Since the Ivy League was formed in 1954, Cornell hasn't won an outright title. And after last year's 3-4 Ivy record, it wouldn't seem that the Big Red were on the right track. But with almost every single statistical leader returning, optimism is running high in Ithaca, even if few others take notice.

After graduating his starting quarterback Brad Maurer and All-Patriot League tailback Jonathan Hurt, Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani wasn't sure who would step up to lead the team's offense. But Shaun Adair might have changed that when he returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the Leopards' blowout win over Marist to start the season.

Harvard coach Tim Murphy described the reality of this season the best. "It's life after Clifton Dawson." Now with the Cincinnati Bengals, the All-Ivy tailback lead the team last year with 1,277 rushing yards on his way to breaking the league's all-time rushing record handily.

Someone has to finish last in the league. This year, Dartmouth is bringing up the rear of the preseason Ivy football poll. But head coach Buddy Teevens isn't miffed by the lack of confidence in his squad. "The poll has never been accurate," he told reporters.

For Janne Taskinen, the chance to study at Penn meant a year away from his home university in Finland, but also a year away from hockey. Or so he thought. Taskinen packed his pads in his bag anyway, hoping to find an opportunity to play the sport he's been at for 14 years.

The kicking game cost the Quakers four conference games last year, right? Not quite. Place-kicker Derek Zoch began his epic slump by banging a field-goal try off the post in overtime at Yale. But that kick came after a three-and-out that gained just six yards and forced Zoch to take a 37-yard attempt.

Ted Rosenbaum isn't one for celebratory dances or flashy play-making. The senior has made his stance on glory very clear. "I didn't get into it to get noticed," he said of his football career. "I'd rather not be in the spotlight." An atypical response for the average football player, maybe, but not such a strange philosophy when you consider that Rosenbaum occupies the most thankless position in football: the long snapper.

The Penn field hockey team has already made history in its 2007 campaign. Too bad it's negative history. This year's 0-4 loss start, including a 3-1 loss to Harvard in its only Ivy League game, is tied for the worst start for the Quakers since they opened with five losses in 2001.

At first glance, Penn freshmen offensive linemen Joe D'Orazio and Joe McKendry have little in common beyond a first name. They look as different as two offensive linemen could be expected to look. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 275 pounds, the red-haired McKendry dwarfs his fellow linemates.

After growing up in a family of Hawkeyes fans in Ames, Iowa and with a brother that played tailback at Iowa, Nate Greving knew he would join the ranks of Big 10 athletics. "He's always liked the Hawkeyes, even as a younger kid," Nate's father, Steve Greving, said.

Despite goalkeeper Drew Healy's solid play during the Quakers' weekend road trip to California, coach Rudy Fuller is not completely set on who will start against Hartwick on Friday. Kevin Sweetland was originally penned in at No. 1 on the chart for the two-game set out west.

Penn is one of just five schools nationwide to sport a sprint squad. It differs in only one way from what Penn coach Bill Wagner calls the "fat boy team": all players must weigh 172 pounds or fewer.

The execution of a penalty corner in field hockey is a bit like that of a field goal on the gridiron. In lieu of snap, kick and hold, there is pass, stop and shoot. The team that plays the percentages will give its best offensive threat that shot, and Margaretha Ehret is as close to a short-corner specialist as Penn can get.

The odds did not favor Penn goalie Alanna Butera against Harvard on Saturday: she faced 10 shots on goal. Three found their way past her. Meanwhile, Crimson goalie Kylie Stone faced just five shots, and, predictably, only yielded a goal. Penn dropped to 0-4 with the 3-1 defeat.

It was a weekend of solid performances, but mixed results. The Penn women's soccer team followed a tough 1-0 loss Friday night against Michigan State with an easy 6-0 victory yesterday over Saint Joseph's.

As a defensive end getting offers from numerous BCS conferences, Josh Neubert got caught up in the hype. But when the Philadelphia-area native got to Boston College, he knew he didn't make the correct decision on what college to attend.

0-3. No team ever wants to start off a season with that record next to its name. But that's where the Penn men's soccer team is right now after heading out west and losing 0-1 to No. 7 Cal (2-1-0) on Friday and 0-2 to Stanford (1-1-1) yesterday. While the Quakers are describing the road trip as the dreaded "learning experience," they are not losing sight of the fact that they played closely two very good teams less than a week after being blown out 2-6 at Seton Hall.