Remember at the beginning of the season when I predicted Columbia would go 6-4 and come in 4th in the Ivies?
Those who weren't laughing at me were spitting with anger at how stupid I was for being so optimistic about the Lions.
It turns out I wasn't optimistic enough.
Now Columbia awaits its final game of the season with an actual chance to end the season as an Ivy co-champion.
No one who's been a Lions fan for more than a few years can possibly by blase about this, but let's set the historical stage:
-The last time Columbia entered the final game of the season with a chance to win even a share of the Ivy title was 1971 when the Lions traveled to Brown trailing Cornell and Dartmouth by a game in the standings. Columbia needed to win and the Big Red and Big Green needed to lose for the Lions to force a three-way tie. But all three teams won on the road, Columbia beat the Bears 24-6, Cornell beat Penn 41-13, and Dartmouth beat Princeton 33-7. So it's been 46 years since the Lions have even had a long shot to do what they could do this Saturday.
-But Brown has entered the traditional final game of the season against Columbia several times with a chance to win all or a share of the Ivy title on the line. The last time was 2008 when the Bears needed a win over CU at home to tie Harvard for the championship. On a very cold day in Providence, (it was cold even in the press box), Brown thrashed the Lions 41-10.
-In 2005, the Bears and their all-time great RB Nick Hartigan came into Wien Stadium with a shot to win the title outright. They responded with a 52-7 rout over Columbia.
-In 1999, Brown needed to beat the Lions at Brown Stadium to tie Yale for the Ivy title. And they got that win, 23-6.
-In 1998, the Bears needed to beat the Lions at Wien Stadium and hope that Cornell could upset Penn at Schoelkopf Field to tie the Quakers for the title. Brown squeezed past Columbia with a 10-3 win and a last minute goal line stand, but Penn beat the Big Red 35-21.
-In 1987, Brown needed to beat Columbia at home and hope that Yale would beat Harvard to force a three-way tie for the title with the Elis and Crimson. Brown eked out a referee-aided 19-16 win, but Harvard beat Yale to take the title outright.
-In 1983, the Bears needed to beat Columbia and pray for Harvard to lose to Yale and Penn to lose to Dartmouth to earn a share of the title. Brown beat the Lions in a wild 42-36 shootout that was the last game of QB John Witkowski's career. But Harvard and Penn both won their games, keeping the Bears out of the money.
-In 1978, the Bears needed a win at Columbia and a Dartmouth loss at Princeton to tie the Big Green for the championship. Brown did it's job with a 24-12 win over the Lions at Baker Field, but Dartmouth held on for a 28-21 win at Palmer Stadium.
-In 1976, the Bears needed to beat Columbia to again tie Yale for the championship. They beat the Lions at Baker Field, 28-17.
-In 1975, Brown needed to beat Columbia in Providence and Harvard and Yale to tie, (they had ties back then), to earn a three-way tie for the title. Brown beat the Lions 48-13, but the Crimson beat the Elis 10-7.
So this will be the 11th time that Columbia and Brown have met with at least some chance of one of them walking off the field as Ivy champs or co-champs. But only the second time in the 62 seasons of Ivy football that it's been Columbia with that championship chance.
Other than the title implications, there's another weird quirk to the Columbia-Brown series. While the Lions have had limited success against every Ivy opponent, they've had the least success over the last few decades against the Bears when it comes to winning back-to-back games.
Columbia last won consecutive games against Cornell in 2009-10, Dartmouth in 2016-17, Harvard in 1995-96, Penn also in 1995-96, Princeton in 2009-10, and Yale actually four times in a row from 1994-97.
But the last time the Lions beat Brown two seasons in a row was way back in 1971-72. This will be their seventh chance to do it since then.
3 comments:
I believe that another stat mostly overlooked and very important is that this year will be only the second in 62 (since the start of the League) that we will have reached 8-2. In general, a horrible underachievement, but one that proves how amazing this year's accomplishment really is.
Good call Jake although I had them at 5-5 (honest). The play that made this season possible was Hill to Smth for 63yd TD vs Princeton.
It told everyone that we could beat anyone anytime anywhere- and set the tone for the rest of the year. What a gift to be playing for a piece
of the Ivy title !
As I've mentioned earlier, I reasonably expected 5-5. I would have been very happy and surprised with 6-4, and ecstatic for 7-3.
A possible 8-2 is a miracle scenario.
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