You take a look at the two teams matching up at Soldier's Field today, and this is what you see:

The Princeton Tigers, three losses in a row, including two straight in the Ivy League which have effectively eliminated them. Nothing to lose, as the old cliche goes, and an inordinate desire to play the spoiler role. Throw in some Princeton pride and a heritage of playing Harvard tough. Very tough.

The Harvard Crimson, frontrunners in the Ivies with every game now a pressure-cooker, hoping for its second straight league championship. One key ingredient is missing from the pot, however, as Mike Lynch, not Jim Kubacki, will be calling the signals today against one of the best defenses the league has to offer.

Finally, include the image of a championship showdown with Brown next week, which clouds this week's effort and leads the Crimson football mind astray. The tendancy could be to take a weakening Princeton squad too lightly. It's the old Looking-Into-The-Future/Upset complex.

The game smells, if not reeks, of an upset. The sum of the parts equals a fired-up Tiger contingent rushing to an early lead, never to be caught as Harvard's thrusts are washed away in frustration.

So the handwriting is on the wall. Not really, though, because there's another line of sports imagination which would fill the bill for today's game in Harvard's favor. And that's the Substitute Hero syndrome.

The scene is set for an upset, as above, but this time plug in a fired-up Crimson squad led gallantly by an unheralded substitute in a critical position.

Lynch (substitute Davenport, Halas, or O'Brien if you wish) starts shakily, but the fans sense a growing confidence. Midway through the game things are tight, with Harvard trailing by less than a touchdown. You know what happens next.

A dramatic, extensive drive brilliantly engineered by our substitute hero pushes the Crimson on top as the third quarter draws to a close. A Princeton mistake, another Harvard touchdown, and you have a tension-packed victory. And a hero, who filled the shoes of a stricken leader better than you could have ever hoped. Observers quip that the injured star will have a tough time even getting his job back.

For every fan you find who supports the Looking-Into-The-Future/Upset syndrome, you'll find another who subscribes to the Substitute-Hero theory. And they occur with approximately the same frequency, as a glance at any Sunday sports section will tell you.

Harvard is faced with three more games this season, and the hope of another Ivy title. There is one constant: The Crimson must beat Brown next week in order to have a chance, since Brown faces two punies, Cornell and Columbia, and its other games.

And Harvard must win at least one of its other two, depending on how Yale fares in its late season efforts. Things will be a lot easier if the Crimson gets by Princeton today. The Substitute-Hero syndrome gets another in a long line of opportunities.

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As for this week's selections, things look to be pretty difficult. The Harvard game is a toss-up, and Yale, I think, is painfully due to lose. So here goes another feeble attempt to predict the fickle Future:

BROWN-CORNELL--The Bruins won't lose this one, as they take on the new doormat of the Ivy League. What has happened in Ithaca this season? Brown 27, Cornell 12.

DARTMOUTH-COLUMBIA--Euphoria is rampant in New York, as the Lions will no longer be the butt of all Ivy League football jokes. This could be close, believe it or not, but Dartmouth should prove best in the end. Dartmouth 24, Columbia 18.

PENN-YALE--The fact is that Yale is just not all that powerful this year. They are living on borrowed time, and they may come up broke when the interest is due. Another loan from the bank of fate may be necessary for this one. Yale 22, Penn 21.

PRINCETON-HARVARD--A vote for the Substitute Hero may be misplaced this week, even though I hear that Mike Lynch is a nice guy. I'm pulling for him, but my instincts say otherwise. Princeton 23, Harvard 20.