Ivy League Preview

After a less-than-stellar 2005 season, Penn has been picked to finish second this year in last month's media poll. Here's a look at who the Quakers will have to overcome to once again sit on top of the Ivies.

Brown LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 9-1, 6-1 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 3rd

The Bears went 9-1 in 2005, their best record since 1999, and won the Ivy League title outright for the first time in school history.

And 11 starting players will return with the taste of victory still in their mouth.

Leading the defense will be senior All-American linebacker Zak DeOssie, who is back after suffering an injury at the end of last season. He is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the nation's top defender.

Senior quarterback Joe DiGiacomo, who tallied 3,314 passing yards last season, will also return to a team that averaged 36.8 points per game last year.

With the loss of All-American running back Hartigan, there will be big shoes to fill in the Bears running game. Look for seniors Brandon Markey, Akin Oyalowo and junior Dereck Knight to challenge each other for time.

Brown will likely be right in the middle of the Ivy Leauge title race.

"You're the defending champion until someone knocks you off. I think everyone should pay due respect to the defending champion."

- Al Bagnoli

Columbia LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 2-8, 0-7 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 8th

A coaching change will be the highlight of the 2006 season for the Lions. Norries Wilson takes over the top position after serving as the offensive coordinator at Connecticut for four years.

The Lions finished last in the League in both points scored and allowed - a problem they'll have to fix if they hope to escape the Ivy basement.

"To the degree they can rally up the kids, sometimes a coaching change is real good. But sometimes it will set you back a year or two because the kids have to learn the new systems, so I really don't know what to make of it."

- Al Bagnoli

Cornell LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 6-4, 4-3 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 4th

The Big Red returns 12 starters, but lack a quarterback with experience. Still, they will look to improve its passing game this season, an underutilized area recently.

On the ground, junior Luke Siwula recorded six 100-yard games last season and will return as a force to be reckoned with. However, the team loses three-time All-Ivy offensive lineman Kevin Boothe - now on the Oakland Raiders.

On defense, a group of inexperienced linebackers will mix with a deep defensive line and backfield.

The Big Red has surprised the league recently and may do so again, coming off a 6-4 record last season.

Dartmouth LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 2-8, 1-6 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 7th

Dartmouth is another team that lacks a quarterback with experience, after starter Josh Cohen was declared academically ineligible.

With the departure of second-team All-Ivy honoree Josh Dooley at linebacker, one might expect the Big Green to be thin there. However, the team does have four regular contributors returning from last season.

The Big Green did lead the league in pass defense last season, but they'll have to do more than that to finish better than they did in 2005.

"There's not an abundance of film to go back on [about the League's new quarterbacks], so early on it will create a couple of issues, but fortunately for us, nobody's first game is an Ivy."

- Al Bagnoli

Harvard LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 7-3, 5-2 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 1st

Since being picked to finish first in the league, player suspensions have wreaked havoc on the Harvard starting lineup.

Sophomore linebacker Matthew Thomas will miss the season and junior quarterback Liam O'Hagan, who led the league last year with a 59.9 percent completion percentage, will sit out the first five, leaving junior Chris Pizzotti in the starting role for now.

However, the offense still boasts All-Ivy running back Clifton Dawson, who was second last year in rushing yards only to Brown's Nick Hartigan and is poised to break the Ivy League record for career yards.

Losing two key players early on leaves some skepticism in the air about the Crimson's season. Still, Harvard hasn't finished below second place in the Ivy League since 2001.

"Dawson's back and as long as he's healthy, it may take a lot of pressure off that quarterback position."

- Al Bagnoli

Princeton LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 7-3, 5-2 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 6th

The one thing that Princeton has this year which many other teams lack is an experienced quarterback. Senior Jeff Terrell will call the plays again for the Tigers after a break-out season last year, as he finished third in the league in total yards.

The defense will return a mix of youth and experience.

The Tigers lack experience in other areas, though. They will start five new offensive linemen.

After going 7-2 last season, Princeton will look for its first back-to-back winning season since the 1994 and 1995 campaigns.

Yale LAST YEAR'S FINISH: 4-6, 4-3 Ivy

PICKED TO FINISH: 5th

The Bulldogs sure have enough experience to chase the Ivy title. They return 17 starters, including the entire offensive line.

This line features seniors and All-Ivy selections Ed McCarthy and Brett Crandall.

Senior Ashley Wright, the starting punt returner, also led the league with 61 catches as a receiver and will return in 2006.

An experienced quarterback is also something Yale lacks. This is the second year in a row that the Bulldogs must find a replacement for this position.

In order to seriously challenge for the title, Yale must first fit the pieces together.

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