"We're not going to be picked very high, because we're thin," Columbia Coach Larry McElreavy says. "We do, however, have the talent that on any given day, we can beat any other team in the league."

This is the first time in a couple years that a Columbia coach can truthfully utter that cliche, because the last few Lions' squads have been woefully bad.

Last year the Columbia gridders went 0-10, were shut out three times, were out-scored 331-75, and were called "drug-addicted losers" by (now departed) Coach Jim Garrett.

Things can only get better.

And they probably will with McElreavy, a former assistant coach at Dartmouth, Yale, and Penn who was most recently the head coach at the University of New Haven. Columbia's top four ground-gainers return from last year, though quarterback (and team MVP) Henry Santos has graduated.

Homer Hill (27 catches in 1985) leads the Lions' receiving corps that looks to have some potential. However, McElreavy must come up with a quarterback from somewhere.

"We're not setting any specfic goals," McElreavy says. "We just want to get better each week, and if you do that, the wins will come."

And maybe the wins actually will come, this year, for the Lions.

Head Coach: Larry McElreavy (1st year)

Last Year: 0-10 (0-7 Ivy)

Last Year Versus Harvard: Harvard, 49-17

Series Versus Harvard: Harvard leads, 33-10-1

Captain: To be named

Lettermen lost: 22

Lettermen returning: 28