Ivy League Championship Week 6

Columbia Lions

Columbia holds a 2-3 record ahead of week six.  The Lions got an opening week win over St. Francis (PA) 31-14.  Columbia lost their Ivy League conference opener to Princeton but defeated Penn last week.  The Lions won by a final score of 44-6.  Josh Bean leads the offense with 534 passing yards and three touchdowns.  Bean is completing 57 percent of his passes thus far this season.  The Lions are led defensively by Ben Mathiasmeier and Michael Murphy.  Mathiasmeier leads the defense with 34 tackles, while Murphy is second on the team with 29. 

Columbia has only won one Ivy League Football Championship.  It came back in 1961.  The path to win their second tiles is a rough one.  The Lions have Dartmouth, Yale, and Harvard left on the schedule.  This stretch of the season is crucial for Columbia.  If the Lions can go 2-1, the schedule is favorable at the end with Brown and Cornell looming.  Assuming you go 4-1 over your next five games, the Lions will finish 6-4.  If Columbia goes 2-3 in their last five it leaves the Lions at 4-6.  These next three games can be the difference in a winning or losing season.

Cornell Big Red

Cornell has struggled the first five weeks of 2019.  The Big Red have managed just one win in their first five games.  The lone win came in week one against Marist.  Cornell defeated the Red Foxes 21-7.  The Big Red have proceeded to lose to non-conference opponents Georgetown and Colgate. Cornell lost to Yale and Harvard inside conference play.  The Big Red are desperate to sway the momentum of this season back into the positive.  The Cornell offense is led by quarterback Richie Kenney.  Kenny has thrown for 755 yards and five touchdowns.  Jelani Taylor anchors the defense with a team leading 33 total tackles. 

The football team has won three Ivy League championships in their history.  The last time Cornell tasted a championship came in 1990.  While Cornell is along shot to win the Ivy League, the quest not to finish last is very much in play.  The Big Red have Brown, Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, and Columbia remaining on their schedule.  If Cornell plays their best brand of football, maybe they go 3-2 over their last five games.  Worst case, they could go 2-3 or 1-4.  The final five weeks will determine where Cornell will finish in the standings and if they can achieve a winning record.

Brown Bears

Brown, like Cornell, picked up a victory in week one, but have lost their next four games.  The Bears defeated Bryant in week one 35-30.  Brown lost to non-conference foes Rhode Island and Holy Cross.  The Bears have lost to conference opponents Harvard and Princeton.  Brown is coming off back-to-back winless seasons in Ivy League play.  The Bears hope to break a 16 game losing streak to conference opponents over the next five games.  Quarterback EJ Perry leads the Brown offense with 1,298 passing yards and 10 touchdowns.  Brendan Pyne heads up the defense, leading the Bears, in total tackles with 28. 

Brown has won the most Ivy League Championships between these three teams.  The Bears have won four titles, with the last triumph coming in 2008.  Brown has conference games against Cornell, Penn, Yale, Columbia, and Dartmouth remaining.  As previously stated, the head-to-head matchups between these three teams will decide how the season ends.  Add in a win for Brown against Penn and that gives the Bears three for the season.  A season to hang your hat on after going 0-14, in conference play, the last 2 years.  At worst, the Bears only win one or two of their remaining games.  Even in this scenario, Brown would climb out of the cellar.

Conclusion

All three of these teams look to be out of contention for the Ivy League Championship.  They still have goals to play for over the next five weeks.  Wins can carry them to a fourth or fifth place finish in the standings.  If they can steal wins against the top tier of the league, the season will be more successful.  Cornell and Brown seem to have the favorable remaining schedules, but I would not put anything passed Columbia.  In the end, best case scenario, these three teams finish 4^th-6^th in the conference.  If things do not break their way, I would not be surprised if they finish 5^th-7^th.  These next five weeks ought to be fun to follow as the underdogs hope to make some noise before season’s end.

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