PRINCETON, N.J. – The Ivy League football weekend takes the national spotlight Friday night when Columbia hosts No. 9 Harvard on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., opening a pivotal Week 8 slate. Saturday’s schedule continues with Yale visiting Brown at noon, followed by a pair of 1 p.m. kickoffs featuring Princeton at Dartmouth and Cornell at Penn — all on ESPN+.
One of five remaining unbeaten teams in the FCS, the Crimson earned the No. 9 ranking in the FCS Football Committee’s Top 10 announced Wednesday afternoon. The Crimson boast the No. 1 scoring defense (11.3 points allowed) and No. 6 scoring offense (41.4 points per game) in the nation. Following a decisive 31–10 win over Dartmouth last Saturday, Harvard was named the Stats Perform National Team of the Week.
Behind Harvard, the league has a trio of 5-2 overall teams in Dartmouth, Penn and Yale. The Quakers and Bulldogs are a game behind the Crimson at 3-1 in Ivy play. The title race intensifies in November as Penn visits Harvard on Nov. 15 and Yale hosts Harvard on Nov. 22, the latter a nationally televised showdown on ESPNU.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
| TIME |
GAME |
COVERAGE |
| 7 p.m. |
No. 9 Harvard at Columbia |
ESPN2 | Stats |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8
QUICK HITS
- In addition to securing its spot in the FCS Football Committee’s Top 10, Harvard continued to climb in the national polls, moving up three spots to No. 9 in the Stats Perform media poll and two spots to No. 13 in the AFCA coaches poll. Yale is receiving votes in both polls and Dartmouth earned votes in the coaches poll.
- Ivies finished non-league play with a record of 16-8. Since 2017, the league has gone 135–57 (.703) in non-conference play. This marks the 13th time in 15 years they’ve finished .500 or better.
- Eight Ivies were represented on the Phil Steele Midseason All-America Team in nine different positions. First Team: Cornell TE Ryder Kurtz, Yale DB Abu Kamara, Penn PR Julien Stokes; Second Team: Penn WR Jared Richardson, Dartmouth TE Chris Corbo, Penn AP Julien Stokes; Fourth Team: Harvard QB Jaden Craig, Yale RB Josh Pitsenberger, Yale LB Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye.
- Six Ivy players were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000: Dartmouth TE Chris Corbo, Harvard DB Ty Bartrum, Harvard QB Jaden Craig, Penn OL Netinho Olivieri, Penn WR Jared Richardson, and Yale RB Josh Pitsenberger. The league's six selections were the third-most among FCS conferences.
- Three Ivies were featured in FCS Football Central’s Preseason Top 10 FCS Prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft: Corbo (No. 5), Richardson (No. 9) and Craig (No. 10). The trio remained in the Top 10 in the outlet’s most recent update: Richardson (No. 3), Craig (No. 6) and Corbo (No. 8).
- Craig was also one of five FCS prospects – and the only FCS quarterback – named to the Panini Senior Bowl Top 300.
- The league posted a 5–3 record on opening weekend and has achieved a winning record in Week 1 in 14 of the last 15 years (76–44, .633 since 2010).
- The Ivy League will begin competing in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs this season. The decision was approved by the Ivy League Council of Presidents in December 2024, following a proposal from the league’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
- Each of the past two seasons have ended with three Ivy League champions—something that has happened just six times overall (1966, 1969, 1982, 2015, 2023, 2024). Over the last eight years, six different programs have claimed at least one Ivy title.
- Twenty-two former Ivy League standouts are currently on NFL rosters, with all eight schools represented.
- Three of the league’s head coaches were Ivy League football players: Brown’s James Perry (Brown, 1996-99), Harvard’s Andrew Aurich (Princeton, 2002-05) and Princeton’s Bob Surace (Princeton, 1987-89).
- The Ivy League was the only conference across all divisions to have a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy from each institution. Named after former Columbia football team captain and later head coach Bill Campbell, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
| WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS |
| Brown |
John Starman |
| Columbia |
Mark Chapman |
| Cornell |
James Reinbold |
| Dartmouth |
Delby Lemieux |
| Harvard |
Ryan Osborne |
| Penn |
Liam O'Brien |
| Princeton |
Justice Musser |
| Yale |
Mason Shipp |
- Several Ivies rank in the Top 10 of national statistical categories:
| IVIES IN THE TOP 10 (TEAM) |
| Brown |
Fumbles Lost (2nd, 1)
Kickoff Return Defense (3rd, 13.76)
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game (10th, 37) |
| Columbia |
Fumbles Lost (10th, 2) |
| Dartmouth |
3rd Down Conversion Pct (4th, 0.529)
Fewest Penalties Per Game (4th, 3.71)
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game (6th, 33.71)
Sacks Allowed (7th, 0.86) |
| Harvard |
Fewest Penalties Per Game (1st, 3.29)
Red Zone Defense (1st, 0.6)
Scoring Defense (1st, 11.3)
Tackles for Loss Allowed (1st, 3.14)
Team Passing Efficiency Defense (1st, 100.64)
Winning Percentage (1st, 1)
Total Defense (2nd, 256.3)
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game (3rd, 31.14)
Sacks Allowed (3rd, 0.43)
4th Down Conversion Pct Defense (5th, 0.316)
Rushing Defense (5th, 89.1)
Time of Possession (5th, 33:21)
Defensive TDs (6th, 3)
Scoring Offense (6th, 41.4)
Total Offense (8th, 468.9)
Passing Yards per Completion (7th, 14.77)
Blocked Punts (8th, 2)
Passing Offense (9th, 284.9)
Fumbles Lost (10th, 2) |
| Penn |
Punt Return Defense (1st, -5.5)
3rd Down Conversion Pct (6th, 0.506)
Punt Returns (7th, 16.45) |
| Princeton |
Passes Had Intercepted (5th, 3)
Fewest Penalties Per Game (10th, 4.29) |
| Yale |
Sacks Allowed (3rd, 0.43)
Scoring Defense (4th, 16)
Red Zone Defense (5th, 0.7)
Tackles for Loss Allowed (6th, 3.43)
Kickoff Return Defense (7th, 15.52)
Team Passing Efficiency Defense (7th, 108.33) |
| IVIES IN THE TOP 10 (INDIVIDUAL) |
| Miles Brophy, Brown DB |
Solo Tackles (2nd, 6.33) |
| James Murphy, Brown QB |
Completions Per Game (3rd, 23.86)
Passing Yards Per Game (7th, 267.1) |
| Ike Odimegwu, Brown DL |
Sacks (6th, 1) |
| Braylon Howard, Cornell DB |
Passes Defended (5th, 1.43) |
| Ben Sahakian, Cornell LB |
Forced Fumbles (4th, 0.43) |
| Johnny Williamson, Cornell DB |
Fumbles Recovered (7th, 2) |
| No'Koi Maddox, Dartmouth DB |
Punt Return TDs (6th, 1) |
| Sean Williams Dartmouth DB |
Interceptions Per Game (2nd, 0.57) |
| Brady Blackburn, Harvard WR |
Yards per Reception (7th, 21.92) |
| Jaden Craig, Harvard QB |
Passing Yards Per Game (8th, 264.7)
Passing Yards per Completion (8th, 14.48)
Yards per Pass Attempt (9th, 9.36) |
| John Lista, Penn LB |
Solo Tackles (9th, 5.33) |
| Liam O'Brien, Penn QB |
Total Offense (4th, 300.6)
Passing Yards Per Game (9th, 250) |
| Bisi Owens, Penn WR |
Receptions Per Game (7th, 6.43) |
| Jared Richardson, Penn WR |
Receiving Yards Per Game (1st, 116.7)
Receptions Per Game (1st, 7.57)
Receiving TDs (3rd, 9)
Receiving Yards (6th, 817) |
| Julien Stokes, Penn RS/RB |
Punt Return TDs (6th, 1) |
| Brady Clark, Princeton P |
Punting (8th, 45.7) |
| Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye, Yale LB |
Total Tackles (8th, 11) |
| Nico Brown, Yale WR |
Receiving Yards Per Game (3rd, 97.3)
Receptions Per Game (4th, 6.83)
Receiving TDs (8th, 7) |
| Abu Kamara, Yale DB |
Fumbles Recovered (7th, 2)
Passes Defended (9th, 1.29) |
| Josh Pitsenberger, Yale RB |
Rushing Yards Per Game (4th, 116.6)
All Purpose (10th, 123.86) |