According to the proposal's advocates, allowing freshman eligibility will increase the Ivy League's appeal among blue-chip prospects. By removing the burden of attracting an entire team, recruiters will be able to focus on bringing in a few key players, they say.

Coaches say the introduction of talented first-years is likely to establish greater competitive parity in the league, a feature favored by some schools who may have a more challenging time recruiting top players.

"I think that that was the main reason cited bythe strongest supporters--Columbia and Brown,"Schluntz says. "They felt that they would have amuch better chance in the league."

Coaches also say the decision was influenced bythe economic realities facing most universitiestoday. With athletic budgets being cut to thebarest necessities, many administrators felt theproposal--and the subsequent folding of freshmanteams--were a relatively painless way to free upmoney without forcing the schools to eliminate anentire sport.

Finally, officials say the decision will makemore places in the first-year class available tostudents who otherwise might have lost out tofootball players in their admissions bid.

In recent years, admissions officers andathletic administrators have fielded growingnumbers of complaints from parents and campusgroups about the alleged special privileges givento athletes in the admissions process.

Despite these arguments, Harvard maintained aunited front against the proposal. From thepresident to the football coaches to the varsityand freshman players, Harvardians with a vestedinterest in the issue were virtually unanimous intheir opposition.

"It's completely a matter of principle,"Schluntz says. "Freshman football is simply in thebest interests of the young men."

"I think the proposal is the worst thing theycould have done," adds starting Crimsonquarterback Mike Giardi, a member of the 1990freshman team.

According to Harvard players and coaches, thefirst-year team plays a valuable role in preparingnew players for the complexities of collegiatefootball--and for the complexities of collegelife.

Harvard freshmen gridders can take the time tounderstand the subtle intricacies of theMulti-Flex offense while they mature physicallyand mentally for the faster-paced, harder-hittingaction of the varsity gridiron, Schluntz says.

More importantly, he says, it enables freshmento get settled into the daily flow of academiclife without the substantial time commitmentsrequired of varsity athletes.

"The new system puts a lot of pressure onfreshmen--not only to do well on the field, but todo well in school," Giardi says. "There's enoughpressure on freshmen that first semester withoutthem having to worry about varsity football."

Members of the Harvard freshman team--the lastones to face a full schedule of other first-yearsquads--agree that the change will complicate lifefor young athletes.

"At first, coming out of high school, I didn'tlike the idea of freshman football," says BrianBorg, the captain of this year's first-year squad."But after getting involved in it, I really thinkit's a good idea. I couldn't imagine trying tohave played varsity this year."