PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Unless it beats itself, the Crimson varsity football team should win for the sixth time this season in the game against Brown this afternoon. A capacity Homecoming crowd of 27,000 is expected at Brown Stadium for the 1:30 p.m. kick-off.

Brown, which won last week from Connecticut after being stopped ten times in a row, including the tailend of last season, hopes to parlay some physical and psychological advantages into victory today.

Coach Alva Kelley of the Bruins has announced that he regards the Harvard game as the "big one" on his schedule this year. Upsetting the Crimson before the Old Grads at Homecoming would be particularly pleasant.

The Crimson goes into the game knowing full well that it ought to win in a breeze, on the basis of talent and sheer physical superiority. The question is whether the physical battering the Crimson absorbed at Princeton last week plus thinking about the Yale game next week has made the varsity ripe for an upset. So hope Brown fans.

Three Crimson defensive regulars definitely will not play this afternoon--Linebacker Bob Hardy, End Harvey Popell and Halfback Brian Reynolds.

Predicting who will take their places this afternoon is risky, because just about everyone has worked at the open positions this week. Buddy Lemay, Bill Weber, and Dick Duback will probably get the first calls this afternoon.

Route to Brown Stadium

Follow route 1 (North Main Street) to the middle of Providence, then take Waterman Street that branches off to the left. At Wayland Square, bear left around the circle to Angel Street and follow Elm Grove Avenue (first right) to the Stadium. List of events is on page 4.

On offense, the Crimson is expected to unveil at least a few new things, to get the feel of them before next week. Some top secret stuff, which has been seen at Soldiers Field this week, will be used only in dire emergency.

Brown has been experiencing grim going this year, losing to Yale, Rhode Island, Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Princeton on consecutive Saturdays, before stopping Connecticut last week, 21-7.

The regular offensive team will start, but will probably give way to substitutes as soon as Coach Lloyd Jordan feels it is safe. This fast substitution will serve a double purpose: to keep the bigger guns out of harm's way and to give the reserves as much work as possible before Yale.

Of course, if the varsity starts out as it did against Springfield and Davidson, it could develop into a thoroughly unpleasant afternoon.

The Bruins will be up for this one, far more so than the Crimson. Having found out last week what it's like to win, they may prove tough to dislodge if they jump into an early lead.

That's why the first score will be so very important this afternoon. If the Bruins start fast, the Crimson will be forced to use top secret maneuvers or play the first team longer than expected, or both.

Conceivably, that might not be enough to win this afternoon. Certainly it wouldn't help the varsity win next Saturday