Space Jam Set For Penn, Harvard

If there’s anyone who can relate to the Harvard football team right now, it’s Bugs Bunny.

Just as he thought he was all set for an easy victory in a basketball game against some annoying pint-sized aliens, it appeared that the Crimson was poised to snatch its 14th Ivy League championship, after it was picked first by the media in the preseason poll earlier this year.

But both the Crimson and the Tune Squad soon realized their opponents were much tougher than expected. The same way a magic basketball turned the aliens into an NBA-caliber lineup, a number of impressive victories have revealed the Quakers to be one of the top FCS teams in the country.

An injury-plagued Harvard has turned to drastic measures, starting three different quarterbacks this season and even making one of its linebackers into a punter.

Like the Looney Tunes, Harvard will have to break out its “Secret Stuff” if it expects to leave Penn with a victory tomorrow.

PRINCETON (1-7, 0-5 Ivy) at YALE (6-2, 4-1)

The Tigers have been overwhelmed by all but the most docile of opponents, with their lone victory coming in double overtime against a Lafayette team that looked more like kittens than Leopards. Allowing Penn to hit the half-century mark with 52 points? It’s as if every time the league starts to forget about Princeton, the Tigers find a way to remind everyone just how bad they are.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have been making a different kind of noise. By beating Brown and only losing to the Quakers by seven, Yale has proved itself to be one of the best teams in the league.

PREDICTION: Yale 28, Princeton 7.

CORNELL (2-6, 1-4) at COLUMBIA (3-5, 1-4)

If the Lions are feeling a little depressed after multiple disappointing Ivy losses, a contest against the Big Red seems to offer the perfect cure: an easy home victory against a local-area opponent.

Same state and same record? Yes. Same kind of team? Not even close.

The city slickers barely lost to Yale, while their upstate counterparts barely beat Princeton.

When people tell you they’re going to New York, do they mean they’re headed for the middle of nowhere or one of the most famous cities in the world?

The winner’s spoils will head the same way.

PREDICTION: Columbia 21, Cornell 10.

BROWN (4-4, 3-2) at DARTMOUTH (5-3, 2-3)

After blowing out Harvard, Brown seemed poised to make a run for the title. Instead, the Bears lost All-Ivy quarterback Kyle Newhall-Cabellero to injury and eliminated themselves from contention.

Meanwhile, the Big Green has been surprisingly competitive in league play. Dartmouth lost to Yale by a three-point margin and held Penn to a seven-point game.

While both teams have fallen out of title contention, the Big Green can secure its first winning record in 13 years with a win this weekend.

At this point in the season, the Big Green has more momentum and more motivation than the Bears do.

PREDICTION: Dartmouth 24, Brown 21.

HARVARD (6-2, 4-1) at PENN (7-1, 5-0)

Because the Crimson and the Quakers both boast such strong defenses, this game could rest on the feet of the two kickers: Harvard freshman David Mothander and Penn senior Andrew Samson. Mothander took a step back last weekend in a windy game against Columbia—making only one of three field goal attempts—but his numbers are still better than his Quaker counterpart.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the rookie rallies from a subpar game last weekend and nails the kicks that really count.

PREDICTION: Harvard 17, Penn 14.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmclin@fas.harvard.edu.