Patriot Games

Tomorrow afternoon at Soldiers Field the Harvard football team takes on Fordham.

Excited?

Going to the game?

Unless you happen to play on the team, you probably answered both questions with an emphatic "no."

Can anyone blame students for not turning out; it's FORDHAM, for goodness sake.

Fordham, fresh off a 34-14 shellacking at the hands of Dartmouth.

Fordham--the name just inspires fear. Say it, "Fordham...Foorrdham." Scary, huh?

Fordham, a team from the all-powerful Patriot League.

The Ivy League went a combined 5-1 against Patriot League teams last weekend, outscoring them 148-73. That number represents one heck of a collective ass-whuppin'.

Harvard demolished Colgate--a card-carrying member of the Patriot League--while establishing a new school record by pounding out 572 yards of total offense.

Certainly, I don't intend to diminish the accomplishments of the Crimson. The team appears talented enough to finish the year atop the Ancient Eight.

However, neither Colgate nor any other Patriot League opponent can be the measuring stick of Harvard's success.

All of which leads to the question: why are we playing patsies from the Patriot League?

The most common response is that since neither coalition of schools give athletic scholarships, the Ivy League and Patriot League are the perfect match.

In theory, I agree.

However, last weekend's results indicate that the two leagues are clearly light years apart. The Crimson probably had a tougher time in yesterday's practice than they had last Saturday, when they disemboweled Colgate.

And while it may be argued that victories over. Patriot League teams will build confidence going into the heart of the Ivy season, these easy wins will more likely lead to a false sense of security.

And most importantly, consider the fans.

How can Ivy League administrators--those who agreed to play patriot league teams--expect students to get excited about these games?

The 'Big Game' in the Harvard men's basketball season is against Penn, the perennial Ivy power and sometimes nationally-ranked squad which just last season graduated a player--Jerome Allen--to the NBA.

Even though everyone in the building expected to see the Quakers romp by 30, Briggs Cage was filled to capacity.

In short, the Harvard football program should commit to a more rigorous schedule.

Aside from The Game, which is played at Soldiers Field once every two years, the Crimson simply don't play in any "Big Games."

By playing schools with quality programs (like Boston University or the University of New Hampshire), the football team might finally generate some fan interest.

Indeed, with BU only a few miles away and with many UNH alum in the area, the Crimson might finally play before a full house, creating an exciting, playoff-type atmosphere in the Ivy League.

And a win over some quality competition would do far more for the Harvard football program than would a cake-walk against Colgate, Fordham or any other Patriot League "opponent."