WILLIAMSBURG, Va.--The official brochure describes the College of William and Mary as a "small, state University of unusual quality." The brochure also calls it the second-oldest college in the nation, but according to the William and Mary News, one of two campus weeklies at the self-proclaimed Harvard of the South, that distinction belongs to the folks up in Cambridge.

William and Mary is actually older than Harvard, the News says, because an obscure British charter dating back to the beginning of the 17th century connects the college with a university overseas.

Oldest or not, the place reeks with tradition. Historic buildings (such as Christopher Wren Hall, the oldest academic structure in America still in use) serve as classrooms and offices. Plaques and statues dot the campus.

Thomas Jefferson went here, although he later founded the University of Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa began here and is still going strong. William and Mary has everything any self-respecting Ivy League school could boast of, except inclement weather.

Situated a block southeast of Colonial Williamsburg and two miles from the Busch Brewery (two free samples to a customer, limit three visits weekly), William and Mary is a fascinating blend of the Ivy League and Southern brands of education.

Almost half the student body belongs to a fraternity or sorority; as one Phi Mu puts it, "There just isn't very much social life anywhere else." But the sports oriented, rah-rah atmosphere associated with the Greeks is absent. "There's not much interest in sports around here, with the possible exception of basketball," one student from nearby Richmond says. "Hardly anyone goes to football games."

The school even lacks a traditional rival. The Homecoming game, the year's most important and best attended, was played against Dartmouth last season, the first time the teams had met since 1942.

Harvard, this year's Homecoming opponent. has played the Indians five times in this century and never in Williamsburg. One sorority's parade float was entitled "Southern Comfort Drowns the Crimson Tide" until fine-tuned by a Northern transplant.

Like many institutions of academic quality, William and Mary suffers from a lack of modern athletic facilities. An exception is a multi-million dollar basketball fieldhouse that seats 10,700, all in cushioned fold-down seats.

But Cary Field, the football stadium described by William and Mary's sports information director, Bob Sheeran, as "quaint," has been around so long (since 1936) that it underwent a badly needed $1.1 million renovation last year.

Plans for further work on the facility, including an expansion from its present capacity of 18,000, have run into a roadblock: Students and faculty have voted not to accept the donation earmarked for the stadium unless it is redesignated to pay for classroom space. That's not the kind of thing that would happen up the road in Charlottesville.

Given that attitude, it is not surprising that the football program has fallen on hard times. Last year's team went 2-9, including a loss at Harvard, and wins over Dartmouth and Rutgers. This season, the Indians beat Dartmouth again, but have won only two other games--against Marshall and James Madison. The eclectic list of losses includes Temple, Miami of Ohio, and Navy.

Harvard has had an even stranger season. The team has not won at home, and not lost on the road, leading pundits hearing the rumors about Soldiers Field renovation next year to talk of an undefeated season. Today's game is the last non-Ivy encounter of the season for the Crimson, which has not beaten a non-Ivy team since this game last year.

William and Mary beat Dartmouth, which beat Harvard. But that doesn't hold up to the Crimson's success as a vagabond outfit. Besides, Harvard is undefeated at other homecoming games this year (Brown, 41-7 last week). The prediction; HARVARD 35, WILLIAM AND MARY 10, because, really, Harvard is older.

By the way, I did it again last week. By predicting a Crimson loss to Brown, I angered the squad, sparking it to a big victory. The sacrifice to my season average is worth it, or so Joe Restic tells me.