It’s apparent that coach Tim Murphy has built up quite the powerhouse in his 17 years with the program.

And the word coming out of preseason camp is that this season is going to be no different.

Harvard’s once again picked by the media to finish atop the league, and players and coaches are confident that even with the graduation of key players and another new quarterback—senior Andrew Hatch—under center, the championship trophy will be back in Cambridge come November.

But the Crimson’s sustained excellence in both its conference and division isn’t the only reason I love being around Harvard football.

Because we have the unique experience of being at a school that attracts not only great athletes but values education above all else, every player and coach I’ve interacted with here has been intelligent, articulate, and talented—and most have a great story to boot.

I’m back for my second year on the football beat starting on Saturday night, and hopefully by the end of it I’ll finally be able to talk authoritatively about schemes and strategy with my co-writers who’ve grown up watching NFL Countdown since kindergarten.

Some things may never change—I’m always going to be able to rattle off Red Sox stats more readily than the Patriots’ starting lineup, and I’m still going to consider watching an episode of Friday Night Lights a more-than-adequate substitute for watching Monday Night Football.

But at least I know that I’ll graduate in May with not only an excellent academic education, but an excellent football one as well.

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.