Week Two Power Rankings
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So, how does the league stack up after week one?
After a weekend of surprising results around the league, it's time to look at my power rankings as they stand now:
1. Yale
Could I have been wrong about Eli QB Patrick Witt? Seems like it after two solid performances and a 2-0 Yale record. The 37-17 win over Cornell yesterday has a lot of eyes opening. Yale looks better than it has in a very long time.
2. Harvard
Super defensive effort in the 24-7 win over Brown Friday night has this program looking good again. Fill-in Colton Chappel may be more of a winner than starter Collier Winters.
3. Brown
I still like this team a lot when compared to the rest of the Ivies. Losing to Harvard under the rain and lights at Harvard Stadium is nothing to be ashamed of when the game was closer than the 24-7 score indicates.
4. Penn
Pretty good bounceback performance in a near-win over Villanova last night. The 0-2 Quakers are getting primed for the big game at Dartmouth this Saturday night.
5. Dartmouth
That loud thud you hear is the Big Green confidence crashing down after a 24-21 loss to lowly Sacred Heart yesterday. Chances seem just a bit dimmer that Dartmouth will be able to hold off Penn next weekend.
6. Cornell
Looking a bit better in contrast after what Bucknell did to Princeton last night. (The Big Red beat the same Bison team in week one). Yesterday's loss to Yale wasn't completely ugly and they made it a game for a while.
7. Columbia
Looked awful yesterday, but against a good program, a good coach, and a good team.
But losing 44-21 in your home opener is never good.
8. Princeton
Looked awful last night, and against a not-so-good team. Losing 37-9 to Bucknell is just embarrassing.
posted by Jake @ 10:08:00 PM
28 comments
28 Comments:
What a welcome sight seeing Gerst on the field after missing most of his first 2 years. If we can keep him healthy and have a coach who knows how to utilize that speed he can carry this offense.I beleive in his only full game last year he rushed for 150 yds against Princeton....A little better Bracket along with a good defensive effort and the Lions can turn this around.
Losing to Princeton means TWO new search committees: one for a new coach, and the one for a new AD. We can't keep rewarding incompetence!
We lost because our tackling was awful. Brackett as not played well. However, we can turn it around. Garner can be a weapon!
Heard in the stands "It's hard to be a Columbia football fan." Also heard "Do these guys practice together?" This team has plenty of athletic talent. What is the reason for these last two performances?
EVERY year we lose to Harvard and Penn, should we drop them too? Get over it! We have the talent! Look at what Spurrier did at Duke, or what Fitzgerald is doing at Northwestern. It CAN be done! Recruitig is NOT the issue. NYC is an ADVANTAGE! Forget "tradition", an overrated excuse by the Staff for "losing" kids. Hint, if you lost them, they nev wanted to come in the first pace! I earned acceptance to Harvard and all three Academies for football, but chose Columbia for several reasons; the Core, my research, coach Tellier, and NYC.
Like may of you, I watch these games in dismay, but to suggest to run from "scholarship" schools is embarrassing! Please move on.
Also, on the recent post about contributing money to football fundraising, I would suggest NO! Do what you wil with your generosity, however, rewarding this Staff and the Administration seems hypocritical if we want change.
On offense, please let Brackett call his own plays. Open letter to our OC: stop having the team come to the line of scrimmage and then have Brackett go to the sideline to get the call. It kills momentum.
Duke and Northwestern are both I A football athletic scholarship schools.
Gee, thanks or advising that they are D-1 scholarship schools. Never would have gotten that one. It was an analogy... that was apparently lost in translation. Sorry, I don't have any Crayolas to explain this, but my point was that good coaches CAN make a difference (even in more academically driven institutions where other coaches have failed).
Until I see any evidence to the contrary, I am certainly not assuming we can beat Princeton. Lately we have been playing teams that play way above their potential when they face us. In short, they come away looking like champions even when it turns out that that is the only good game they may play all year. We need to prepare for Princeton like it is the Super Bowl--no joke-- because I honestly think it will take that much effort to squeak out a victory. We can be optimistic on paper, but there is simply no evidence as of yet to support ANYTHING that appears on paper. I have the unsettling suspicion that there is something seriously wrong with our entire football operation. I can't say what that is specifically, but it is getting spooky. I hope I am being paranoid, but these last games have a way of making you start to question everything... Just win, baby!
Please use Crayolas next time so we lowly grads know you are using an analogy. We appreciate knowing where you were accepted to matriculate. We fans are using this blog because we want to express our opinions and not be berated, because opinions are not facts, just beliefs. Thanks to Jake we have this opportunity. Are you sure you didn't go to Harvard and are on the wrong blog?
I can't speak for former recruiting classes but I know there are players in the freshman class this year that were offered scholarships to I-AA football schools and chose to play at Columbia because of the excellent education, the NYC experience and great recruiting coaches. Don't rule out having a winning season this year. Given the opportunity I predict you will see more freshman join Fisher and Nelligan in contributing to the team...and a winning season. Go Lions!
some things to consider:
1) If coaching makes all the difference, and the current coaches are the problem, why is Norries' record one of the best in school history since 1954?
2) Harvard, Yale and Princeton have recruiting, facilities and financial aid packages and brand-name recognition that gives them advantages over all other schools... Princeton's recent downswing probably points to a combination of bad luck and lack of admissions support.
3) Penn, Cornell and Brown have curricula advantages (Wharton,Ag,Open curriculum) that help them attract Ivy players who may not be as interested in book-learnin' as others
4) NYC is an advantage for some - but not all. Most football talent is suburban/rural. Big cities do not churn out football talent (basketball is different). There are still lots of mommies and daddies who will not let their big boys go to the big bad city. It doesn't help when Ivy coaches recruit against Columbia by saying it is in "Harlem," playing on pre-existing prejudicial fears of many.
5) College athletics is set up for the rich to stay rich and the poor to stay poor. There is no redistributive entry-draft like the pros. The media amplify "tradition" and "history" as if to suggest the past = the present.
6) If, as many say, our talent base is as good as anyone else, given the above points... doesn't it require some looking into how we recruited these talented players successfully? Who did that?
Yeah...we're all down. The team seems unprepared and out of sync and key players are under delivering.
Let's get behind the team for Princeton. Seems a toss up to me. Let's get this win!
Excellent post regarding recruiting. If you look at the Rivals website, Columbia, Cornell Dartmouth and Brown trail the other Ivies in the number of interested seniors. Dartmouth seems to have come up with a way of getting around its disadvantange by taking eight to 10kids each year by early admission. I'm not what Brown's angle is besides the open curriculum, but Estes has a winning program so that obviously helps. Can't figure Princeton as they have twice or more the number of interested football players as Columbia and Cornell yet the Tigers have been lousy the last few years. Anyway, the basic point is that Columbia football has never really found a selling point that works. When the Campbell Athletic Center is constructed at Baker Field, that should help in recruiting, but there are several other things that need to be done as well.
First two games are out of the conference so they don't count in the standings. Only the Ivies matter to me and our guys are going to come up big this season!
Regarding the freshmen, it was good to see three of them (Fisher, Nelligan and Thaxton) get some playing time against Albany, but keep in mind that Fordham won its game against us with a freshman quarterback and two freshman wide receivers, so it makes sense to me to accelerate the amount of varsity playing time of the freshmen skills players. If we have some gems let's use them immediately. Nelligan, for one, certainly came up big in his first game for the Lions. And do we really have anyone as fast as Thaxton and Fisher? The time to win is now!
I am not sure the completion of the Campbell Atletic Center will be a recruiting advantage. The weight room will move there from Dodge. When this occurs, there will be no on-campus football activities. No matter how many say the facilities being 100+ blocks away doesn't matter, it does. Nothing can be done about the facilities location, but is does impact recruiting.
Dartmouth, everybody's flavor of the month, LOST TO SACRED HEART!!! This is Ivy football. We run up against schools which have modest academic standards which can offer scholarships. They take players we cannot touch. The Fordham WR speedster is a scholarship player. I have a pretty good guess that he wans't wuite Ivy material. The Albany TB who ran the wildcat? Same story. So let's look inside the league and see how we do this year. We shoul dhave beaten Fordham and could have beaten Albany if the offense (read that as Brackett) wasn't so out of sync.
Poster Monday 6:14:00,
You wrote "wuite".
Did you mean " white" or "quite"?
Doc/jock
To the previous Blogger:
1) Bravo, Norries’ is the Best of the WORST! That’s not what we are going for here. Seriously, you’re making that argument?
2) Agreed that H.Y.P have “brand-name” recognition, and their facilities are better than ours (PU being the best), but we shouldn’t want those kids (unless they fall off HYP’s AI).
3) In their own way, each school can cite advantages, big deal! We have an advantage as well, NYC, the Core, Wall Street (alums have been very good).
4) If I wanted to hear excuses, I would have listened to the Norries’ post-game press conference.
5) We are in the media capital of the world. If (when) we turn things around, you can throw out “tradition” and “history” (which, by the way, we have).
6) Agreed, we should look into how we got these kids. They ARE good, however, they need to grow. Currently, we’re not doing that.
I am really getting tired of the scholarship bs. None the "scholarship" schools we play are getting those big time D1 players. A few better ones maybe? The reality is the academic requirements are the real killer. We are Ivy and that is never going to change. Norris and the coaching staff have had issues from day one. One thing they have done really well is recruit talented players. Probably better than anyone in the past.
We could have won both of the first games. We have issues everyone is great at pointing out, but, I for one am hoping they do some adjusting and correct some of the problems. On the defensive side it appears they are will to make changes for once, but, some of the key problems showed up in both games. When it comes to offense until they get a little more creative with the running game I am not sure. They definitely have some really bad tendencies to work on.
One thing I did like was the fast lineup in the 2nd half. The problem is they need to actually snap the ball once in a while instead of the QB backing off for an adjustment.
The whining about our inferior recruiting and the superior talent of Fordham and Albany is off point. One thing NW has done very well is recruit good players from solid HS programs. Last year we arguably had four of the 15 best players in the Ivies: Gross, Kennedy, Brackett and Adams. And we still went 4-6. The problem is game coaching and preparation, not talent. Why has Bracket regressed? Why has the OL regressed? Why can't the DBs cover anybody closer than 10 yards? That's coaching, not talent.
Separate issue: if Gerst was well enough to play, why did he get 9 carries? If he was still hurt, why did he play at all, especially after we got so far behind? I don't get it. If he's well enough to play, we need to get him the ball!
Who are these posters questioning the integrity of recruiting??? How arrogant you are to assume that you know what these kids were thinking when they chose Columbia over other schools! Are you mind- readers? I think not! How dare you question their intelligence and ambition in wanting something more than a state school education or a lesser I-AA education just because they have a bigger football program. Do you think they are not focused enough at 18 to think about their futures and to realize that football is only for 4 years but that a degree from Columbia would make a big difference going forward in life. Stop with the nonsense about athletics being set up for the "rich to stay rich and the poor to stay poor". Are you saying that poor athletes don't strive for a Columbia education because they're poor??? Really? because with Columbia's (and all Ivy's)need-based financial aid policies the poor would likely receive enough money to cover their education. And your last comment questioning the reality of our "talent base" of athletes not being smart enough to make up their own minds as to what made them decide to play football at Columbia without being improperly recruited is just insulting and absurd! There are many positive things about Columbia Football. I can tell you my son is playing football for Columbia for all the right reasons including quality of education, like-minded, ambitious and intelligent older players and recruits that he met on his official visit, an opportunity to contribute to building a winning program and the professionalism of his recruiting coaches. So unless you've been through the recruiting process with your child and can say firsthand what you've experienced at each school to help him make this major life decision your comments are a moot point. The players read this blog. Shame on you!
Mom of 2015 player
I can't believe the coaching staff changed its approach so radically since last season that Brackett now looks lost out there, or the offensive line hasn't been taught how to block. I don't know what the problem is this season, but I think Wilson has shown he knows how to coach -- and recruit. One thing to remember is that the coaches can't play the game for the players. That's up to them. And if they are underperforming, it may just be their fault. Players are not automatons, and the quality of their play is not based solely on how they were wound up. It is unfortunate that the coaches have responsibility regardless of the reason for underperformance, but don't assume the reason is the coaches.
The fact that Wilson has outperformed most or all of his predecessors doesn't suggest we should be satisfied with losing. It does indicate how hard it is to turn this ship around, and how hard it is to find someone capable of doing it and willing to try. I still think Wilson is capable, although I had hoped for more wins by now. He certainly has upgraded the talent where other well-credentialed coaches have failed.
And let's not forget the losses to graduation. They were not normal year-over-year turnover, but major talents the likes of which Columbia does not see often. They were game changers. Replacing them isn't easy, and a step back should not be unexpected. Let's hope guys step up into their shoes as the season progresses.
Finally, the team is hard hit with injuries up and down the lineup. A bunch of guys including Gerst and Garret (and maybe Brackett?) are playing hurt, and others are out (e.g., Sam Cecil on crutches). That is going to affect their capability on Saturdays. Let's hope they heal quickly so they can win some.
Princeton is the best place in the league to get turn things around. Let's see wait and see what the conversation is like next Monday.
And by the way, Wilson doesn't give excuses for poor play. He's a pretty straight shooter when it comes to analyzing losses. Would that he had a bit less experience doing so.
well put, if we beat Princeton, everyone will be singing another tune, football wise. I think the Tigers just might be the cure for our losing ways.
One point, armchair coaching and all, I would reward the two players who made great plays and give them more starting time. Conor Nelligan and Mr. Fisher is it? I was standing a few feet from the play where we made the TD just as the half ended.
Agreed...If Gerst is healthy...Get him the ball...He ripped up Princeton last year....1-0 in the Ivies puts us on top..
Big defensive effort this week
Keep the faith
Brackett is still Brackett, If he has to rush to pass the ball most of the time he may not hit his point. If he can't get blocking he can't run. Same thing with our backs why are they being stopped at the line when going up the middle? Why are they only gaining two or three yrds when going up mthe middle ? Can we say O line??
Thanks Mom!
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