IT WAS NOT a particularly enjoyable diversion to watch Harvard's football team play last year-unless you attended one of the six colleges that sent the Crimson down to its worst season since 1957. Generally considered to be the team to beat in the Ivy League with a flock of lettermen back from an undefeated squad, the Crimson stumbled through a night-Mariah Fall, absorbing a 41-24 whipping from mediocre Cornell, losing to Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale and almost anyone else who could figure out a way to stop the Crimson's routine offensive system and pick apart its defense.

Only three victories brightened the season, and each one was somewhat tainted. Holy Cross, which seemed to be playing in slow motion while losing 13-0, actually was. A week later, the entire squad came down with infectious hepatitis and the Crusaders were forced to cancel the rest of their season.

Columbia, a traditional soft-touch, succumbed 51-0 two weeks later, and continued on its way to a 1-8 season. And Pennsylvania, which was a contender early in the season, was riddled by injuries, had just come from a 42-0 drubbing at the hands of Princeton, and was reduced to its fourth-string quarterback when it lost to Harvard 20-6 in late October.

Two of the six losses were understandable. Dartmouth, which rolled up four touchdowns before the Crimson could get on the board in the second quarter, was a solid club that continued unbeaten until its final game against Princeton. And Boston University, which shaded Harvard 13-10 in the second contest of the season, went on to a post-season bowl game in California.

But the loss to Cornell was inexcusable. So was the loss to Brown, the Bruins' only Ivy victory last Fall. And much of the blame fell upon the Harvard offensive system, and its founder, coach John Yovicsin. For Yovicsin still clung to the off-tackle, end sweep, halfback option cycle that had brought the Crimson ten consecutive winning seasons and a share of three Ivy titles. The system is viable, provided you have material than can overpower the opposition. If you don't, the opposition needs only to plug the middle or cover the ends at the appropriate downs, and you lose. It had gotten to be a common joke that you only needed one Harvard game film to tell you what the Crimson was going to throw at you. And it didn't really matter what year the film was taken.

A FEW things will be different this Fall, Yovicsin, hampered by a heart condition, will step down as coach at the end of the season. The disastrous results of the 1969 season, and criticism of his conservative strategy, which may or may not have had something to do with his decision, have at least caused him to liberalize his approach to the game. The Flanker-T has been scrapped in favor of a pro offense, which, if it doesn't make things better, will make them interesting, at least. Also, the Crimson will not have to contend with the pressure of defending a League title, as it did last year. There is a new, more vibrant attitude on the squad's part. Last year, there was no place to go but down. That can hardly be the case this Fall.

But the most tangible difference has been the installation of the new pro-style offense. By its very nature, it will force Harvard and Yovicsin to be more inventive and looser in their play repertoire. Yovicsin plans to pass more than any team in Harvard history, which of course isn't all that earthshaking. But the system will eliminate the predictability that plagued the Crimson last Fall, and replace it with an element of surprise that Harvard will need to have a winning season.

But in other respects, the same problems still return. There is no proven quarterback. There is no fast halfback of the caliber of Ray Hornblower. Both lines have to be rebuilt. And with the exception of All-Ivy performer Gary Farneti, there are no experienced linebackers. Given the quality and balance of the Ivy League this year, Harvard will have to cure these deficiencies before it can even think of being a contender.

With the installation of the pro system, the lack of capable quarterbacking is perhaps the most immediate concern. The problem was there last year, of course, when Yovicsin used five players and still never found any one of them to be satisfactory. Two of them, Dave Smith and Frank Champi, have graduated. Two more, John O'Grady and Joe Roda, have quit. That leaves junior Rex Blankenship, an adequate passer who started the Yale game last year, as the only man with experience.

Senior Bill Kelly, who was sidelined last Fall following a knee operation, has been switched back to quarterback after playing safety as a sophomore, but he'll need time to adjust. And none of the three sophomores, Rod Foster, Eric Crone or Frank Guerra, has all the tools necessary to move in either.

FROM their performances in scrimmages, however, Kelly and Foster may have the best chance of breaking in as the regular signal-caller. Kelly, at 6' 2", 195, has the best size of any serious contender for the position, can run and pass fairly well, and is probably the most knowledgeable field general. Foster, who split duties with Crone on the freshman team last year, is the flashiest competitor since John McCluskey to challenge for the quarterback slot. The speediest, most elusive runner on the team, he is a superb scrambler and is extremely dangerous when given daylight. But his passing is deficient, and this is a serious problem to bring to a system that will use three receivers. The Crimson coaches would love to switch him to halfback. Foster isn't particularly wild about the idea.

Crone, who compares well with Kelly in size, is a good physical quarterback, but lacks the necessary poise to take over a starting spot at the moment. Guerra, who saw action as a reserve on the freshman squad last year, may need seasoning with the JV squad before he is ready to assume a varsity role.

So that leaves Blankenship as the most likely candidate to start early in the season. He is fairly well poised and has an adequate, though not awesome, arm. But he has little experience-49 minutes of varsity play-not enough to earn a letter last year. Yov-icsin may not make up his mind definitely until the opener with Northeastern on the last weekend of September, and he may not decide even then. And if the Crimson is forced to shuffle signal-callers again, as it had to last year, the offense may never achieve stability.

The backfield, however, is strong. Halfback Steven Harrison, who performed impressively as a sophomore last year, has been switched to flanker this year, and he'll be backed by sophomore Mike Murr, another speedster. Tom Miller, who handled the fullback spot last year after Gus Crim injured a kidney, returns, and sophomore Curt Humphreys is there as backup strength.

But the big change has been the move that sent Pete Varney, a tight end for two years, to a halfback slot. Varney, who was on the verge of becoming Harvard's all-time receiving leader before the switch, played there as a freshman, and gained almost 800 yards. At 6' 2", 235, he is probably the most mammoth athlete to play the position in Harvard history. Once he achieves momentum, he is not easily brought down. But given the inexperience of the offensive line this Fall, his teammates may not be able to give him the time he needs to pick up steam. Varney is, however, nearly unstoppable on a swing pass, and combined with Miller, can provide excellent protection on pass plays. He'll be backed by Scotty Guild, a quick, deceptive senior who will also be running back punts this Fall.