Long road ahead to top of Ivy hill

While the Ivy League preseason media poll has Penn picked to finish the season in first place -- which would be its fourth title in six years -- the Quakers will not be able to breeze through the competition. Here's a look at how the rest of the opponents stack up.

Harvard

Penn might be picked to finish atop the standings, but it is the Crimson which enters the season ranked No. 19 in the Sports Network media poll.

After finishing last season undefeated -- including a 31-10 drubbing of Penn at Franklin Field -- Harvard lost its quarterback and Ivy League Player of the Year Ryan Fitzpatrick to graduation.

But Harvard found a replacement for Fitzpatrick in Richard Irvin, a transfer from Tulane.

Also, the Crimson still return 15 starters, including first-team All-American tailback Clifton Dawson. Dawson led the Ivy League in rushing last season, en route to setting Harvard's single-season record for rushing and scoring.

Last year, the Ontario native was one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in Division I-AA, and is a strong candidate to receive the award this season.

Harvard also returns six starters on defense, with senior captain Erik Grimm anchoring the defensive line, a unit that held its last six opponents to 14 points or fewer last season.

All eyes could be on the Nov. 12 Penn-Harvard matchup in Boston.

Brown

The team that has the best chance at challenging Harvard and Penn for the top spot is Brown. Coach Phil Estes returns nine All-Ivy players and 18 overall starters to a squad that lost to the Crimson and the Quakers by a combined five points last year.

Senior All-American running back Nick Hartigan is back, looking to eclipse his own team records he set last year for points and touchdowns in a season.

Twice a first-team All-Ivy player, he needs only 500 more yards to be Brown's all-time leading rusher.

But Brown's offense does not stop with Hartigan. The Bears return a potent pair of receivers in senior Jarrett Schreck and junior Lonnie Hill. Schreck, a first-team All-Ivy honoree, led the league in receiving yards last year.

The Bears defense is also loaded, led by All-American linebacker Zak DeOssie. Along with defensive end James Frazier, the Brown defense ranked second in the Ivy League last year.

What remains in question is who will be throwing the ball to the talented receiving corps. Juniors Anthony Vita and Joe DiGiacomo split time under center for the Bears last season.

Yale

The Elis were picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League preseason media poll, but they are going to need to rebuild after losing three starters at skill positions.

At quarterback, Yale must make up for the loss of Alvin Cowan, who set the Ivy single-season record for total offense in 2003. But senior QB Jeff Mroz is no stranger to the Yale offense. Although he sat out all of last fall with an injury, Mroz recorded 1,757 yards and 15 touchdowns in nine starts as a freshman.

The Elis will find it harder to replace tailback Robert Carr and wide receiver Ralph Plumb, both of whom were pivotal in the Elis' offensive scheme last year. Senior Chandler Henley, who led the Elis in receptions last year, is expected to be Mroz's go-to guy.

Cornell

The Big Red was the dark horse of last year's Ivy League season, finishing third despite being picked to finish last in the preseason poll.

Head coach Jim Knowles, now in his second year, will look to capitalize on his pair of senior halfbacks, Andre Hardaway and Josh Johnston. The rest of the offense remains intact as well, with senior QB Ryan Kuhn returning along with All-Ivy receiver Brian Romney. The Big Red also boasts one of Division I-AA's top NFL prospects in offensive tackle Kevin Boothe.

In order to seriously challenge the likes of Harvard, Brown and Penn, the Big Red must improve defensively. Senior linebacker Kevin Rex and safety Joel Sussman are former All-Ivy players who will look to mitigate the loss of several starters to graduation.

Princeton

Calling the Tigers offense a work in progress this season would be an understatement.

Princeton's top returning rusher, versatile senior Greg Fields, is also its leading receiver. Its second-leading receiver, Jay McCareins, is also a defensive back. Among the four players battling for the quarterback job, one of them, sophomore Bill Foran, caught more passes last year (five) than he threw (zero).

Nevertheless, the Tigers will look to improve on their .500 record with senior leadership on defense. But Princeton still must learn to score better. The Tigers did not score more than 20 points in any of their four Ivy League losses last season.

Dartmouth

Buddy Teevens returns to his alma mater after coaching Stanford and inherits a program that finished 1-9 last year but showed dramatic signs of improvement late in the season.

In its final five weeks, the Big Green allowed just four touchdowns and just over 300 yards. This stellar defensive effort reached a climax with Dartmouth's only win of the season, a 20-7 victory over Brown.

Seven starters are back on that defense, but only two return on offense. A bright spot is running back Chad Gaudet, who had two 100-yard games last year in five contests. Quarterback Charlie Rittgers is expected to start, but must reduce his 14 interceptions thrown last year.

Columbia

Once again it is the defense that is the bright spot for the fans in Morningside Heights. Seven starters return, including a strong secondary led by cornerback Prosper Nwokocha and safeties Keenan Shaw and Tad Crawford. But the Lions were unable to survive on defense last season, and this year their offense looks even more anemic. Senior Brandon Bowser is the only returning skill player, and the offensive line returns only one starter and no seniors.

The good news is that the Lions get the league's top four teams in New York.

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