Old friend Craig Haley OF STATS offers his spring look at the Ivy League football race
HERE. he starts the piece this way:
It's possible a team with a sub-.500 record in Ivy League games last season could be the preseason favorite in the Ancient Eight.
That's how intriguing and unpredictable the title race could be in 2019.
Yale slumped to 3-4 in the league after winning the 2017 title. Last year's top squads, Princeton and Dartmouth, went a combined 19-1, but the champion Tigers lost a ton in the offensive skills positions and graduation is ravaging the Big Green's offensive and defensive lines. Also, Harvard, Columbia and Penn will help keep it a deep race.
Of Dartmouth he has this to say:
PROJECTED RETURNING STARTERS: 11 (5 offense/6 defense)
OFFSEASON PRIORITY: With the offensive line losing four starters, the Big Green have great focus there. Nevertheless, they figure to remain strong in the run game with wildcat quarterback Jared Gerbino leading the way.
NOTABLE: Teevens has revitalized Dartmouth, which has gone 8-2 or 9-1 in four of the last five seasons. The defense is retooling up front, but cornerback Isiah Swann collected an FCS-high nine interceptions while winning Ivy defensive player of the year. Junior safety D.J. Avery hopes to come back strong from two injury-plagued seasons..
Green Alert Take: I'm not sure everyone is up to speed on Dartmouth's fifth year seniors, particularly on the defensive line. ;-)
