Penn football was picked as the fourth-best team in the 2018 Ivy League preseason poll.
Credit: Chase SuttonLast year, Penn football was looking for its third straight Ivy League championship despite losing record setting quarterback Alek Torgersen to graduation.
This season, the Quakers are barely projected to finish in the top half of the league.
The recently released 2018 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll slotted Penn as tied for the fourth-best team in the league along with Columbia.
Though Penn arguably has the most stout defense in the conference, coach Ray Priore and offensive coordinator John Reagan must find a way to replace the production from 2018 NFL Draft pick and wide receiver Justin Watson, while also picking a new starting quarterback.
The battle for the starting job is between junior Nick Robinson and sophomore Ryan Glover. Robinson leads the way in experience, as he posted solid numbers in relief of Will Fischer-Colbrie last season. However, Glover is a dynamic dual threat who could pair nicely with junior running backs Karekin Brooks and Abe Willows.
The poll projects returning champion Yale, along with Princeton, and Harvard to finish at the top of the league. Yale returns 2017 Rookie of the Year in running back Zane Dudek in addition to three starting offensive lineman. Princeton looks to replace all-Ivy quarterback Chad Kanoff with 2016 Ivy League Player of the Year John Lovett, who missed last season due to injury.
Though it is more than possible for Penn to outperform preseason expectations, the Quakers must do it without an all-time great wide receiver and question marks at the quarterback position.
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