THE COMMISH: League Parity Doesn't Really Exist

PRINCETON, N.J.—I have to admit, I was duped. I thought this time it was really going to be different. I believed the hype and the press.

When everyone said that this year was going to produce a more balanced Ivy League, I bought it. When Harvard coach Tim Murphy praised the improvements of Brown, then Cornell and then Princeton, I thought that just maybe he might have a point. When our very own Michael R. James predicted a Yale upset over Penn this weekend in his “Around the Ivy League,” I nodded my head in tacit affirmation. After all, when was the last time King James led us astray? Check that, bad point.

But you know how the adage goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool me five times, and well, they may take my column away.

For all the talk that this year was supposed to diverge from Ivy normalcy, here we are, six weeks deep into the season and—shockingly—nothing has changed. Princeton and Yale have already begun their annual late-season swoon, and Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth never really stood a chance in the first place.

So who’s left? After the Crimson’s 39-14 dismantling of the Tigers, and the Quakers’ 17-7 triumph in the always-inviting dump that is New Haven, Harvard and Penn remain the league’s sole undefeated teams and will go through the final month of the season as the sole contenders for an Ivy championship—again.

Sure, something weird could happen. The Crimson could fall on its face against Dartmouth and Columbia, as it did last year without Ryan Fitzpatrick. Or the Quakers could drop one to Brown or the Tigers.

But in case you haven’t noticed, Fitzpatrick and the rest of Harvard’s weapons are healthy, and despite what our good friend Mr. James may tell us in the coming weeks, Penn’s run of 17 straight Ivy victories is not going to end at the hands of the Bears or at Princeton.

This brings us to Nov. 13 in Philadelphia, where the title will once again be decided between the two perennial Ivy powerhouses. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Last year, the Crimson battled an undefeated Quakers squad in Cambridge, desperately trying to keep its hopes of a piece of the Ivy title alive. But Harvard fell six yards short of the endzone as time expired, losing 32-24.

Two years ago, Harvard’s fate was even worse. Heading into the annual showdown, both squads were perfect in the Ivy League. But with the crew from ESPN College Gameday in attendance, the Crimson got destroyed by Penn 44-9 as the Quakers went on to a perfect season.

The only recent fond memory for Harvard goes back to 2001 when the Crimson squeaked out a 28-21 victory at Harvard Stadium and went on to complete an undefeated season of its own.

Harvard and Penn have collectively reigned over the Ivies for the past four years and this year isn’t shaping up to be any different.

But despite the obvious two-tiered system that continues to prevail in the league, Murphy continues to try to convince us of the balance of the Ivy League. Even after the Crimson’s thrashing of the Tigers, he insisted that equality exists.

“I think the bottom line,” said Murphy following his team’s 25-point victory, “is that our kids and our coaches know that there is so much parity in this league.”

All right, coach, you may have been able to fool us before, but not this time. From here on out—once again—it’s the Harvard-Penn show.

And if I just keep on telling myself that, my column should be safe.

—Staff writer David H. Stearns can be reached at stearns@fas.harvard.edu.