Columbia and ending the Penn streak, a history lesson

My colleague Mike Wisniewski put together a great feature yesterday about the last time Penn football lost to Columbia — a disappointing overtime loss in 1996 due to a botched extra point.

He briefly alluded to the fact that Penn actually lost to the Lions two years in a row. The loss the year before might have been just as mortifying.

Over the 1992, 93, 94 and 95 seasons Penn put together an unbeaten streak of 24 games, which still stands as the longest in the football championship series. Then Columbia happened. On Oct. 7, 1995, the Quakers went to New York and suffered at 24-14 loss to end their run.

Penn still finished second in the Ivy League at 5-2, and even though Columbia was 3-4 on the year, the Lions had their signature upset — on their homecoming no less.

That sets the scene for this weekend, when Penn, with a 16-game Ivy winning streak heads to Columbia's homecoming once again. Just like in 1995, Penn is fresh off an Ivy championship.

Will Columbia do it again? Unlikely. The Light Blue are 0-4 this season, including a 21-14 loss to Fordham and a 24-21 loss to Princeton. But if 1995 taught Al Bagnoli anything, it's to beware of the upset.

Want to see the game? Come watch it with the DP and the Red and Blue Crew at Smokes!