Last year, the Harvard football team performed a magic trick. Picked to finish among the league low-lifes, the Crimson captured the Ivy League title.

This year the kids in the front row--make that press row--are asking, no, expecting, Harvard to do it again.

With expectations high, can the Crimson repeat?

Three opinions:

Running back Tony Hinz, the optimist: "Go 10-0? That's one of my goals, and I hope that everyone else thinks we can do it too."

Coach Joe Restic, the conservative: "We will start from day one as if we were struggling to enter the picture."

Captain Don Peterson, the philospher: "We'll take them one at a time."

In 1986, the Crimson finished 3-7. Last year, Harvard finished 8-2, including a title-clinching victory over Yale in New Haven, Conn.

The Crimson had only six returning starters going into last year. Harvard has 11 returning starters this year, including quarterback Tom Yohe, who last year broke nearly all of Harvard's single-season passing records.

The 1988 prospectus looks a lot brighter than last year's did. So Hinz's assessment, that the Crimson should not only repeat as champion but possibly turn in a perfect campaign, seems fair.

Consider the returing starters:

Yohe. Last year, Yohe, who became the starter at the end of the 1986 season, threw for more than 200 yards six times and finished with 2134 yards passing and 17 TD passes.

Hinz. In last year's game against Yale, Hinz rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the year with a team-leading 789 yards rushing and was selected first-team All-Ivy.

Maurice Frilot. If Yohe is king, Frilot is the castle. Frilot, a 6-ft., 1-in., 265-lb. All-Ivy tackle, gave Yohe good protection all year.

John Bartholomew. Tony Consigli. Shawn Sensky. Bartholomew is the Crimson's other tackle. Consigli is the center. ("I'm always happy to have an experienced center when I have a quarterback coming back," Restic said. "You have to have someone up front in that position to give you consistency.")

Sensky is a guard. All are 240 lbs. or more. "The foundation lies in the offensive line," Yohe said.

Peterson. Peterson, an All-Ivy selection, finished third on the team in tackles last year with 50. He recovered two fumbles and forced another. He is the second defensive lineman in a row to become captain. "Defensively, I look to Captain Don Peterson," Restic said. "He had an exceptional year. He'll provide the leadership."

Jim Bell. Tom McConnel. Bell, a defensive tackle, and McConnel, a middle guard, each finished with 36 tackles.

Jim Smith. Smith replaced injured Bryan Gescuk in the Crimson's game against Holy Cross, the third to last game of the year. He finished with three interceptions (including a pair against Holy Cross QB Jeff Wiley, an All-American).

Alan Hall. Hall, the punter, wasn't always long (a 33.1 averge), but he had only one punt blocked

With this line-up, Harvard should walk to the title. On the other hand, Restic's caution may be warranted. Eleven positions will be filled by veterans, but 13 (including the kicking spot) will be manned by rookies or inexperienced players.

Question marks include the Crimson secondary (where only Smith returns) and kicking game (Brian Kotz nailed four-of-four extra points, but can he boot the long one?).

Air Yohe

Last year Yohe and wideout Brian Barringer (49 catches, two TDs) were a great act. But who will take Barringer's place as co-pilot of Air Yohe? Neil Phillips, Barringer's back-up last year, caught 14 passes, two for touch-downs. After him, the air arsenal begins to thin. Mark Bianchi, Mike Oehmler and Phillips' varsity basketball teammate, Kevin Collins, are all untried weapons.

"We don't have a seasoned receiver coming back." Yohe said. "But then again, Barringer wasn't a seasoned receiver coming back last year, and he did an outstanding job.

It may be best for player and prognosticator alike to adopt Peterson's one-day-at-a-time approach. The early part of Harvard's schedule is not difficult. The Crimson plays its first two Ivy games (Columbia on September 17 and Cornell on October 8) at home.

The real tests will come October 22 (at Princeton) and November 12 (at Penn).

Peterson said a rigorous off-season training program will help the club "We've had one of the best off-seasons during this past year. A lot of the guys have been working hard, running and lifting, and I think we're ready to have a successful season once again."