For the past 11 years, only two teams have ended atop the Ivy League standings at the end of the season: Penn and Princeton.

But for the first time in years, there are some vulnerabilities to exploit in these ironclad programs.

Both the Quakers and the Tigers are facing huge overhauls in their starting lineups, and new Princeton Coach John Thompson III, son of the legendary Georgetown coach, only accentuates the Tigers' uncertainties.

Thus, the traditionally second-tier teams in the league may finally have their chance at the coveted Ivy title.

Outside of the perennial powers, most of the teams will return a vast majority of their starters from last year. Along with Princeton and Penn, Columbia, Brown and Harvard all have a legitimate shot of challenging for the Ivy League title.

The Lions, sharing the third place last season with the Crimson, return all five starters including All-Ivy selection Craig Austin. Brown seeks to make a giant leap behind arguably the two best returning players in the league from last season.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth, Yale and Cornell are expected to remain at the lower end of the spectrum. Of these teams, Dartmouth should remain competitive, with three of its starters and a key academic redshirt returning for the season. The Bulldogs' success depends upon their crop of freshman, while Cornell hopes to rebuild under a new head coach.

The media's preseason poll still places Quakers atop the projected League standings.