No Place Like Home

This is a team that will go places.

Call them the L.A. Raiders of the Ivy League, the only team that travels to its home games. Because while Columbia renovated Baker field, the closest thing the Lions will have to actual home turf will be the hard green carpet of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Columbia students will have to leave the state to see their own Homecoming.

Even East Rutherford isn't theirs for keeps: they'll be booted to Hofstra Stadium for their October 22 showdown with Bucknell.

The first stop on the Lion's 10-game road trip of a season is Saturday at the Stadium, where hospitality has traditionally been scarce. The Harvard football team is 92-15-2 in season openers, Crimson Coach Joe Restic is 11-1 against the Lions, and Harvard has won four straight in the series.

But traditionally defenseless Columbia will be no pushover this time, even if it still is defenselsss. Led by John Witkowski, the best college quarterback you're likely to see, and two All-American receivers. Bill Reggio and Don Lewis, the Lions put points on the scoreboard faster than the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Harvard defense should be sound. Five starters return from last year's best defense in the league, and there should be abundant talent and experience to fill in for the other six. But the Crimson suffered a mysterious 7-3 death in last week's scrimmage with Maine at the Stadium, and the Harvard pass defense was a prime suspect. The pass rush may have better success against the Columbia offensive line.

Even if the Harvard defense plays heroically, the offense will need some points who'll provide them? Restic only knows.

With nine quarterbacks in contention and the top four or five still neck and neck, Restic decided to wait until today to saddle one of them with the dubious honor of going head-to-head with Witkowski.

Whoever he is, he'll have the benefit of a less-than-prestigious defense to attack. Five starters return from the defense that yielded astronomical 39 points per game last year. The new faces aren't more promising.

In the end, it'll be the team without a quarterback over the team without a stadium. HARVARD 63, COLUMBIA 56-Witkowski will throw 623 yards for 8 touchdowns. Reggio and Lewis will set NCAA receiving records. Harvard will play all nine quarterbacks and each will score a touchdown.

DARTMOUTH 16, PRINCETON 3-Brooke Shields will miss the trip because she can't fit into her Calvins. The Tigers will see only Dartmouth women in the stands. There will be no virgin wool.

BROWN 31, YALE 7-Yale tailback Paul Andrie, the Ivies' leading rusher last year, broke his arm in preseason practice. Brown quarterback Joe Potter will rip the Eli secondary to shreds. This will be the first of many Ivy upsets this year.

PENN 23, CORNELL 21-Cornell knocked off Penn, 23-0 in the final game of last season. The loss cost Penn an outright Ivy championship. The Quakers will remember, jump out to a 20-0 lead, then cool off. Cornell will take a 21-20 lead in the closing minutes, then watch Penn march down the field for a desperation field goal. It will miss, but there will be yellow handkerchiefs on the field.