After No. 2 Alabama soundly defeated No. 1 Notre Dame, 42-14, in the BCS title game last night, few football analysts would object to the claim that the Crimson Tide is the best college team in the nation.
But Harvard football players may validly argue that, on paper, they could hang with Katherine Webb's boyfriend and the Toast of Tuscaloosa. How could a second-place Ivy League team in the FCS beat the best of the BCS, you ask? Well, with the help of more than a few key upsets and sixteen degrees of separation, Harvard does just that.
Here's how:
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The Harvard men’s hockey team might not be doing so hot, currently riding a six game winless streak, but things are looking up, or at least they are for senior Danny Biega. The defenseman was nominated for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award, which annually recognizes the top collegiate player in the country. You can see the full list of nominees and vote for your favorite here.
The senior has been a formidable part of Harvard’s back line throughout his tenure at Harvard. Biega, a two-time first team All-Ivy selection, recorded back-to-back 30+ point seasons his sophomore and junior years, the first Harvard defenseman to do so in over two decades.
Biega has dished out four assists so far this season, including two in the Crimson’s 5-0 routing of Bentley, but has yet to find the back of the net.
Biega is one of 14 ECAC players and 10 defensemen nominated for the award. Candidates must also exemplify strength of character and integrity, both characteristics of the late Hobey Baker. Widely considered the greatest amateur athlete of the early 20th century, Baker was part of national championship squads in both football and hockey while at Princeton. He is the only person to be inducted into both the Hockey and College Football Halls of Fame.
While most of the voting is left to hockey head coaches, fans have the chance to have a say in this year’s winner through an online selection process. After the first round of fan voting ends, a semifinal list of the top ten candidates will be announced March 21. These nominees will be whittled down to three April 3, with the final recipient announced on April 12. Fans can vote online in the first two rounds of selection.
With the men’s ice hockey team skating on thin ice in recent matchups, the women’s team continues to dominate on the national level with a staggering 11-1-1 overall record. The Crimson has yet to fall to a conference opponent, going 9-0-0 in the ECAC.
Three Harvard standouts have been critical to the team’s success, and have found their way into the national rankings as a result. Co-captain goaltender Laura Bellamy leads the country in goals against average, having allowed a total of four goals against this season. The senior also ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in save percentage (.967).
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When the Harvard men’s hockey team faces off with No. 8 Boston University on Wednesday night at Agganis Arena, not just a win, but also bragging rights, will be at stake for a pair of brothers. Sophomore forward Tommy O’Regan, who plays for the Crimson, and freshman forward Danny O’Regan, a member of the Terriers, will face off at the collegiate level for the first time.
Both O’Regan brothers, who were teammates at St. Sebastian’s School just a half hour’s drive from Cambridge, have played important roles on their respective college squads.
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Home team knocked out of the playoffs? Still reeling from Fitzpatrick’s fourth place AFC East finish? The Back Page has you covered on who to root for, given a Harvard allegiance.
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