"Obviously that was a dream, to go there, growing up and going to those games every weekend," he says. "But in the end they asked me to walk on, and I didn't want to do that. I knew academics were the most important to me, and what attracted me out here was the mix of academics and football."

Not only was it difficult for Skelton to turn down the glory of Big Ten football, but it was tough to leave home as well. Harvard Square is a long way from Chelsea, Michigan.

"In high school your family's there every night, and they're my strength, so freshman year was tough," Skelton says. "It was a tough transition being away from home. Football definitely helped, though. You come in in the summer and you already have a group of friends."

The positive side of Ivy League football is that for the four or five games Skelton's family is able to see during the year, they get to see him be one of the offensive foci.

Skelton wants the ball in his hands, and he usually gets it.

"I'm a very intense, guy," he says. "I'm perfectionist--I see things and I want them to be a certain way, and I work hard to get them that way. If they're not perfect, I'm disappointed in myself."

One of the things that has not gone his way is the fate of the Harvard football team. Skelton has yet to see a winning season, but he is hoping this year will be different.

What started off as same ole' same ole' has turned into a mini-winning streak, partly because of the play of Skelton. Still, he blames himself in part for the Crimson not being the very best Crimson it can be.

"I fully expected us to go 10-0 this season," he says. "I've been around for a few years so I kind of know how things go. That places me inevitably as a leader...I try to lead by example, but I'll be the first to get in someone's face."

If Harvard is going anywhere this season, it is going there partly on the back of Colby Skelton. The glory positions are such because they are essential to a team's performance.

"I was fortunate enough to have a stretch where I caught a lot of balls," he says. "They've been coming my way, and I hope they still come my way."

He's being modest.

Skelton had a choice between the Big Ten and the Ivy League, and he took the road less travelled.

For Harvard, that has made all the difference.