We begin the World Series edition of the football notebook with a look at the Harvard football team's (slim) remaining chances to snag the Ivy title. While Saturday's 14-3 loss at Princeton significantly dampened the Crimson's title hopes, it did not completely eliminate the gridders.

Just past the midway point of the Ivy season, Harvard finds itself in a third-place tie--with Brown and Princeton--in the Ancient Eight standings with a 2-2 league mark. Penn and Cornell stand atop the Ivies with perfect 4-0 marks.

In order to clinch at least a share of its third title in five years, Harvard needs to win all three remaining league games. Given the Crimson's mediocre league play thus far, and the fact that Harvard's remaining slate includes the mighty Quakers, a 3-0 league finish is far from a certainty.

But even if the Crimson pulls off the improbable, it will need help. Cornell, which shut down the Crimson, 3-0, two weeks ago, must lose two of its remaining three games--and given that two of those contests are against Yale and Columbia, this seems unlikely.

The Red's final Ivy tilt is with Penn on the final weekend of the season, a game which could very well determine league honors.

Harvard could sneak into a first-place tie if Penn loses to Princeton this Saturday and defeats Cornell in that showdown (assuming, still, that the Crimson bests the Quakers). Alternately, the Crimson could tie for the Ivy crown if Cornell loses its next two games and then defeats Penn.

Neither scenario is particularly likely.

Incidentally, Harvard could win the title outright if Cornell and Penn each lose their next two league games and then tie each other November 22.

The moral of all this? Keep your "Harvard: 1986 Ivy Champs" t-shirts in storage for right now.

The Injury Report: A number of key Harvard players went down with injuries against the Tigers. Wide-out Joe Connolly--who far and away leads Harvard receivers with 15 receptions for 211 yards--suffered a bruised kidney when he was hit leaping for a pass. The injury was initially thought to be just bruised ribs, but a kidney problem was later discovered and the senior split end spent Saturday night in a hospital. he is doubtful for this weekend's Brown game.

Tight end Jim Morris suffered a separated shoulder in the second half after making a personal record tying three catches (for 57 yards) against the Tigers His status for the Brown contest is unknown.

Sophomore quarterback Tom Yohe was sidelined by a groin pull in the second quarter against Princeton (although he saw action briefly in the second half). He should be available for action Saturday.

A Quarterback Controversy, Right Here in River City: Senior quarterback David Landau replaced Yohe against the Tigers and, seeing his first action in nearly a month, turned in a respectable performance.

Landau, who had not played since separating his shoulder against Holy Cross in the second week of the season, completed 14 of 26 passes for 191 yards and three interceptions.

Throw in Yohe's disappointing 2-for-7, two-fumble, two-sack performance, and you've got the makings of a quarterback controversy. Landau, you may remember, started the season with an encouraging performance against Columbia, but was then felled in the Crusader game.