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With less than three weeks until the FCS Playoff Committee sets the field for the 24-team postseason tournament, the Harvard Crimson hopes to dominate the Columbia Lions in a game that could remind the playoff committee of the team’s early season blowouts.

In Wednesday’s preview of the top 10 seeds — the last such preview the committee will give until Selection Sunday — Harvard (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) was seeded ninth, which is just outside of the cutoff for a first round bye. The top eight seeds, currently filled with perennial FCS powerhouses, will secure a bye the week of Thanksgiving, something the Crimson will hope to receive considering it will have played ten consecutive weeks without a bye going into that first weekend.

Columbia (1-6, 0-4), on the other hand, is attempting to give their home crowd just their second victory of the season in their penultimate home game. With their only win coming over a weak nonconference opponent early in the year, a win over the top team in the Ivy League could help finish off the season on a more colorful note for the Lions.

There are many reasons that Harvard is sitting at its highest ever ranking in the media poll, but the most obvious might be the superb play of star quarterback Jaden Craig. The senior — who broke the Crimson’s all time touchdown passes record (43) in last week’s victory over Dartmouth — has been reliable in every game thus far. Utilizing a mix of precise throws, excellent field vision, and unrivaled leadership, Craig has pushed the offense to the next level, as they currently sit sixth nationally in scoring offense (41.4).

Just as impressive has been the play of Harvard’s defense, which leads the nation with just 11.5 points per game allowed. Led by captain Ty Bartrum, the unit has continued to produce big plays week after week, helping the team to win every game by at least three scores.

While the unit has managed to stay strong, various injuries — including a likely season-ending elbow injury to sophomore linebacker Dorsey Benefield — continue to throw wrenches into their gameplans and momentum. According to Bartrum, however, the team’s focus is on putting the best 11 men on the field as possible and keeping a ‘next man up’ mentality.

“Everyone’s trusting their jobs and then doing their jobs once their number is called,” said Bartrum. “If you have 11 guys doing their job every single play, you’ll have production like we do as a team, as a defense.”

With a schedule that puts the Crimson into action ten straight weeks between September and November, continuing to focus on the small details and prepare week by week is something the squad has emphasized throughout their success.

“You’re at a point in the season where you have a lot of cumulative reps, so you don’t necessarily have to get the physical part, it’s more of the mental part,” said Head Coach Andrew Aurich. “The coaches do a great job putting together a game plan and executing the practice, and then the players do an unbelievable job in the preparation and the work they put in during the week.”

Alongside the team’s success has also come setbacks in recent games, most notably against Princeton and Dartmouth. Against the Tigers, Harvard had to put together a last minute scoring drive to end the first half to regain the momentum it needed to stroll in the second half, and against the Big Green, the Crimson looked weak at the start of the second half before making adjustments and securing the home victory.

After last week’s matchup, Aurich recognized the team’s setbacks and praised their ability to recover and regain momentum late in the game.

“There was some adversity, and the guys were responding the right way, and we were able to take control of the game,” said Aurich. “It was all about figuring out what went wrong, getting it corrected, and going back out and executing. I was not surprised by that because that’s what they’ve been doing and that’s how these guys go about their business.”

With just three opportunities to prove themselves to the playoff committee and earn one of the coveted top eight seeds, all eyes in the Ivy League are on Harvard.

While the possibility of a playoff berth hovers over the team — along with the fact that all 32 NFL teams have sent scouts to watch Harvard perform — Aurich says the focus continues to be going 1-0 every week and controlling their own destiny in pursuit of a first round bye.

“I think the players understand the only way that is an opportunity is if they just continue to focus on one game at a time,” said Aurich. “My number one job is to make sure that our focus is fully on Columbia and making sure that when that game’s over Friday night that we’re 1-0.”

– Staff writer Connor Castañeda can be reached at connor.castaneda@thecrimson.com.