Ivy League football has never been a friend of change. Off the field it has frowned on changes in the tenor of college football nationwide. On the field it has been the forum for some of the most consistent programs in the country, whether good (Princeton) or bad (Columbia).

The 1994 season marks a radical departure from the past on both counts.

Off the field, league officials allowed teams to hold spring sessions for the first time since the 1950s. Joining what Brown alumnus Joe Paterno called "the real world," each squad was granted 12 spring training days to work out kinks and digest x's and o's.

And on the field, and perhaps even more significant, league play is a good bet to be unpredictable. Defending champ Penn is a shoo-in for top honors and defending cellar dwellar Columbia is a shoo-in for the bottom, but nothing else is certain.

Harvard and Brown enter new eras with new coaches. Cornell continues its surge upwards after 20 years of slumber. Princeton will be fighting to finish in the top tier for the first time in a decade. And Yale will be fighting for a middle spot within the fray.

In other words, the league will be interesting. In itself, that development represents a departure from the past.

1. Penn:

Simply put, The Quakers have the look of a league dynasty.

They went undefeated in ten games last year. They cruised through league play without as much as breaking a sweat. And they return 12 solid starters from that learn this season.

In other words, the rest of the league doesn't have a chance.

The Quakers will be paced by its dominating defense, from which it returns five starters. Last season the team finished in the top 10 nationally in Divion I-AA in every major defensive category: fourth in scoring defense (13.1) and rushing defense (96.7), fifth in total defense (281.6) and ninth in pass efficiency defense.

The offense will be no slouch either. Despite a heated quarterback controversy, the team's attack should be as potent as ever, with senior all-Ivy running back Terrance Stokes leading the charge. Stokes used the team's multiple-one-back alignment to rush for 1,211 yards last season, including a school record 272 against Princeton.

Harvard coach Tim Murphy says it best: "There's no doubt about it--Penn is the team to beat."

2. Dartmouth:

Before there was Penn, there was Dartmouth: the Big Green had won three league championships in a row before last season. The sudden loss of prestige attending the team's close 10-6 opening-season loss to the Quakers has Hanoverites hungry for revenge, but don't bet on it. The team lost several key players and will have a tough time fending off Cornell for the number-two position.