Editor’s note: One of the ECAC’s many quirks is that half of its schools are in the Ivy League and half are not. While the Ivy schools must wait until this weekend to begin regular season play, the other six are free to start at the beginning of October. So, please excuse us for coming out with predictions after a couple dozen games are on the books. For the record, they were made before the first puck was dropped, I promise. —JPM

All statistics are current as of Thursday, Oct. 30.

1. Harvard (Current record: 0-0-0)

Ah, the burden of a prohibitive favorite. The Crimson was the overwhelming selection to win the league in preseason polls, and it will be a big disappointment if it doesn’t follow through. Luckily for coach Mark Mazzoleni, that shouldn’t be a concern. He has the league’s most talented and experienced team—so talented and experienced, in fact, that no team in the country has as many players on its roster as Harvard (16) who have been in NCAA tournaments. Not two-time defending champ Minnesota. Not Boston University. Not Cornell. Not anybody. And nobody’s gonna stop the Crimson from winning the ECAC title this year, and maybe even making a serious run in the NCAAs.

Coach: Mazzoleni (16th year overall, 284-192-40; 5th year at Harvard, 64-57-10).

Last year: 22-10-2, lost in ECAC title game to Cornell, lost in NCAA first round to BU.

Top forward: Senior Tim Pettit (17-30-47 last year, 47-57-104 career).

Top defenseman: Junior Noah Welch (6-22-28 last year; 11-28-39 career).

Top goaltender: Junior Dov Grumet-Morris (18-9-2, 2.38 GAA, .925 save pct. last year; 28-17-3, 2.57 GAA, .914 save pct. career).

2. Cornell (Current Record: 0-0-0)

Last year was special in Ithaca: a great senior class, great goaltender, great team chemistry and great big-game wins over Harvard and Boston College late in the season. All of it added up to a berth in the Frozen Four and a long, delicious moment of pride for a puck-crazy university. Now comes the hard part: The Year After. Without the likes of Doug Murray, Stephen Baby, good-guy Crimson-killer Sam Paolini and Dryden Deux (David LeNeveu), the Big Red will set to work with senior captain Ryan Vesce and a solid group of young forwards that includes two lunch-pail-and-hard-hat guys with talent—Mike Knoepfli and Shane Hynes—who any coach would take on their team. Those expecting a precipitous drop will be disappointed, especially given that Cornell has one of the best bench coaches in college hockey, Mike Schafer. Mark it down: This team will make the NCAAs.

Coach: Schafer (9th year overall and at Cornell, 156-88-25).

Last year: 30-5-1, won ECAC title over Harvard, lost in NCAA semifinals to New Hampshire.

Top forward: Senior Ryan Vesce (19-26-45 last year, 36-66-102 career).