Although both teams are coming off emotional victories, Brown will not be able to feed of the energy of a sell-out crowd as it did last week. I’m penciling in URI for the win.
Pick: URI 20, Brown 10.
CORNELL (0-2, 0-1 Ivy) at BUCKNELL (0-3, 0-0 Patriot)
The battle of the ’nells, at least one of which will earn its first, and perhaps only, win of the season. Who will it be?
Cornell, the least productive offense in the Ivies, has put up only 14 points in its two games and allowed 62. Bucknell, which led Dartmouth, 20-9, at the half before allowing 34 unanswered points, has at least been competitive in each game. I’ll give the edge to the home team.
Pick: Bucknell 17, Cornell 7.
DARTMOUTH (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) at PENN (1-1, 0-0 Ivy)
When I saw the Big Green’s record, I asked out loud, “When did Dartmouth get good?” But after a little research, I found out they beat down Sucknell and barely survived Sacred Fart. I’m not impressed.
The Quakers, on the other hand, have beaten Lafayette and, last week, took No. 1 Villanova down to the wire before falling, 22-10. Penn is knocking at the doorstep of the Top-25 and should climb into the rankings next week after it takes care of the Big Green.
Pick: Penn 24, Dartmouth 10.
PRINCETON (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) at COLUMBIA (1-1, 0-0 Ivy)
In the animal kingdom, I’m inclined to believe that a lion would beat a tiger, but not on the gridiron.
Columbia beat a not-very-talented Towson team last week after falling to Fordham in the opener. The Lions, which sit in the middle of the league in almost every statistical category, are remarkably average.
Princeton could very well be 0-2. Last week, it took the Tigers two overtimes to dispose of Lafayette and escape with a 36-33 win. But Princeton has the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver combo in the league with junior passer Tommy Wornham and senior wide out Trey Peacock. I expect the duo will carve up the Columbia defense and lead the Tigers to victory.
Pick: Princeton 28, Columbia 17.
HARVARD (1-1, 0-1 Ivy) at LAFAYETTE (0-3, 0-1 Patriot)
Last year, the Leopards destroyed the Crimson, 35-18, in Harvard’s most lopsided loss. This year, Lafayette finds itself in dire circumstances; another defeat and the season might spiral out of control. Already, the Leopards lost 19-14 to a very good Penn team and 36-33 (2 OT) to Princeton, so this game will provide a good barometer for the Crimson’s position in the Ivy League hierarchy.
Harvard needs this game to recover some of its swagger. The game has no direct bearing on the Ivy League race, but it could determine the direction of the team for the rest of the Crimson’s season. Harvard has won eight of the last nine meetings, so I’m giving them a slim edge.
Pick: Harvard 14, Lafayette 10.
—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.