Averaging Out

How do the Ivy League football programs stack up over the past five years? They can be judged on championships won, overall record, Ivy League record or a few other ways.

One of the charts that has accompanied the preview series on the Green Alert Premium site includes Ivy League records and finish in the standings the past five years for each team.

Here are the teams starting with the best average finish in the Ivy standings over the last five years. (The numbers in parentheses are their finishes from 2005-2009.) Any surprises?

1. Harvard 1.8 (2, t-1, 1, 3, t-2)
2. Brown 2.8 (3, t-1, 3, t-6, 1)
3. Princeton 3.2 (t-4, 5, t-4, t-1, t-2)
4. Yale 3.4 (t-6, 4, 2, t-1, t-4)
5. Penn 3.6 (1, 3, t-4, t-4, 6)
6. Cornell 5.8 (8, t-6, 7, t-4, t-4)
7. Dartmouth 6.2 (7, t-6, t-4, 8, t-6)
8. Columbia 6.4 (t-4, t-6, 8, t-6, 8)

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Dartmouth senior tailback TJ Cameron is the subject of a story in the Greenwich Post. Listed at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds but looking significantly bigger than that, Cameron is a tantalizing talent who suffered a nasty ankle fracture as a high school senior that forced him to shut down early in his freshman season. The ankle and other health concerns slowed him as a sophomore as well. Although he carried just 10 times for 18 yards last fall playing behind Ivy League rushing leader Nick Schwieger, the flashy Cameron opened eyes in the spring game this year when he ran for 44 yards on 11 carries.

Cameron's high school coach, Rich Albonzio, thinks the time has come for his former player to finally shine on the college gridiron. He told the Greenwich paper:

“He’s going to have a phenomenal season. He’s got so much inside of him that wants to come out because all the frustration he’s had. He’s finally healthy and he’s running really well. I heard he’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster than ever. He’s going to let it all out on the field this year.”

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A Yale offensive lineman from California had a pretty darn good excuse – and a good story to share – if he showed up a little late for preseason check-in. Read the San Francisco Chronicle story down.

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The Ivy League sent out an announcement late yesterday on the web redesign mentioned in yesterday's blog. Find the announcement here.

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Former Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph, who tortured Dartmouth for four years, has been re-signed by the New York Giants as The Sports Network reports.

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And finally, Florida high school player James Wilder, Jr. – ranked the nation's No. 1 recruit by MaxPreps – committed yesterday to play for Florida State. The son of the former Tampa Bay Buc star is quoted this way in an NCAA Fanhouse story (italics added):

"They say the best athletes come out of the SEC, but just because I'm in the SEC it's not going to make me a better athlete. Even though it's the ACC, I'm going to 'ball out' regardless no matter where I'm at – even if I'm at the Ivy League."

Gee, I wonder how close that came to happening?