The Lions do not have any outstanding rushers, but the combination of quarterback Anders Hill and receivers Ronald Smith II and Josh Wainwright give coach Al Bagnoli more than enough firepower. The Big Green has a more varied run game and receiving corps, with no true standout performers, but it still puts up 27.6 points per game.

However, using mascot logic, Dartmouth has this game in the books.

Dartmouth varsity sports’ nicknames are the Big Green, which I guess is supposed to represent that the entire region of New England is nothing but deciduous and coniferous north of Lowell, Mass. The Lions are, well, lions.

Lions are obviously more comfortable in warmer climates on the savannah. There is no possible, feasible way for a lion to defeat an entire forest. Advantage, Dartmouth.

Pick: Dartmouth 20, Columbia 17

BROWN AT CORNELL

Yikes.

Before the 2017 season started, few people (if any) had this game circled on their calendars. These two teams were projected to be bottom-feeders, and so far they have somewhat lived up to that reputation.

Brown’s first half has been rough to say the least. The Bears are being outscored by over 13 points per game on average. One major factor in this scoring disparity was last week’s rout at the hands of Princeton: the Tigers dominated Brown, 53-0, and held the Bears to just 170 yards.

However, Brown did beat Rhode Island, 24-21. Rhode Island upset the Crimson, 17-10, in week one. So is Brown technically better than Harvard by the transitive property?

The answer is no. But Cornell actually beat the Crimson head-to-head, and the Big Red has looked like an improved team over the past two weeks. Cornell is one of four Ivy teams tied at 1-1 in league record.

If this game disappoints in terms of quality football, at least Ithaca has good bagels. I am a huge proponent of halftime press box spreads, but when Harvard visited Cornell, the local bagel shop blew the Cornell buffet of subs and chips out of the water.

Pick: Cornell 34, Brown 10

PRINCETON AT HARVARD

Dartmouth’s bout with Columbia may be the main event this weekend, but this game will surely be the most entertaining.