Dartmouth may no longer be King of the Ivies, but it still rules Harvard.

And when the two teams meet later this season, it might just take all the king's men and all the king's horses Big Green.

Because despite all the talk of a Penn-Harvard cakewalk to the top Dartmouth won't be too far from the top.

The Big Green never is.

After slipping to a tie for third place last year, the league's win formal Ivy play began in 1936 --and the current holder of Harvard's number--seems headed back to the top once again.

Dartmouth no longer dominates the league as it did in the early '80's, but even coaches from Penn and Harvard say they'll be looking for a three-way race.

The Big Green returns a largely veteran defensive unit and key performers at the offensive skill positions.

The biggest key is a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year who, as a sophomore in 1982, guided the Hanoverians to the Ivy title.

Two years later, senior quarterback Mike Caraviello is anger to reestablish himself as the leader of the Big Green.

The Medford, Mass. native completed more than 57 percent of his passes his sophomore year, but an injury' hand left him on the sidelines for all of last year.

Dartmouth Coach Joe Yukica readily acknowledges that how quickly Caraviello reasserts himself could also determine how quickly the squad asserts itself.

Joining Caraviello in the backfield will be senior tailback Rich Weissman, who Yukica calls "as good a running back as any playing in our league."

Weissman has led Dartmouth in rushing for the past two seasons and was second in receiving a year ago. He'll be backed up with a squadron of solid runners, including Lorenzo Chambers and Bill Daly, Rich Lena will have to be replaced at fullback.

The Big Green must also find a replacement for talented--but graduated--receiver Jack Daly. Mike Viccora is the leading contender.

The big hole on offense, however, is the line, where Yukica admits his squad "is a little thin."

The opposite's true, however, for the defense, where Dartmouth returns 17 players from the final two-deep of 1983. Traditionally the strong point of Big Green squads, the Dartmouth defense boasts not only experience but also size and speed.

The secondary will be the strong point, with four starters returning and two valuable backups still in Hanover.

THE CUBE PREDICTS: Third