Testing Ground:A loss does not count in the league standings, so an out-of-league game provides an excellent testing ground for new plays and new players. Got an end-around you want to try? Give it a go against Bucknell. If it works, you can spring it on Princeton or Penn later in the season. If it fails, you can forget about it.

Got a young cornerback who may be great? Send him out in the second quarter of the Northeastern game. See if he can stick to his receiver. If he can, you know you can count on him against Yale. If he can't, he still will have a great seat for The Game--on the bench.

Loser's Last Laugh: By participating in out-of-league games, Ivy League players get a chance to prove they are not only smart. There are some bruising scholars out there.

By beating or even doing well against an out-of-league opponent, Ivy players prove they're not in a league of losers.

Prognostication:The Crimson's 35-0 victory over Columbia three weeks ago proved one thing: Columbia is still bad. Very bad. It revealed nothing about how good or bad the Crimson is.

Last year, remember, Harvard bounced Columbia, 34-0, and finished with a disappointing 3-7 record in the league. The Columbia victory did not foreshadow a great season for the Crimson.

But last week's victory over Northeastern might have. Harvard proved it could battle a good team. Even beat a good team. Look out, Ivy League.

It Doesn't Matter: Bucknell could clobber Harvard. Harvard could clobber Bucknell.

If you get clobbered, you can just forget about it. You still have the same league record. You still are in the hunt for the league crown.