Week 1 Picks

Week 1 Picks


Last year I went 34-8 in my picks of all the games involving Ivy League teams other than Columbia.

I usually have a similar winning percentage.

But that was easy. I was just picking winners and losers.

This year, I am going to set the bar higher and include the spreads just to make it tougher on myself.

For the record, I will not be supplying the name of the source on the betting lines because I actually really oppose sports betting and I am the one schmuck in America who really does use them “for entertainment purposes only.”

Also, I will continue to not pick Columbia games for obvious reasons.

Okay disclaimers over!


Georgetown at Yale (Yale is favored by 11 ½)

Good for Georgetown for finally pulling off a big upset and shocking Lafayette in Easton last week. But I don’t think the Hoyas can pull it off two weeks in a row… not on the road at least.

However, that 11 ½ point spread is too big in my opinion. I am not high on Yale and will need the Bulldogs to beat someone bigger than Georgetown to change my mind.

So, I am taking Georgetown and the 11 ½ points while I still pick Yale to win the game outright.


Stony Brook at Brown (Brown is favored by 7 ½)

I am very high on Stony Brook this season. This is a team on the rise that just got supercharged with a few transfers from Hofstra after that program discontinued football.

Brown is a big question mark this season with all the graduating stars off the roster. Don’t get me wrong, I still expect the Bears to be a good team and I think the world of Phil Estes.

But 7 ½ point spread is way too generous in my opinion, especially since I think Stony Brook will win the game too.


Princeton at Lehigh (Lehigh is favored by 5 ½ points)

Lehigh is generally on the rise and I think this will be a tough year for the Tigers.

I REALLY don’t like Princeton’s offense line that looks more like a patchwork job than one of my 2nd grade dioramas.

I’m taking Lehigh and giving the 5 ½ points.


Dartmouth at Bucknell (Dartmouth is favored by 4 points)

The Bison just don’t look very good this year, especially on offense.

I know Dartmouth hasn’t won a road game since 2006, but this Bucknell squad is hurting.

One thing I can say: if the Big Green lose this game, it’ll be a disaster for the program that’s promising big improvements this season.

I’ll take Dartmouth and give the four points.


Cornell at Wagner (Cornell is favored by 4 ½ points)

I think this will be a very tough year for the Big Red, but Wagner is just not a program on a par with even the weakest Ivy team.

I am high on the new Cornell coaching staff, so this looks like a lock.

I’ll take the Big Red and give the 4 ½ points.


Holy Cross at Harvard (Harvard is favored by 3 points)

This is NOT the same Crusader team we’ve come to know the last 4-5 years. It’s not a bad squad, but Harvard should not have too much trouble handling them at home.

I’ll take Harvard and give the three points.


Lafayette at Penn (Penn is favored by 11 ½ points)

I know Lafayette is emotionally and physically wounded after its loss to Georgetown last week. But an 11 ½ point spread is an insult to the Leopards, and it must not be making the Penn coaches very happy.

There’s a good chance Lafayette wins this game outright, especially if Keiffer Garton doesn’t play.

But I think the Quakers will win the game in the end… just not by two scores.

Take the Leopards and grab the 11 ½ points, but expect Penn to win.


Towson at Villanova (Villanova favored by 31 points)

Villanova is a truly great team, but I think Towson will do better than Lehigh did last week against the Wildcats in a 35-0 loss.

I say take Towson and grab the 31 points, but Villanova is still a shoo-in to win the actual game.