Prediction: Harvard 42 - Brown 17
YALE AT CORNELL
This game. What a matchup! As per usual, Yale finished behind the Crimson last season. I wonder what that’s like, always coming in second. At some point I should talk to my older sister about that. Yikes.
And Cornell! What a season last year! After losing their first eight games, they didn’t let it get to them! They came out strong against Ivy League powerhouse Columbia and put on a show! That 3-0 win was riveting.
Prediction: Yale 24 - Cornell 7
PRINCETON AT LEHIGH
Mediocrity. That’s what defines this year’s Princeton squad. Ranked in the middle of the pack in the Ivy League after a [insert adjective here] 2015 campaign. But it is 1-0 after eking out a victory against a Lafayette team it demolished last year. So while Tiger fans should be able to rest easy knowing their team beat Lehigh 52-26 last season, think again! Also, Lehigh beat Penn last week, and those Quakers are supposed to be the Crimson’s biggest challenge this season.
Prediction: Lehigh 35 - Princeton 24
PENN AT FORDHAM
So this game is actually interesting for Harvard fans. Not that it matters. Non-conference games are pretty dumb. But Penn lost last week to Lehigh, so the Crimson’s biggest opponent this season might end up being themselves. We’ll see if Penn can beat Fordham. The Quakers are supposed to be pretty good, but what does that mean anyway?
Prediction: Penn 31 - Fordham 16
DARTMOUTH AT HOLY CROSS
Picture this: a team is down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. After a miraculous series of drives, the team pulls out a one-point victory. One of those teams is Dartmouth.
Sounds kind of like the 2015 Harvard-Dartmouth contest, right? But that was actually the Big Green’s game last week in which they barely beat New Hampshire. Pretty interesting circle there, I guess. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to write about anymore. I really hate thinking about the Ivy League.
Prediction: Dartmouth 30 - Holy Cross 14
COLUMBIA AT GEORGETOWN
Columbia is bad. Like, my grandmother’s desserts bad. For reference, my grandma likes to throw together basically anything she finds in her house and call it a dessert (lemon drywall was a family favorite).
Luckily for the Lions, Georgetown is also bad. Last season, the Hoyas took down mighty Columbia in a thrilling 24-16 win, but don’t sleep on the Lions this year. According to a preseason media pool, the team ranks at a whopping seventh among the Ancient Eight! I guess the only place you can go is up when you’re at the bottom.
Prediction: Columbia 16 - Georgetown 14
—Staff writer W. Gant Player can be reached at wadeplayer@college.harvard.edu.