Ivy League Football: Play Now, Win Later

There are the big schools that make all the money and have the great athletes ...

And then there is the Ivy League, where you have good athletes and scholars who will wind up being our bosses and making all the money later on in life.

Let's take a look at the future captains of industry who have chosen to hone their character on the gridiron.

This year, the Pennsylvania Quakers are favored to repeat as champions and win their fourth title in five years. Penn won the championship by one game over Harvard last season, which for all intents and purposes was their defeat of the Crimson, 30-21, in Week Nine. This season, Penn has Billy Ragone returning at quarterback along with running backs Lyle Marsh and Brandon Colavita. The Quakers are strong on defense and will be in the title hunt again this season.

Harvard and Brown will push the Quakers, and if Penn stumbles, either of these teams could win the title. The Crimson, under coach Tim Murphy, returns Cameron Brate and Chris Splinter, while the Bears have a formidable defense led by Emory Polley. Brown almost defeated Penn last season, losing a heartbreaker, 20-17. This year, both Harvard and Brown play Penn in November, and the Ivy League championship may be on the line with those results.

Dartmouth and Princeton are next in line and could wind up in the top three with an upset or two. The Big Green has quarterback Dalyn Williams returning along with Dominick Pierre, one of the best running backs in the league. Princeton was 4-3 in the league last year, as was Cornell. Columbia and Yale will bring up the rear of the standings; however, Yale's only conference win last season was against Penn, the Quakers' only loss in conference.

They may not get the big crowds or the big television audiences, but the Ivy League plays good football for ten Saturdays each fall.

And then they play the nation and world for all they've got.