Predicting the outcome of the Ivy League football race is an impossible task, as any fool knows. About the only point on which "experts" agree this year is that the League neatly resolves itself into two categories: the contenders and the also-rans. In the former group are Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Cornell.
The labyrinthine mysteries of the League race will begin to untangle this afternoon when Princeton meets Cornell at Ithaca. The winner of that contest could easily go on to win the title. In other games on this first full slate of Ivy play, Yale meets Brown and Dartmouth host Pennsylvania.
Bolstered by my six-for-six record predicting last week's games, here are my prognostications for today:
Princeton 13 Cornell 7
Oddsmakers have installed the Tigers as a seven-point choice to win their second Ivy League game. This point spread seems a bit excessive, but nevertheless Princeton wins our nod to take today's game--and the Ivy title. For one thing, the Tigers have traditionally been a good early-season team. Their single-wing offense is relatively simple to operate, so they make fewer mistakes than their opponents. In a game as tight as this, one break could make the difference.
Princeton opened its season by bombing Rutgers, 32 to 6, then whipped Columbia, 31 to 0. Cornell fought to a scoreless tie with Colgate two weeks ago, and then shellacked Lehigh, 49 to 13.
Although both teams have demonstrated the ability to roll up a big score, today's game should be a hard-nosed defensive battle. Princeton has an experienced line with eleven returning lettermen. Cornell's interior defensive line averages a hefty 236, anchored by 300-pound tackle Craig Cannon. Princeton's Cornell's Marty Sponaugle and Princeton's Ron Landeck can both run and pass well, neither is a superstar who could turn the game into a one-sided rout.
Princeton will commit fewer mistakes than Cornell, and the Tigers have the golden toe of Charley Gogolak to put them on the scoreboard.
Dartmouth 28 Penn 17
Everyone expects this game to be a complete slaughter. Dartmouth has racked up 83 points in its first two game rushing defense. And Penn, after all, is Penn.
But Bob Blackman's Indians are going to be in for a difficult afternoon. As we've been saying for the past two weeks, Penn has a much-improved team. Halfback Bruce Molloy was named Ivy Player of the Week for his performance against Brown last Saturday. And Penn is relying heavily on sophomores who are improving every week.
The Quakers have a pair of good sophomore quarterbacks, who may demonstrate that Dartmouth's impressive defensive statistics are a bit misleading. The Indians' big question mark is their pass defense, and it wasn't tested by woeful New Hampshire or by pass-poor Holy Cross last week.
With the passing of Mickey Board and the running of a large contingent of talented backs, Dartmouth should prevail--but it won't be a massacre.
Yale 14 Brown 7
The only question here is whether Yale's pass defense can withstand the aerial attack of Brown quarterback Bob Hall. The Elis turned in a surprising performance last week, and almost held powerful Colgate to a scoreless tie before blowing the game in the final minute of play.
Hall completed 16 passes against Penn last week, but his team was still not able to score. He should probably have a similar performance today. Yale's defense, plus the running of Jim RECORD TO DATE: Eleven right, two wrong, one tie.
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