Let the Predictions Begin

The College Sporting News is out with its preseason picks for the Ivy League.

Here's how it looks:


1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Brown
4. Penn
5. Dartmouth
6. Cornell
7. Princeton
8. Columbia


Should I be worried that this prediction doesn't look all that bad to me? I'll get to the Lions being picked last in a moment, but I too plan on picking Harvard, Yale, Brown and Penn as my top four when I release my detailed picks later this summer.

Unless something changes, Harvard looks like the team to beat with a great offensive line, experienced QB and overall strong defense.

Yale has a shot because of star running back Mike McLeod, but the Elis have lost a lot of stars on the offensive and defensive lines.

And Brown is everyone's favorite to surprise after last season's offensive explosion.

I am surprised by how low they placed Princeton and how high Dartmouth ended up, but you never know how hard these guys work on picking the Ivies after the first 2-3 teams.

As far as Columbia's last place prediction, well you have to expect that after going 0-7 last year. Plus, any team starting a new QB is always a little suspect and Columbia will need to do that this season. Of course, it's always nice to surprise people and the Lions certainly have the opportunity to do that in 2008.


Game of the Day (Day 88)

November 4, 1951

Columbia 21 Cornell 20


Yesterday, I highlighted Columbia's thrilling one-point upset win over Cornell in 1950. Well, the Lions did it again a year later in Ithaca. This time the final score was 21-20.

Once again, an extra point that wasn't played the biggest role in Columbia's victory. Big Red kicker Bill Kirk simply missed the PAT after Cornell had stormed back from a 21-7 fourth quarter deficit to make it 21-20.

But Columbia still needed an interception by Ben Mione a few minutes later to truly ice the game in front of 21,000 very cold fans at Schoelkopf Field.

Some of the other Lion stars were Wes Bomm, who broke Bill Swiacki's career receptions record with seven grabs on the day.

The Lions won despite being outgained 383-273 from scrimmage. Columbia also lost two fumbles, but made up for it with three interceptions, including the game-clincher.

And the unsung heroes were the snow removal crews from the city of Ithaca. The entire field and most of the stands were covered in heavy snow before the game, but the snow plows quickly made the field playable.