall, and Penn play at Dartmouth for the second year in a row. The change is being instituted to make the travel schedule for Dartmouth and Penn a little more palatable.

In Dartmouth's case it used to have its five longest road trips all in even-numbered years and its five shortest road trips all in odd-numbered years. As a result of the Ivy schedule change (and trading out Colgate for Butler), Dartmouth's road schedule next year is a little less daunting regarding hours on the bus:

2012 Dartmouth Road Schedule
Sept. 22 at Holy Cross
Oct. 6 at Yale
Oct. 20 at Columbia
Nov. 3 at Cornell
Nov. 17 at Princeton

That's three pretty long trips but a far cry from the old schedule for even-numbered years, which didn't have a single road game in New England. Compare the new to the old:

at Colgate
at Penn
at Columbia
at Cornell
at Princeton

Green Alert Take: It's about time common sense kicked in.

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Dartblog has a posting of thoughts from an '11 grad regarding the Daily Dartmouth editorial on athletic recruiting at the college. The author, a cyclist, writes:

If you want a model, look at any of the College’s stellar club sports programs, such as cycling, figure-skating, or rugby. They thrive on a national level with no recruiting and minimal institutional support — but they enjoy abundant student leadership. Add the power of a leader like AD Harry Sheehy, the stability of world-class coaches, and the facilities and resources for varsity programs, and we could have an Athletics Department that would be a model for the educational world and a source of pride for all students.

Green Alert Take: If the college had "no recruiting and minimal institutional support," those "world-class coaches" would be gone so fast it would make your head spin and "a leader like Harry Sheehy" would never have been drawn to Hanover. With all due respect to the college's club sports programs that "thrive on a national level," they are part of a different paradigm. It's hard enough to compete as a varsity given the current model. Play a varsity schedule with the club sport model and you would have no chance. Take away recruiting and the Ivy League becomes the NESCAC. No wait, even the NESCAC recruits.

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Back to "coachless Yale," the Hartford Courant tracked down Don Brown, who seemed primed to succeed Tom Williams as the Bulldog coach earlier this week. From the Courant:

"In this profession, anytime anybody wants to talk to you, you hear them out," Brown said by phone Tuesday. "At the end of the day, you have to make the decisions that are best for you, your family and everybody around you. So that's it, really."

Green Alert: Well that certainly clears things up ;-)

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From a Harvard release:

Harvard University Head Coach Tim Murphy will lead the American Football Coaches Association in 2012 as president of the organization

2012 AFCA officers include first vice-president Tommy Tuberville of Texas Tech University; second vice-president Mike Welch of Ithaca College and third vice-president Mack Brown of the University of Texas.

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Speaking of Murphy, his Harvard Crimson finished eighth in the final Lambert Cup voting:

1. Lehigh 11-2
2. Maine 9-4
3. Towson 9-2
4. New Hampshire 8-4
5. Old Dominion 10-3
6. Stony Brook 9-4
7. James Madison 8-4
8. Harvard 9-1
9. Delaware 7-4
10. Albany 8-4

The last Ivy League team to win the Lambert Trophy? Dartmouth in 1970 when it was chosen over Penn State.

Green Alert Take: A one-loss Harvard team deserved to be higher in that poll – perhaps considerably higher – but when you don't go to the playoffs you don't have a chance to demonstrate your excellence. For what it's worth, I have a vote in the poll and put Harvard sixth.