With Nothing to Lose, Something to Win

Today's game means nothing. Bucknell could clobber the Crimson. The Crimson could clobber Bucknell. The teams could fight to a 0-0 tie.

But Bucknell's 1-1 Colonial League record will not change. And Harvard's 1-0 Ivy League record will not change. Both teams will be as close or as far from a league title as they were a week ago.

Win, lose or draw today, both teams will stand still.

Next week, Harvard will resume its Ivy League schedule. The fight for the league title will be on again. Next week, Harvard will play Cornell in a game that matters.

Next week, Bucknell will resume its Colonial League schedule. The fight for the league title will be on again. Next week, Bucknell will play Lafayette in a game that matters.

Today's game means nothing. One team could throw 10 touchdown passes. The other could rush for over 500 yards.

One team could kick 40 field goals. The other could record 40 sacks.

The college record books would duly note the achievements. But not the Colonial records books. Or the Ivy record books. Great achievements may take place on the field today, but nothing will change in either of those league books. Next week, maybe. Today, no.

Today's game means nothing. Or, almost nothing. There are hidden reasons for everything. Even out-of-league games.

Consider the following:

Competition: Bucknell versus Columbia? Which team do you bet on? Northeastern versus Dartmouth? Colgate versus Cornell? Which team are you going to put $10 on?

Let's face it, the Colonial League not only has bigger teams, but better ones. By playing Bucknell, Harvard competes against a better team than it is used to facing.

Playing a better team makes you better. A simple football law.

Confidence: Last Saturday, Harvard was a four-point underdog to Northeastern. But the Crimson pounded the Huskies, 27-24. Take that, Colonial League.

An upset does wonders for the ego. Another football law.

Testing Ground:A loss does not count in the league standings, so an out-of-league game provides an excellent testing ground for new plays and new players. Got an end-around you want to try? Give it a go against Bucknell. If it works, you can spring it on Princeton or Penn later in the season. If it fails, you can forget about it.

Got a young cornerback who may be great? Send him out in the second quarter of the Northeastern game. See if he can stick to his receiver. If he can, you know you can count on him against Yale. If he can't, he still will have a great seat for The Game--on the bench.

Loser's Last Laugh: By participating in out-of-league games, Ivy League players get a chance to prove they are not only smart. There are some bruising scholars out there.

By beating or even doing well against an out-of-league opponent, Ivy players prove they're not in a league of losers.

Prognostication:The Crimson's 35-0 victory over Columbia three weeks ago proved one thing: Columbia is still bad. Very bad. It revealed nothing about how good or bad the Crimson is.

Last year, remember, Harvard bounced Columbia, 34-0, and finished with a disappointing 3-7 record in the league. The Columbia victory did not foreshadow a great season for the Crimson.

But last week's victory over Northeastern might have. Harvard proved it could battle a good team. Even beat a good team. Look out, Ivy League.

It Doesn't Matter: Bucknell could clobber Harvard. Harvard could clobber Bucknell.

If you get clobbered, you can just forget about it. You still have the same league record. You still are in the hunt for the league crown.