Crimson to Trip Tigers; Dartmouth, Yale to Win

Harvard traditionally has good football teams -- not great ones, mind you, but good enough to compile a 6-3 or 7-2 record. That way the alumni have no cause to grumble, and yet the Faculty cannot look suspiciously at athletic overemphasis.

Whatever the reasons, nobody (especially the rest of the Ivy League) really expects Harvard to go undefeated. Therefore all eyes will be on Princeton today, where the Crimson will try to make it seven in a row

Yale, virtually eliminated from the Ivy race after its 28-13 loss to Dartmouth last week, could easily be upset by Penn today. Dartmouth and Cornell, the two other title contenders, should coast over Columbia and Brown.

Harvard, 21-7

Princeton was the laughing stock of the League after barely defeating Rutgers and Columbia in its opening games and then losing to Dartmouth and Colgate. All the while Princeton's defense was tough (Colgate and Ron Burton could score only once), but the offense, without fullback Dave Martin and tailback Bob Weber, performed inconsistently.

As the season progressed, tailback Dick Bracken began to show a flair for running as well as passing, and with the return of Martin and Weber, the Tigers have begun to roll.

Princeton is one of those rare teams that still clings to the single-wing system, and it's sometimes difficult for a defense to reorient its thinking for the Tigers. Harvard, however, manages to contain Princeton better than any other Ivy team. In the last eight years Princeton has scored only nine touchdowns against Harvard.

Princeton should get its one touchdown, but the Harvard offense is simply too fast and should score two or three times. Harvard will win, about 21-7.

Yale, 24-20

It is very tempting to pick Penn over Yale today. Penn, with halfback Cabot Knowlton and possibly star end Rick Owens healthy, could seriously threaten Yale's strong defense. The Eli defense, however, is strongest up the middle, and Penn will have to stick to passing and wide runs.

One thing is certain, though. Penn's Bill Creeden and Yale's Pete Doherty will be going to the air frequently. The contest will probably be an air show, and Yale should end its two-game losing streak, say 24-20.

Dartmouth, 38-13

The other Ivy games should be runaways. Columbia's offensive backfield, consisting of three sophomores and a junior, may actually put some pressure on Dartmouth. Quarterback Marty Domres passed fomr 320 yards against Yale for a League record and also othrew for over 300 yards against Princeton.

So even if Domres throws a couple of touchdowns, who is going to stop Dartmouth's Mickey Beard, Gene Ryzewicz, and company? The Indians will march up and down the field, mostly on the ground, for five or six touchdowns and crush winless Columbia, 38-13.

Cornell, 41-7

The worst mismatch today, however, is the Cornell-Brown contest. Cornell's big, powerful linemen may be slow against teams like Harvard and Dartmouth, but against a weakling like Brown, it's sheer stampeding.

Cornell will win by about 41-7.

OVERALL RECORD: 16-2

LAST WEEK: 4-0