Ranking the Schedules

With road games at Harvard, Penn and Brown there can be little doubt that Columbia has the toughest in-conference schedule in the Ivies this fall.


But is our overall schedule the toughest as well?


Yale has a good case to make that its overall lineup of opposing games is tougher. The Bulldogs have to face  Brown, Harvard and Cornell on the road, resurgent Georgetown on the road and a tough Colgate team at home. Only the Lafayette game at home seems a little easier than the other non-conference games, but can we really expect the Leopards to stay in the lower half of the Patriot League for long?


Princeton has to play super-strong Lehigh on the road, but gets Harvard, Brown and Penn at home. Lafayette will be a tough road game for the Tigers as will the Georgetown contest at home. 


Harvard has to go to Brown and Penn, but its out of conference schedule is weaker than usual. The toughest non-Ivy opponent is Holy Cross and that's a home game. Otherwise, the Crimson get to play a jet-lagged San Diego team at Harvard Stadium and Bucknell at home too. Yes, Harvard's three non-conference games are all at home.


By contrast, all of Brown's non-conference games are on the road. Holy Cross, URI, and Georgetown all look like tough games. The Bears have to go to Penn as well, but they get to host Harvard and Cornell. This is not an easy slate for Brown, but easier than the last 2-3 years.


Dartmouth gets to host Harvard, Brown and Penn and its toughest road game looks like the non-conference game at Holy Cross. This is a favorable slate for the Big Green this year for sure.


Cornell has to go to Harvard and Brown, but it hosts Penn and has a light non-conference road schedule against Bucknell and Fordham. The home game against suddenly strong Monmouth could be a real test.


Finally, Penn has to play non-conference powerhouses Villanova and William and Mary plus a road game against Lafayette, (who beat the Quakers last season). But the home games against Brown and Harvard take them out of the running for the title of "toughest 2012 schedule."


Overall, here's how I would rate the schedule strength this season:


1) Columbia
2) Yale
3) Cornell
4) Penn
5) Brown
6) Harvard
7) Princeton
8) Dartmouth