There has been a great deal of talk lately about the dangerous side-effects of lopsided football victories, say 100-0. The local discussion was stimulated by Syracuse's 66 point barrage against lowly Holy Cross two weeks ago (one wonders where the writers were when the Boston Bruins were smashing the Western Division last winter). Most of the articles have been "common sense arguments" that such public humiliation is unnecessary and is caused by a team's desire to receive national ranking.

The topic is not very far astray from today's game in the Stadium. In its last two appearances in Cambridge, the Tigers have drubbed Harvard 51-20 and 45-6 (the second on national television). Princeton is ninth in the nation in total offense, so the odds for a scoring outburst are not slim.

One local coach this week went as far as publicly stating that he would tell his quarterback to run "less effective" plays (such as a quarterback sneak) if his team ran up an early sizeable margin. What would be your reaction if either Harvard or Princeton, sitting on a comfortable lead, suddenly changed its plan of attack so that it varied from a dive left to a dive right? I'd feel robbed, denied the chance to see top notch athletic effort (even if not performance).

Who is hurt by a lopsided score? The defeated team? Close losses, like the Dartmouth loss or Yale's 29-29 tie, are harder on a team's morale than the knowledge that you were totally outplayed by a better team. Is the individual losing player hurt? We don't ask our opponents to predetermine whether our weak left guard can stand the beating of your outstanding right tackle. Individual defeats come on every play, not on the scoreboard. Is the coach hurt? His record, not his point margin, goes down in the book.

Some might argue that the second and third string of the winning team lose out. Yet, we don't water down varsity squads because some players get cut, so there's no reason to assume that a second string player has the right to enter when his team is ahead.

Do the fans lose? I doubt if the crowd would enjoy watching Harvard's third string play the Princeton varsity just for the sake of competition. It's quality of play that the fan wants.

So who loses on the lopsided game? I guess the sports writers of the losing team do, because they have to somehow rationalize the destruction and someway paint a rosier promise for tomorrow. So let's advocate playing every minute to its fullest, and make the sportswriters work a little harder.

BROWN-CORNELL--The Bruins are used to giving up five or six yards per carry on defense, so Ed Marinaro will not demoralize the squad. Brown will give yards and take points. Once ahead, Brown will not give up its only chance for fame, and Cornell does not have a comeback offense. Bruins, 28-24.

DARTMOUTH-COLUMBIA--The Indians' confidence has been shaken in the last three close calls and Columbia has the potential to strike quickly in the opening minutes. Ted Perry will save the Big Green--from embarrassment. Columbia, 14-3.

PENN-YALE--Harvard has given confidence to the combination of Shue to Clune. And with the baking of mayor-elect Frank Rizzo, not even a Pfeil will help Yale escape the jaws of its worst Ivy season. Quakers, 24-10.

PRINCETON-HARVARD--This will be a great game, with two teams with well-balanced offenses that can explode both in a running and a passing attack. It will be a spectator's delight, no matter the outcome. Princeton 35, Harvard 27.