Penn dropped its season opener at Franklin Field, 14-3, to Villanova. For the sixth year in a row, the Quakers lost to the Wildcats (3-0).

Harvard's biggest rival is Yale, but in recent seasons the annual non-conference tangle with Holy Cross has still been intense.

Last season then-freshman Matt Hamscher saw action in seven games and won Ivy League Rookie of the Week Oct. 13 after rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 11 matchup at Georgetown.

For a while, at least, it seemed like the economic climate that has hurt so many industries would affect Penn football. Unable to find a presenting sponsor, the Versus television network could not continue its Ivy League-wide package that debuted last season.

On Nov. 1, 1876, twenty Penn students took on a Princeton squad in the Quakers' first-ever football game. The Red and Blue lost, six goals to none, but by taking the field that day they kicked off the legacy that would become Penn football.

When the members of the Penn football team are scrounging for extra tickets to provide to friends and family, Bradford Blackmon is the last person they ask.

From Van Wilder to Asher Roth, many college seniors have fantasized about never leaving their collegiate lives behind.

First and foremost, the DP doesn't endorse gambling in any shape or variety (except fantasy football, March Madness pools, trifectas at a Triple Crown race and Swamis).

Penn has developed a tradition the last five seasons: facing Villanova in the first or second week of the year, and most likely at at Franklin Field since just one of the games has been played on the Main Line.

After a dominant 33-0 win in the alumni game, which ultimately amounts to a season warm-up, the lightweight football team is primed to sprint into the season. They open up on the road tonight at 7 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y., against Ivy foe Cornell.

Before Andrew Samson landed in Philadelphia, Penn football's kicking woes might have been its biggest problem.

The defending Ivy co-champion Bears — whose three rushing touchdowns allowed in 2008 were the fewest in the nation — are going to rely on the rush in their own offense this season after the graduation of quarterback Michael Dougherty.

while Yale is projected to be a mid-tier Ivy team, the Crimson (9-1, 6-1 Ivy in 2008) are the favorites to win their third-straight title (they split the crown with Brown last year).

Cornell has not won an Ivy League championship since 1990 — the second-longest active drought — and it doesn’t look like its spell will end in 2009.

For the Princeton football team, this season is all about the rush — in more ways than one.

The Bulldogs hope to improve upon a 6-4 record (4-3 Ivy) that led to a fourth-place finish in the Ancient Eight.

Penn’s No. 1 Ivy defense from a year ago lost six players with significant starting experience, including three-fourths of its secondary.