Ivy League May Not Play Out Of Conference in Fall 2021

[DFW HOYA]

At some point, the Ivy League just needs to schedule among itself. Seven game season, no non-conference games.

Outside of Holy Cross and one or two PL schools, few will miss them.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/2/26/McDermott-outlines-fall-2021/

[bonarae]

One step closer to NESCAC-style play in Division I? No, thank you, I'll move on to ETSU and the Tommies.

[NY Crusader 2010]

One step closer to NESCAC-style play in Division I? No, thank you, I'll move on to ETSU and the Tommies.

This model is what many conferences are doing this winter and spring, not to mention last fall at the P5 level. I think the Ivy League just isn't yet in the place where it's willing to throw caution to the wind this coming fall when it comes to COVID. The Ivy League isn't going to nix non-conference football games as a permanent move. Too much history and local rivalries. Don't expect to see Georgetown on the schedules though....

[Baron Sardonicus]

I'll move on to ETSU and the Tommies.

Wait, you added a PFL team to your fan portfolio, and it's not San Diego?!?

[KPSUL]

You might be reading too much into this article. I believe it essentially says that a Fall season is very likely, but what it will actually look like is still to be determined. While some OOC games could be cancelled it will be due to relevant Covid factors, primarily proximity and the extent of pandemic mitigation being practiced. I'd expect that the Dartmouth game at UNH will be played as scheduled.

But Harvard has never been short of rationalizations for not playing UNH over the past two decades - the FCS program within the shortest driving time from Cambridge. They didn't need a pandemic as the reason for not scheduling UNH or any other winning FCS program outside the Ivy League.

[NY Crusader 2010]

The last time Harvard scheduled a truly challenging game out of conference, and outside the Patriot or Pioneer, was when they played a series against Northeastern in the early 2000's. Obviously, they faced some decent San Diego and URI teams more recently but those teams weren't projected to be as good as they were when scheduled. Harvard played a 4-game series against URI, winning the first 2 games by about 6 touchdowns each. Then the Rams improved and upset the Johnnies in the final two games of the series. Harvard has played USD a bunch of times over the past 15 years, but never lost until 2019. Of course, Harvard has also played some pretty strong Holy Cross and Lehigh squads over the past 2 decades as well.

[Go Green]

the FCS program within the shortest driving time from Cambridge. .

Pretty sure Worcester (Holy Cross) is closer. North Andover (Merrimack) definitely is.

That said, I do agree that it's a shame that Harvard has been ducking UNH for far too long. Although both programs have slipped a bit, there were years when Harvard-UNH would have been a heck of a game.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Does UNH have any interest in playing Harvard? That's the other side of the coin.

In an 11-game year, the 8-game slate leaves just 3 non-conference slots, one of which is an FBS game and the other of which is typically Dartmouth. So they really have just one other game open, which of late has been against Holy Cross. So I'm fine with that! Let Harvard play San Diego, although the Johnnies will probably pump the brakes on that series now that USD is actually a very good FCS team, not just merely the best Pioneer League team.

[Go Green]

The last time Harvard scheduled a truly challenging game out of conference, and outside the Patriot or Pioneer, was when they played a series against Northeastern in the early 2000's. Obviously, they faced some decent San Diego and URI teams more recently but those teams weren't projected to be as good as they were when scheduled. Harvard played a 4-game series against URI, winning the first 2 games by about 6 touchdowns each. Then the Rams improved and upset the Johnnies in the final two games of the series. Harvard has played USD a bunch of times over the past 15 years, but never lost until 2019. Of course, Harvard has also played some pretty strong Holy Cross and Lehigh squads over the past 2 decades as well.

I know that they had some good teams with Don Brown, but Northeastern isn't a program that comes to my mind as a challenging opponent. But YMMV....

Harvard did play Army in 1991, losing by a point.

[KPSUL]

Merrimack? I don't think they have played a game yet as a full member of Division 1, FCS.

[Sitting Bull]

I know that they had some good teams with Don Brown, but Northeastern isn't a program that comes to my mind as a challenging opponent. But YMMV....

Harvard did play Army in 1991, losing by a point.

Northeastern went 10-3 in 2002 which included the A10 championship (today’s CAA) and a 31-0 shutout of FBS Ohio U.

The point is valid that between 2001 and 2003, Northeastern was in the upper tier of FCS.

[Go Green]

Northeastern went 10-3 in 2002 which included the A10 championship (today’s CAA) and a 31-0 shutout of FBS Ohio U.

The point is valid that between 2001 and 2003, Northeastern was in the upper tier of FCS.

In 2019, Dartmouth blew out all of its nonconference opponents. Coach Teevens was asked why he had scheduled a bunch of cupcakes. He protested that one of the games was against Colgate. He said that Colgate had been a strong program throughout the decade and it wasn't his fault that we happened to catch them on a down year...

That's pretty much the mirror image of Harvard's scheduling Northeastern in the early 2000s. I think intent at the time of scheduling matters.

[Sitting Bull]

In 2019, Dartmouth blew out all of its nonconference opponents. Coach Teevens was asked why he had scheduled a bunch of cupcakes. He protested that one of the games was against Colgate. He said that Colgate had been a strong program throughout the decade and it wasn't his fault that we happened to catch them on a down year...

That's pretty much the mirror image of Harvard's scheduling Northeastern in the early 2000s. I think intent at the time of scheduling matters.

Could be, no way of knowing that for sure. All I know is that NU was a competitive member of the A10/CAA until their last few years. Anytime W&M played them, I never viewed them as a cupcake.

I wish W&M would get Harvard back on schedule.

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In 2019, Dartmouth blew out all of its nonconference opponents. Coach Teevens was asked why he had scheduled a bunch of cupcakes. He protested that one of the games was against Colgate. He said that Colgate had been a strong program throughout the decade and it wasn't his fault that we happened to catch them on a down year...

That's pretty much the mirror image of Harvard's scheduling Northeastern in the early 2000s. I think intent at the time of scheduling matters.

Could be, no way of knowing that for sure. All I know is that NU was a competitive member of the A10/CAA until their last few years. Anytime W&M played them, I never viewed them as a cupcake.

I wish W&M would get Harvard back on schedule.