Sources: Coaching Decision Made

Multiple sources tell me the head coaching hiring decision has been made, though the official offer (no one likes to offer jobs or admission in the Ivies without a 100% guarantee it will be accepted) will take another few days to be made. 

We can expect some kind of announcement or more solid information on Friday.

Out of respect for the process, and as I await even more confirmation, I will hold off on publishing the name of the incoming HC. But I can say he has a number of positives on his resume AND he is reportedly bringing a top assistant with stellar offensive football credentials. 

Again, because of the way "search committees" and other official academic hiring processes work, you can expect to see some pushback on this news.

And perhaps most importantly, this will be the first new head coach coming to Columbia since 1957 who doesn't really have to do any significant rebuilding of the program. 

Although to be fair: After Norries Wilson was let go in 2011, Pete Mangurian had a decent well of talent in the program waiting for him but he clearly didn't think so and he tore it all down anyway. This new head coach will NOT need to, nor will he do that. 

MORE LATER.... 

Nunzio Now?

Jake's note: This and any other post I publish about potential head coaching candidates for Columbia are just provided here as food for thought. I have not been paid, fed, cajoled, or threatened into endorsing any candidate over any other, etc.  

Nunzio Campanile

Longtime Bergen Catholic coach Nunzio Campanile has often been mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate for Columbia Football.

In years past, the Columbia athletic department's intense dislike for any high school coaches (a sentiment that long kept former Don Bosco head coach Greg Toal from even coming close to getting the job at CU).

But it's been more than six years since Campanile left BC and he's been coaching to great reviews at Rutgers and now Syracuse ever since. In fact, he's been so respected at Syracuse that they named him interim head coach earlier this month.

The Orange appear to be close to getting a major "big fish" to take the permanent head coaching job, which means Columbia has another chance to consider Campanile and his still very strong recruiting ties to some of the very strong Ivy football feeder areas in the Northeast and his new experience in other areas of the nation thanks to his college experience. 

Will he get a chance this time during this search process? I'm not sure, but it would be a good idea to do so. 

Recruiting Update (UPDATED)

The tumultuous 2023 season and a rough news environment outside of football has left me behind he 8-ball on listing our committed recruits for next season. 

But here are some updates:

Sam Pearman

6-0, 180-pound kicker Sam Pearman from Los Gatos HS in Californing committed to the Lions after de-committing from Union in October. 

According to my LionFeeders database, Pearman will be the fourth Las Gatos grad to come to Columbia, but the first since Derek Smith and Scott Soucy (both class of 2005). 

Of course, if current Union head coach Jon Poppe gets the Columbia head coaching job, Pearman will end up playing for him anyway. 

6-3, 270-pound OL Benny Sasso from Wall Township HS announced his commitment to Columbia on November 5th. He also had an offer from Wagner. 

Sasso will be just the second Wall Township grad to come to Columbia Football. 

Next is 6-0 200-pound RB Brodey Berg from Anderson HS in Cincinnati. He also had offers from Brown, Dayton, Miami of Ohio, and others. 

Berg will be the first Anderson grad to come to Columbia Football.

But the big GET so fat may be 6-2 185-pound DB Jeremiah Douglas  announced his commitment to Columbia on Nov. 2nd. He is currently at IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season, but played three years at St. Paul's HS in Maryland. 

Douglas also had offers from Penn, Navy, Army, Air Force, UNH, Stony Brook, Bryant, Bucknell, Sacred Heart, and Towson, 

Douglas will be the third St. Paul's player to come to Columbia Football and the second from IMG Academy, (the first from IMG was Patrick Wade '25, who is now with the Columbia Baseball team). 

So the list of known commits grows to 10:

1) Brodey Berg RB 6"0 200 lbs. Anderson HS Cincinnati, OH

2) Rodrigo Diaz-Martorella DE/TE 6"4 255 lbs. Miami Palmetto HS Miami, FL 

3) Liam Donagher DB 6"2 200 lbs. Grafton Memorial HS/Choate (PG Year) Grafton, MA

4) Jeremiah Douglas DB 6"2 185 lbs. IMG Academy/St. Paul's HS Brooklandville, MD 

5) Miron Magee DB 5"10 160 lbs. Lake Highlands HS Dallas, TX

6) Emanuel Nazy OL 6"4 280 lbs. Hackensack HS/Don Bosco Prep Hackensack, NJ

7) Casey O'Sullivan TE/DE 6"3 245 lbs. Seton Hall Prep West Orange, NJ

8)Sam Pearman K 6"0 180 lbs. Los Gatos HS Los Gatos, CA

9) Benny Sasso OL 6"3 270 lbs. Wall Township HS, Wall, NJ

10) Caleb Solomon DB 6"1 180 lbs. Miramar HS Miramar, FL

Blasts from the Past

John Garrett

Two other names of coaches I'm hearing from Columbia Football alums these days are familiar indeed. 

Former Penn LB and Bushnell Cup/Ivy Player of the Year winner Tom Gilmore always seems to be in the mix whenever Columbia has a head coaching vacancy. Gilmore was an assistant under CU Head Coach Larry MacElreavy for two seasons before moving on to Dartmouth and head coaching stints at Holy Cross and Lehigh. 

I posted several thoughts about Gilmore in the past, and it's nice to see he's still interested in coming to Columbia, or at least consider it. 

Another name is really intriguing, former Columbia (and Princeton) WR John Garrett. Yes, he's one of the sons of former CU Head Coach Jim Garrett who was famously fired after one season at Columbia (and was essentially finished after he publicly blew up at the team after losing the 1985 season opener vs. Harvard). When the elder Garrett was fired, John was a player on the team and he was unceremoniously informed of the firing with the rest of the team. 

The younger Garrett is currently on the staff at Florida State, but had a mixed record as head coach at Lafayette before being fired by the Leopards after the 2016 season. 

If Garrett is offered and takes this job, AND does well here, it should poetically close the wounds for both the Garrett family and Columbia fans, (though Jim did pass away just a few years ago).

As of now, the job search does still seem wide open. I have no confirmation that the impression some potential applicants have about Ricky Santos being the frontrunner for the job is true. 

One thing I can confirm is that Columbia gets a little break from the calendar in this process. That's because due to the 2024 leap year, and just the usual calendar progression, the off season between the 2023 season and the 2024 season is as long as possible; 308 days. So Columbia gets essentially and extra eight days or so (Ivy football offseasons) are usually 300 or 301 days) to get the new coach hired and resume all the offseason work with as much clarity and leadership as possible.

Remember that Al Bagnoli did not come on board at Columbia until February of 2015, and I'm very confident we will have a new head coach in place well before that this time. 

Back to Bracketology?

Sean Bracket '13 has shown a commitment to the game of football that you rarely see from Ivy League grads.

After he graduated CU, he spent many years playing Arena (now indoor) Football. 

He spent one year as the head coach of the Waltham, MA High School in 2021, before taking his current position as QB coach for the Massachusetts Pirates. 

For a team like Columbia that's looking for a shot in the arm on offense, the Lions could do well to grab up Bracket as a coordinator or position coach in the new regime. While he is not a product of the Bagnoli regime, Brackett is still familiar with Columbia student life and the overall culture of the Ivy League. 

Brackett has remained close to his teammates and other people in the Columbia athletics world over the years and clearly has ambitions to return to the Ivies with the combination of his college and pro knowledge. 

Just a thought... 

Searching for a New Coach in a New World

Now that the Columbia Football coaching job is 100% officially open it's not only important to assess a list of possible candidates, but also to look at some of the realities that will face the new coach when the job is actually filled. 

Ricky Santos

Big Difference

The Columbia Football program is in MUCH better shape in every way compared to where it was at this point nine years ago the last time the head coaching slot was open. This is true for a number of subcategories, including player quality, facilities, program reputation, and recruiting reach. 

The Al Bagnoli/Peter Pilling effect on this operation has been undeniably positive. 

Bagnoli took over a team in 2015 that hadn't had a winning season in 19 years. He left after having achieved FOUR winning seasons in the seven total years he was on the sidelines, (of course one of his eight years, was the COVID year that was canceled). 

What that means is for the first time since Lou Little retired after the 1956, hiring a new head coach with a familiarity for and belief in the previous (non-interim) head coach's system will be a POSITIVE. 

That's why I believe there's a good chance coaches who worked under Bagnoli at Columbia in the past have a great shot of getting this job. 

Former CU QB's coach and current University of New Hampshire head coach Rick Santos is one guy who checks those boxes and more. He remains close with a number of players from his years at Columbia and he's at least maintained UNH as a competitive team. Perhaps more important than all, his Wildcat teams have remained offensive juggernauts during his tenure and offense is something the Lions need to improve immediately. 

Sources tell me Santos' candidacy is considered to be so strong, that some other potential coaches have decided not to apply for this job. 

Another coach from the Bagnoli/Columbia tree is Jon Poppe, who's still in the midst of a 10-1 season in his first year at the helm at Union College. His Garnet Chargers (yeah, that's the team name... don't ask) are getting ready to take on Johns Hopkins in the second round of the D-III playoffs this Saturday. Poppe also has some family connections to Columbia in addition to his years under Bagnoli; his father Bill '70 and brother Will '00 both played for the Lions. All three of them are Bergen Catholic grads. 

There's also Ryan Larsen who took over the QB coaching job under Bagnoli after Santos left before becoming the head coach at Carnegie Mellon in 2022. All Larsen has done in his two seasons for the Tartans is oversee a 21-2 overall won-loss record. 

WOW Factor?

But maybe the above scenario and names are only what everyone is expecting Pilling to do. 

Remember, Pilling knocked our socks off with the Bagnoli hire in 2015, and he's had ample time to set up something major like that again. 

Months ago, I learned that former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen had made some inquiries with the Columbia administration about the head coaching job. Just how serious those inquiries really were, I do not know. 

Pilling is also a guy with heavy connections to the Philadelphia area and Villanova in particular. A number of folks have mentioned Chris Boden, the current offensive coordinator for the Wildcats as a possible candidate for Columbia. 

Another trend in sports is for assistants for newly hot teams to become heavily in demand for open jobs elsewhere. That would make James Madison offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan an interesting possibility (no he is NOT related to the family of current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan). 

I'm sure there are plenty of names I'm forgetting, but let the speculation begin! 

 

BREAKING: Fabish Dismissed

Sources confirm that Head Coach Mark Fabish will not be retained as head coach and a new head coach will be named by next month. 

I previously reported that the team was notified of this last night but that was apparently not true for the entire team, though some players were aware. 

I join many of you in feeling many mixed emotions about this news, especially because Fabish was an enthusiastic and strong supporter of the players. 

For those who have been strong detractors of Fabish for years, I realize many of you are angry that I did not lobby for his removal. But as I vowed when he was named interim head coach, I wanted to give him full support during the season. 

Now that the season is over, it's time to focus on finding a great new head coach for Columbia. 

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Fast Finish

Columbia 29 Cornell 14

Why Columbia Won

The Lions had a near-perfect 1st half on both sides of the ball, moving quickly on offense and stuffing the Cornell attack. When the offense stalled in the 2nd half the defense bailed the team out with three interceptions, including a pick six that iced the game. 

Why Cornell Lost

The Big Red couldn't stop the Columbia run at all in the 1st half, and didn't get its own offense going until the 3rd quarter. But even as Cornell did finally move the ball, it couldn't overcome QB Jameson Wang's four total interceptions on the day. 

Key Turning Points

-After both teams missed field goal tries on their opening drives, the Lions started their second possession of the game at their 22 with seven minutes left in the 1st quarter. They proceeded to go on a hurry-up 10-play drive that included eight running plays and two passes for 78 yards and a TD. 

-On Cornell's ensuing possession, DB Aaron Brebnor picked off a Wang pass tipped by DB Jayden Marshall to give the Lions the ball on the Big Red 38. Columbia converted that opportunity into a FG, a 10-0, and a decisive grabbing of the game's momentum. 

-After Cornell scored a TD on a quick 75-yard drive to start the 3rd quarter, the Big Red started moving the ball well on its second possession of the half as well. But on the 10th play of the drive, Cornell faced a 3rd and six at the Columbia 21 and Wang was intercepted at the one yard line by DB Carter McFadden who returned to the Lion 33. Cornell's next possession ended in an interception by LB Rocco Milia.

-With the score now 22-14 and Cornell within striking distance, the Big Red took over possession at the Cornell 18 with 6:56 left in the game. They got as far as the Lion 36, when Wang forced a pass that DB Hayden McDonald picked off and returned 71 yards for the game-icing TD. 

Columbia Positives

-You'll be hard pressed to find a better 1st half performance in the history of this program. The offense moved the ball on every possession but one. The defense stuffed Cornell on every possession but one. The special teams excelled in every opportunity but one. The hurry up offense executed when it did and didn't need to. 

-Columbia's rushing attack was impressive, gaining 6.2 yards per carry and 222 total net yards on the ground. The offensive line had its best game of the year, getting a massive push on almost every 1st half run and one sack overall.

-On the other side of the ball, the Lions harassed Wang most of the day and recorded three sacks, two of which (both by DE Justin Townsend) resulted in Wang fumbles.

-Punter William Hughes was a key reason why the Lions never relinquished the lead, nailing two punts inside the 20, including one at the five yard line. 

Columbia Negatives

-The inventiveness and quickness the Lions offense showed in the 1st half disappeared in the 2nd. Luckily the defense picked up the slack. 

Columbia MVP

There are A LOT of Lions who could easily get this award this week, including McFadden and McDonald. But Justin Townsend's two strip sacks and two other tackles for a loss on the day stood out the most.  

Curtain Call(s)

Columbia Lions (2-7) vs. Cornell Big Red (3-6)

November 18, 2023 

Kickoff Time: 1:00pm

Schoelkopf Field

Ithaca, New York

Game Time Weather Forecast: 40 degrees and cloudy

The Line: Columbia is a 1 1/2 point underdog

Columbia Game Notes 

Cornell Game Notes 

Leading Story Lines

-This is likely the last game for both head coaches in their current positions. Someone is going to go out a winner.

-Columbia has won the last two games in this very tight series, (the last 30 games have gone 16-14 for Columbia), and neither team usually runs up much of a streak. 

-Cornell has been wildly inconsistent, while one of the only consistent entities in the Ivies this year has been the futility of the Columbia offense. Will one of these traits turn around?

3 Lions to Watch

-Senior RB Joey Giorgi #25 didn't have an explosive senior day game at Wien Stadium last week. Perhaps he'll have a better time against the Big Red's rushing defense, which is giving up 4.9 yards per attempt. 

-Senior LB Anthony Roussos #16 will have his hands full chasing down the often-running Cornell QB Jameson Wang. 

-PK Hugo Merry #33... does anyone else think this game will come down to a late FG? 

3 Big Red Players to Watch

-Big Red QB Jameson Wang #1 will of course be in the spotlight as all QB's are, but the point will be whether he is having one of his more accurate passing days or not. Wang has been inconsistent through the air, but at times very good. 

-When Cornell's passing game has productive this year, senior WR Nicholas Laboy #8 has been the top target. 

-It's been a rough year for the Cornell defense, and it got worse when veteran team captain LB Jake Stebbins was lost for the season in week 2. Senior LB Noah Taylor #52 has been trying to fill the void. 

Week 10 Picks

 

I went 5-1 straight up last week and 4-2 against the spread. That brings my season totals to 37-26 SU (.587) and 32-30-1 AGS 

Georgetown +21 1/2 at Holy Cross

The Crusaders have been faltering down the stretch. They will win but this game will be closer than expected. 

Lafayette -10 1/2 at Lehigh

The Leopards look to finish strong. 

Marist +17 1/2 vs. Bucknell

The Red Foxes will just barely cover. 

Dartmouth -2 1/2 at Brown

This could end up being the best game of the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes either way, but I think Dartmouth will bring it's A game on defense. 

Yale -1 1/2 vs. Harvard

Yes I am picking Yale to win and tie for the title, (and possibly pull Dartmouth into a 3-way tie for the championship too)

Penn -3 1/2 vs. Princeton

Home field advantage should do the trick here for the Quakers. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

1) Harvard

The Crimson escaped with a win by the skin of their teeth against Penn, but that was good enough to keep them in the top spot. 

2) Yale

The Elis will have every chance to grab a tie for the title this Saturday in The Game. But will the defense be up to the challenge?

3) Dartmouth

The Big Green should be proud and giddy about their very decent chances of tying for the Ivy title if they can beat Brown. 

4) Penn

The Quakers have been a good team this year, but they didn't make the jump from where they were last year.

5) Princeton

The Tigers have been a tough out all year long. 

6) Brown

The Bears are slowing improving, and they have a lot to play for vs. Dartmouth. 

7) Cornell

The Big Red still don't have most of the tools

8) Columbia

Who knows how far this team could have gone with a competent offense? 

 

Lost at Home

Brown 21 Columbia 14 (OT)

Why Brown Won

The Bears offense moved the ball consistently in the most clutch situations, while the defense held the Lions in check most of the day. 

Why Columbia Lost

The Lions offense was mostly punchless, ruining a great effort by the defense and the special teams. 

Key Turning Points

-With the score tied 7-7, and about 4:30 left in the 3rd quarter, Columbia got a pass completion and 15-yard facemask penalty tacked on to it for a 1st down at the Brown 36. The next three plays netted CU just one yard, and the Lions chose not to go for it on 4th down at the 35 and punted the ball away. Brown got the ball from that punt and went on a 14-play TD drive that included a 1st down on a 4th and 11 play. 

-With under 30 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 14. the Lions had a 4th and 3 at the Brown 32. The coaches obviously didn't think PK Hugo Merry could hit a 50-yard FG into a slight wind and elected to go for it, but did not get the 1st down. 

-In OT, Brown faced a 3rd and 9 at the CU 11, and Bear QB Jake Wilcox made a nice throw to WR Graham Walker short of the 1st down, but the Lions could not make the tackle and he slipped into the end zone for the winning score. 

Columbia Positives 

-The Lions committed no turnovers.

-DB Aaron Brebnor made an athletic block of a short Brown FG attempt at the end of the 1st half. 

-CU had a consistent pass rush, netting three sacks and three holding penalties that were the direct result of the strong rush. 

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions had some flashes on offense, but little consistency. The opening drive was filled with well-executed plays and imaginative play calling, but it took forever for that fire to rekindle itself.

-The Lion pass defense continues to leave too much of a cushion for opposing WR's to make easy catches for 5-8 yard gains. 

Columbia MVP

-In his final home game 5th year senior WR JJ Jenkins had an awesome day, with 4 catches for 70 yards and two TD's. The first TD catch was an acrobatic masterpiece. 

Last Exit from New York

Columbia Lions (2-6) vs. Brown Bears (4-4)

November 11, 2023

Kickoff Time: 12:30 (but will actually be later due to the senior recognition ceremony)

Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium

New York, NY

Game Time Weather Forecast: 53 degrees and partly cloudy

The Line: Columbia is a three point favorite

Columbia Game Notes 

Brown Game Notes

Leading Story Lines

-Will this be the last time we see interim Head Coach Mark Fabish and the rest of the staff Al Bagnoli assembled at Columbia? Chances are, it will be and a new staff will be in place the next time the Lions take the field at Wien Stadium.

-Brown's high-powered offense stumbled at Yale last week, can Columbia make it two bad outings in a row for a Bear squad that still has a shot at a winning season?

-Will the Columbia offense, which showed some belated signs of life last week against Harvard, show more progress Saturday?

3 Lions to Watch

-The final home game for senior RB Joey Giorgi #25 could be a special one as CU has a tradition of sending off senior ball carriers with a bang. 

-DE Justin Townsend #36 has been quiet the last several weeks, but may catch Brown's pass-happy offense napping with a rejuvenated pass rush. 

-P William Hughes #11 will likely have a bullseye on him as Columbia's punt blocking has been found lacking again this year. Will he be ready? 

3 Bears to Watch

-Senior WR Wes Rockett #84 will be targeted and make at least seven or eight catches, but will he get a big one?

-Senior LB Ethan Royer #9 is a great pass rusher and pass defender. 

-Sophomore LT Hayden Bozich #72 is a big reason why the Bears have allowed just nine sacks all season. 

Week 9 Picks

 

I had another woeful week in week 8, going 1-4 straight up and 2-3 against the spread. My season totals are now 32-24 SU (.571) and 28-28-1 AGS (.500)

Yale -2 1/2 at Princeton

With good weather in the forecast, I think the Yale offense will do enough to win in New Jersey by a FG or more. 

Penn +9 1/2 at Harvard

I like the Crimson to win, but Penn will cover. 

Cornell +10 1/2 at Dartmouth

The Big Red will cover, but also lose. 

Lafayette -2 1/2 vs. Fordham

I like the Leopards to bounce back after last week's shocking loss to Colgate in OT. 

Georgetown +1 at Bucknell

I'm not sure why Georgetown isn't favored, but I like the Hoyas to win. 

Marist +1 1/2 at Dayton

Red Foxes bounce back and win. 

Ivy Power Rankings

 

1) Harvard 

Two tough tests remain for the Crimson, but they're poised for a strong run to the finish.

2) Dartmouth

The Big Green have the clearest path to a 5-2 final conference record. If they can win these last two, they'll finish a strong second. 

3) Yale

The Elis have two very tough contests left to finish the season, and the odds are they will lose at least one of them. 

4) Penn

The Quakers are also facing a pair of games where at least one loss seems very likely.

5) Princeton

The Tigers finished weakly last year and seem likely to do so again.

6) Brown

I still like this Bears offense to do some damage.

7) Cornell

The Big Red are just too inconsistent. 

8) Columbia

Now the Lions defense is starting to look bad too.

Undefensive

 Harvard 38 Columbia 24

Why Harvard Won

The Crimson shot out to a 17-0 lead thanks to some big plays on offense and special teams. Then Harvard's defense slowed down any chance of the game becoming a shootout with some key interceptions. 

Why Columbia Lost

A huge mental error early in the game led to a long Harvard TD, and then another blocked punt for a TD put the Lions in an impossible hole. The defense never pressured the Harvard QBs and the offense woke up a bit too late to really threaten the Crimson.

Key Turning Points

-After both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions, Harvard began its second possession at its own 17. On 2nd down and 10, TE Tim Dowd inexplicably got behind the entire defense and executed an 83-yard catch and run for a TD.

-After CU went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Lions failed to block a massive Crimson rush on the punt. The inevitable block was snatched up for another Harvard TD. 

Columbia Positives

-There were some decent individual performances, especially a brilliant TD run by RB Joey Giorgi, some nice exhibitions of speed from WR Edan Stag, and great concentration on the TD grab by WR JJ Jenkins. PK Hugo Merry hit a very pretty looking 42-yard FG. 

Columbia Negatives

-In addition to the mental mistakes that led to the first two Harvard TD's, the inexplicable soft zone coverage led to numerous wide open completions for the Crimson. The secondary allowed an incredible 14.1 yards per Harvard passing attempt.

-QB Joe Green had some good moments, but he made the same mistake twice by throwing deep balls into double coverage. Both passes ended in interceptions. 

Columbia MVP

In addition to his amazing 23-yard TD run, Joey Giorgi finished the day with 92 yards rushing against the stingy Harvard run defense. 

Spoiler Saturday, or Playing out the String?

Charles DePrima has revitalized the Crimson

Columbia Lions (2-5) vs. Harvard Crimson (6-1)

November 4, 2023

Kickoff Time: 12:30pm

Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium

New York, NY

Game Time Weather Forecast: 54 degrees and cloudy

The Line: Columbia is a 13 1/2 point underdog

TV/Radio: The game will be streamed live on ESPN+

Columbia Game Notes

Harvard Game Notes

Leading Story Lines

-Columbia remains the only Ivy team without a conference win, and it appears the coaching staff is firmly in the lame duck zone now.

-Harvard lost a close one in Cambridge to the Lions last year, and revenge will likely be on their minds. 

-The Crimson have to guard against the "trap game" scenario with crucial games at Penn and then Yale ahead. 

3 Lions to Watch

-For the second straight week, the Lions face a QB with great running ability, which means LB CJ Brown #0 will likely be doing a lot of the chasing. 

-LT Luke Painton #65 may be under the gun all day against Harvard's excellent D-line.

-RB Joey Giorgi #25 will need to prove he's fully recovered from injury to run against the Harvard brick wall. 

3 Crimson to Watch

-DT Thor Griffith #50 gets a lot of press, but is he overrated? Watch him tomorrow and decide for yourself. 

-DB A.J. Lopez #27 can disrupt the Lion passing game in a big way. 

-WR Cooper Barkate #2 is a receiver who can help diversify the Crimson attack. 

Week 8 Picks

 

I bounced back a bit last week by going 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread. My season totals are 31-20 SU (.607) and 26-24-1 AGS (.520)

Princeton -2 at Dartmouth

This is a tough pick it what seems like it will be a low-scoring battle in the trenches. But the Big Green offense just doesn't seem like it can put up the points it will need to win.

Brown +7 1/2 vs. Yale

I like the Elis to win, but not cover. 

Penn -10 vs. Cornell

The Quakers will pull away late. 

Lafayette -16 1/2 vs. Colgate

The Leopards will crush the Raiders. 

Marist +7 1/2 vs. Drake

The Red Foxes bounce back with a win at home.

Ivy Power Rankings

 NOTICE: Due to the ongoing war on Israel and the Jewish people worldwide, my writing and analytic skills (such as they are) have been in constant demand since 10/7. One of the many, many regrets I have about all of these incidents is that I have less time to document the season on this blog and moderate the comments as much as I'd like. However, because I believe the fans' right to vent sadness and frustration in a peaceful way (albeit angry in virtual tone), I'm going to proceed with that light touch going forward)

1) Harvard

The past two weeks haven't made Harvard look nearly as good as the previous six. But the Crimson still have the most complete team in the league... barely.

2) Yale 

The Elis are still inconsistent, but have all the tools still in place.

3) Princeton

If the Tigers beat Dartmouth Friday night, then they'll have a strong case for the top spot a week from today.

4) Penn

Falling to Brown at home was a killer for the Quakers.

5) Dartmouth

The Big Green offense doesn't have enough punch to back up a strong D. 

6) Brown

The Bears finally picked up a key road Ivy win. But this is still too much of an inconsistent team. 

7) Cornell

The Big Red are a different team every week... pretty much like the rest of the teams in the Ivies

8) Columbia

The Lions are actually the only consistent team in the league this year. If only that were a good thing this time around.