We're B-A-C-K . . .

We're back from our final college "drop-off" and back starting your day with a look at what's happening at Dartmouth, around the Ivy League, the FCS and college football.

While we were away the football office continued churning out its top plays of the 2014 season and this one checks in at No. 5. I might have had it higher because when Kyle Bramble hurdled a would-be tackler in the opener it was the definitive sign that one of the key pieces of Dartmouth's title run last fall was all the way back from knee surgery.

•

Dartmouth's Mobile Virtual Player is the subject of a glowing story on Football Scoop HERE. The key line from the story:

Click HERE to watch the video on YouTube.

The possibilities are literally endless.

The ConsumerAffairs website has a story about the MVP that refers to the device as the "Terminator."   LINK

The MVP gets a mention in the ESPN college football blog HERE.

•

Penn football began practice on Aug. 18 and Cornell a day later. Harvard kicked off drills Friday and Yale a day after that.

Dartmouth doesn't begin practice until Wednesday and Princeton on Thursday.

Each year newbies say the same thing: That's not fair!

Relax. Each Ivy League teams is allowed the same number of preseason practices. They are just distributed differently because of the different academic calendars at the schools.

Cornell students will be in class Tuesday and Penn students begins classes Wednesday. Dartmouth and Princeton students, meanwhile, don't begin classes until Sept. 16.

Green Alert Take: While a case can be made that Penn and Cornell players have the advantage of an extra week or so to absorb what the coaches are teaching them, the case also can be made that for much of the next three weeks or so the Dartmouth and Princeton players are all-football, all-the-time and able to concentrate on practice instead of spending time in the library or a lab. Which is more advantageous? Share your thoughts with a comment below.

•

What's not debatable is that Dartmouth's non-conference opponents have a serious advantage. Central Connecticut, for example, began practice on Aug. 8.

•

Good news for those not traveling to Georgetown for Dartmouth's Sept. 19 opener with the Hoyas. Georgetown was a holdout from the Patriot League football package in the past but this year the school will be live streaming all of its home games for free, including the Dartmouth game. Did I happen to mention the game will be streamed FREE? Check out this LINK for more information.

Green Alert Take: We can all agree or disagree but I'm a huge believer that streaming games for free is a net plus for the Patriot League as it looks to develop its football profile nationally. I tuned in to a few Patriot games last year that I never would have seen if I needed a subscription. The PL coaches can share a link with a kid from Chicago or Atlanta and he and his family can get a feel for what football in the league is like or follow a team all season.

•

The good news for the rest of the Ivy League is that Yale Bowl is finally going to get artificial turf. Honestly, there have been times in the past when players at the Bowl appeared not to be wearing cleats as their shoes sunk into the long, thick and deep grass. After the turf is installed at the Bowl at the end of the year Brown will be the only Ivy League holdout playing in the real stuff.

The bad news for the rest of the Ivy League is that Yale Bowl will be getting an offseason bubble for practice. Like at Harvard, the bubble will be installed after the last game and removed in the spring allowing various Bulldog teams to practice through the winter. Find a story HERE.

Green Alert Take: Keep your eyes and ears peeled for news out of Dartmouth and it won't be about a  bubble. Those who attended the Friends of Football semiannual meeting in June heard the details but nothing has been officially released yet.

•

We had a great trip out to State College, catching a Single-A Spikes baseball game on our first night and getting That Certain Nittany Lion Senior all moved into his apartment the next day. We visited not one but both Wal-Marts in town and learned that the second one is the busiest Wal-Mart in the nation this weekend. Fortunately we got in and out before the absolute crush began and That Certain Nittany Lion has had a few days to acclimate before classes begin tomorrow. He even had a chance to hit the golf course, carding a 2-under-par 70 in his first round of the fall ;-) Wish I could play like that . . .

That Certain Dartmouth '14 meanwhile, shared a photo she shot of a grizzly she saw at Yellowstone. Her summer ranger position has ended and she'll be working in the ranger education program helping school children learn about the park through late November. She's even expecting to do some outreach, visiting schools in the area to talk about the park. Depending on what happens she may teach skiing in Colorado in the winter and then (hopefully) land back at Yellowstone or another park for next season, with the hope of eventually becoming a year-around ranger.