PRINCETON, N.J. -- At least three of the nation’s unbeatens will fall this weekend—including a pair of head-to-head matchups in Ivy League play—the first of which will occur on national television when No. 25 Princeton (2-0) visits Columbia (2-0) at 6 p.m. Friday on ESPNU in the Ivy League opener for both teams. 
 
Dartmouth (2-0) will host Penn (2-0) in the second battle of Ivy League unbeatens at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+, before North Dakota State (3-0) hosts South Dakota State (2-0) in Missouri Valley Football Conference play at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+. 
 
The Ivy League is home to 5-of-14 FCS unbeatens and owns the subdivision’s best non-conference winning percentage (.750), which it will look to build upon in four non-conference games this weekend. Two of those non-conference contests will be against ranked opposition—Harvard hosts No. 20/22 Rhode Island, while Yale hosts No. 16/16 Maine. 
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• No. 25 Princeton boasts one of the nation’s most potent offenses, averaging 577.5 yards of total offense and 50.5 points per game—second in the FCS in both categories. Senior quarterback John Lovett leads the FCS with 30.0 points responsible for per game and is second nationally with a 208.3 passing efficiency. His favorite target, senior wide receiver Jesper Horsted, sits fifth nationally with five receiving touchdowns and sixth with 145.0 receiving yards per game. 
• Two of the nation’s best defenses will be on display when Dartmouth hosts Penn. The Quaker defensive unit leads the nation with 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss per game, propelled by individual national leader senior defensive lineman Cooper Gardner (2.0 sacks per game). Dartmouth has allowed just 7.0 points per game and a national-low 11 first downs, buoyed by a national-best .167 third down conversion percentage defense. The Big Green also pace the FCS with a 3.0 turnover margin, while just 26.5 rushing yards and 160.5 total yards per game. Junior defensive back Isiah Swann, the reigning STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Week, leads the nation with 3.0 passes defended and 2.0 interceptions per game. 
• The Ivy League is outscoring its non-conference opponents 393-212 (181-point margin) and is home to four of the top eight scorers in the FCS based on points per game—Penn junior running back Karekin Brooks (2nd, 15.0), Princeton senior wide receiver Jesper Horsted (2nd, 15.0), Harvard sophomore running back Aaron Shampklin (4th, 12.0) and Columbia senior kicker Chris Alleyne (8th, 11.0).
• Chasing perfection, Ivies boasts 1.000 percentages in several key offensive categories. Columbia (9-for-9), Cornell (3-for-3) and Penn (7-for-7) are 3-of-15 FCS teams with a perfect 1.000 red zone conversion percentage, while Brown’s Dylan Brady (4-for-4), Columbia’s Chris Alleyne (5-for-5), Penn’s Jack Soslow (3-for-3) and Princeton’s Nicolas Ramos (3-for-3) are 4-of-16 FCS kickers with a perfect 1.000 field goal percentage. Alleyne leads the nation with 2.50 field goals per game. 
• The Ivy League’s stable of running backs includes a trio of nationally-noted rushers. Princeton senior running back Charlie Volker (3rd, 9.58) and Harvard sophomore running back Aaron Shampklin (5th, 9.03) are among the top five nationally in rush yards per carry. Shampklin also ranks ninth in the FCS with 135.5 rushing yards per game, while Penn junior running back Karekin Brooks sits seventh nationally with five rushing touchdowns. 
• This weekend’s six football broadcasts will air on ESPN+ (5) and ESPNU (1). For more information on the Ivy League’s relationship with ESPN and to sign up for an ESPN+ subscription, click here.

 
HOW TO WATCH
 

Date	Game	Time	Broadcast
Friday, Sept. 28	No. 25 Princeton at Columbia	6 p.m.	ESPNU
Friday, Sept. 28	No. 20/22 Rhode Island at Harvard	7 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 29	Georgetown at Brown	1 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 29	No. 16/16 Maine at Yale	1 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 29	Sacred Heart at Cornell	1:30 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 29	Penn at Dartmouth	1:30 p.m.	ESPN+