HANOVER, N.H.--The giant tower of railroad ties ignited slowly, but the flames expanded then swirled until the center of this campus glowed in the light of a 200-foot cylinder of fire.

This spectacle provided a dazzling finish to the opening ceremonies of Dartmouth's biggest weekend in four years--Harvard's quadrennial sojourn north for the playing of a football game.

The phrase "just a game" or any other diminution of the event seemed entirely out of place among the frenzied thousands who have filled this quaint New England backwater. It is homecoming, it is the home team's 100th anniversary, and--perhaps most importantly--it is Harvard, and Dartmouth aches for a victory.

This college summoned all of its bureaucratic and athletic muscle to tonight's quintessential Ivy League pep rally. From its revered president, John Kemeny, to its inarticulate cheerleader captain, the message to the assembled 10,000 rang clearly: beat Harvard.

Perhaps Kemeny best captured the prevailing mood when he described why he wanted the game played here every four years despite the bigger financial reward available to both teams in Cambridge. To the roared approval of the green-clad throng, he said, "I think every generation of Harvard students should have the chance to see a real college."

Perhaps that begins to answer why this town oozes such paranoia about its closest Ivy cousin. The campus shrieks its school spirit--it doth protest too much in response to imagined insults.

"Tradition," one undergraduate said as he watched the alumni parade across the green, "is what makes this place what it is." While the world has passed Dartmouth by, the people of this pristine, isolated world can still stomp their feet, insist they are "real," and pass the hip flask for another round.

And another. Alcohol is not so much a pastime here as an obsession. It fuels frat row and on the several big weekends of the year, transforms Dartmouth College from school to oxymoron. "Sometimes we win, Sometimes we lose," one senior said philosophically. As if on cue, his brother ('78) chimed in, "But we're always drunk."

Indeed, many will be inebriated, or well on their way, when the Crimson and Big Green squeeze through the 22,000 enthusiasts and on to Memorial Field tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. WHRB (93.5 FM) will broadcast live.

As if this contest needs anything more to generate interest, consider this: the Ivy League championship may be on the line. Pre-season favorite Dartmouth won its only league game this year before three straight losses to outsider foes. And Harvard stands atop everyone, 2-0 in the League, 4-0 overall.

Dartmouth almost seemed to have preempted competition with its roster of fancy names. As quarterback, the Big Green has Jeff Kemp, the strong-armed son of the former Buffalo Bill and current Congressional reactionary. And his favorite target is the wily co-captain Dave Shula, the top all-time Dartmouth receiver, and son of Dolphin Don.

But Kemp passes have wound up as laughter curves more often than expected, and Shula has been smothered, in addition to covered. Big-names backs like Jeff Dufresne and Mark Akey have fumbled too much, and UNH (24-7), Holy Cross (17-6), and William and Mary (17-14) have taken advantage. The rugged Big Green defense, led by linebacker and co-captain Jerry Pierce, has struggled to compensate.

The Crimson, on the other hand, has led a magical existence. Eleven months ago, Harvard lost six straight. Today, it arrives in Hanover with a sixgame winning streak in tow.

A substitute quarterback, junior Mike Buchanan, now leads Harvard after his inelegant but gutty 20-12 triumph over Cornell last Saturday. An unheralded secondary has intercepted one out of every ten opposition passes, and Harvard now rates as the team to beat in the Ivies. Its biggest test so far comes today.