Harvard and surprising Brown finished tied for the Ivy League title in 2008 after the Bears downed the Crimson in the teams’ first Ivy matchup of the season. Brown boasted a potent offense, but lost a number of key cogs to graduation. Likewise, Harvard lost talented quarterback Chris Pizzotti, who worked out in New York Jets training camp for a number of weeks, to graduation. Columbia improved from its 0-10 finish in 2007 to a 2-5 Ivy record in 2008, including a win over Cornell in New York. The two are tied for sixth in the preseason media poll this year. Penn’s only Ivy losses were to Brown and Harvard last year, and the Quakers return junior back Mike DiMaggio, who racked up 65 yards per game. Princeton returns the top rusher in the league, Jordan Culbreath, who outpaced the closest competitor by nearly 400 yards.

Brown Bears

2008: 7-3, 6-1 Ivy

Brown was the only team to score more than 200 points in Ivy play last season. Repeating that task will be difficult as Brown graduated its starting quarterback, running back and All-Ivy tight end from a season ago. Senior receivers Buddy Farnham and Bobby Sewall will need to stabilize Brown’s offensive attack. The Bears will need an improved defense if they hope to win six games against Ivy competition again this year. Senior lineman David Howard will be a big part of that defense a season after leading the team in sacks. The Bears had a dominant run defense that held opponents to just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt last season. Brown also forced 19 turnovers — the most in the conference. The Bears also led the Ancient Eight with a plus-11 turnover margin.

Columbia Lions

2008: 2-8, 2-5 Ivy

Last season, the Lions featured a poor offense and a porous defense. The defense has a chance to be much better in 2009. Junior tackling machine Alex Gross is back at linebacker after leading the conference in tackles last year. He will see additional blockers this season, as fellow linebacker Drew Quinn graduated after finishing fourth in the conference in tackles last year. Senior Lou Miller will also return to anchor the defensive line a season after earning an All-Ivy first-team selection. Sophomore defensive lineman Owen Fraser will also look to build on a promising rookie campaign. If Columbia can find a way to put some points on the board, it has a chance to make a move up the Ivy League standings.

Dart­mouth Big Green

2008: 0-10, 0-7 Ivy

The Ivy League’s doormat had a season to forget in 2008. The Green lost all 10 of its games and was outscored by 214 points on the season. There were few bright spots for a team that ranked last in the conference in both offense and defense. Graduated defensive back Ian Wilson was the only Dartmouth representative on either of the All-Ivy teams. Junior receiver Tim McManus will lead the charge as Dartmouth attempts to remove the zero from the win column this season.

Harvard Crimson

2008: 9-1, 6-1 Ivy

The Crimson used a high-scoring attack to secure a share of the Ivy League title in 2008. Harvard will struggle to duplicate those results after the departure of quarterback Chris Pizzotti, who was a late cut at the New York Jets training camp. The Crimson will also return just five starters on defense. Regardless, Harvard is the preseason favorite to capture a third straight Ivy League championship. The team will have to rely on strong play from its skill position players to do so.

Penn Quakers

2008: 6-4, 5-2 Ivy

Penn’s only losses against Ancient Eight competition were closely contested battles against eventual Ivy League co-champions Harvard and Brown. If the Quakers can find a way to get over the hump against one or both of those teams, they have an excellent chance of winning a conference championship of their own this season. Penn’s defense returns three starters who were All-Ivy selections in 2008. That defense allowed 400 yards fewer than any Ivy team last season. The Quakers were held back by a passing attack that ranked last in the conference in completion percentage. Junior Mike DiMaggio will again anchor the team’s offense with a steady ground attack.

Princeton Tigers

2008: 4-6, 3-4 Ivy

Senior running back Jordan Culbreath will pace the Tiger offense. As a junior, Culbreath rushed for 1,206 yards — Yale’s Mike McLeod was the only other Ivy player who rushed for more than 600 — en route to a unanimous All-Ivy first-team selection. He was the only Tiger to earn a first-team selection in 2008. The team leaned heavily on Culbreath and was last in passing yards among the Ancient Eight. Linebackers Scott Britton and Steven Cody will be the leaders on defense. Britton and Cody were two of only eight Ivy League players with more than 80 tackles in 2008.

Yale Bulldogs

2008: 6-4, 4-3 Ivy

Yale’s dominant defense was betrayed by a poor offense. Yale allowed a meager 58 points in seven Ivy League games, but the team’s offense ranked seventh in the conference. It is unlikely the defense will be nearly as dominant this season. Five of the team’s top-8 tacklers graduated. The offense took a hit as well when running back Mike McLeod ’09 graduated; McLeod was an All-Ivy first-team selection last season.

Yale will also have to replace head coach Jack Siedlecki who has accepted a new role within the Yale athletics department. The Bulldogs will be a team in transition this year as the team will have to integrate a new batch of defenders into the starting unit. New head coach Tom Williams has his work cut out for him during his first year in charge.