A confident Crimson cross-country team, with eight straight wins to its credit, will face a strong Boston University squad this afternoon at 3:45 on the Franklin Park course.

On a purely statistical analysis, B.U. should rate on a par with the UMass team, that dropped a meet to the Crimson last Friday, 21-45. B.U. just managed to edge Dartmouth Friday, in a triangular meet, which also included M.I.T. UMass had beaten the Dartmouth squad earlier, 25-30.

The Terriers have four excellent runners who should finish this afternoon within the top ten: Captain George Terry, Hilliard, Petrellis, and Tyler.

Crimson coach Bill McCurdy is counting mainly on Captain Don French, Dave McLean, Pete Reider, and Ken Wilson. His strategy will be to send the runners out on a fast start, hoping to maintain the initial momentum throughout the race. If this works, he may wreck the Terriers' excellent four-man combination.

The Yardlings should be able to defeat a weak B.U. freshman squad this afternoon with immensely superior depth.