Ivy League Football Non-Conference Analysis

 
IVY LEAGUE
 
Brown: @ Cal Poly, vs. Georgetown, @ Rhode Island.
Now that’s a road game; from Rhode Island to California to play Cal Poly. The other two games at least are in state, even though one is down the road.
 
Columbia: @ Central Connecticut State, @ Georgetown, vs. Marist.
A road game with the defending NEC playoff representative starts the season. The other two games involved traditional non-conference opponents.
 
Cornell: @ Delaware, vs. Sacred Heart, @ Colgate.
On the surface, this appears to be a pretty tough set of games with two on the road. Though the travel bill will still only entail bus chartering.
 
Dartmouth: vs. Georgetown, @ Holy Cross, vs. Sacred Heart.
Even with a couple of Patriot teams on the ledger, this could be a clean sweep, if recent history has anything to say about it.
 
Harvard: vs. San Diego, vs. Rhode Island, vs. Holy Cross.
A visit from San Diego’s high-powered offense and playoff pedigree highlights the entire Ivy League non-conference schedule. Getting all three games at home isn’t a bad thing either.
 
Penn: vs. Bucknell, vs. Lehigh, @ Sacred Heart.
Starting the season at home against two fellow Patriot League Keystone opponents should have the interest piqued. A couple of wins would be even bigger.
 
Princeton: @ Butler, vs. Monmouth, vs. Lehigh.
Seems a little out of the ordinary, a road game in Indiana to play the Pioneer’s Butler. But, it should be a good measure between two of the FCS’ non-scholarship conferences.
 
Yale: @ Holy Cross, vs. Maine, vs. Mercer.
A pretty good schedule here. An Ivy League school getting home games against a Colonial and Southern Conference team in the same year is a pretty sweet deal.
 
Ivy League Opponent Breakdown
1 vs. Big Sky
1 vs. Big South
4 vs. Colonial
4 vs. Northeast
10 vs. Patriot
3 vs. Pioneer
1 vs. Southern
 
As mentioned above, the San Diego at Harvard game will probably move the needle most, in terms of national interest. That’s tough to do, since the Ivies don’t accept their automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Despite that fact, their games against Patriot League teams, in particular, could go a long ways towards playoff seeding and/or qualification by Thanksgiving.