HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days" where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs and all 13 conferences. Today, we present … the Ivy League.
We'll leave no stone left unturned when it comes to giving the FCS diehards all they could ask for this offseason. Learn about every program in the country with HERO Sports.
[divider]MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
- FCS Home
- FCS Preview Schedule – Conference Links
- The HERO Sports Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Preseason All-American Teams
[divider]
Ivy League
(NOTE: Team-by-team previews in this conference are below)
NAMES TO KNOW
THE NFL PROSPECT: OL Dieter Eiselen, Yale
Eiselen is the 66th-ranked small-school pro prospect by Draft Scout.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: RB Aaron Shampklin, Harvard
The HERO Sports Preseason Third Team All-American ran for 1,053 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: CB Isiah Swann, Dartmouth
The HERO Sports Preseason First Team All-American led the FCS with nine interceptions in 2018.
[divider]
OUR TAKE
SUM IT UP: The Ivy League title race is always an intense one. Four different teams have won at least a share of the championship since 2015. This season should see a tight race once again. Princeton is coming off a 10-0 season. Dartmouth was right there at 9-1. Harvard, Columbia and Penn were all 6-4. And then Yale, who went 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Ivy League standings, was picked to win the conference in the 2019 preseason poll.
The level of play in this conference is underrated in the FCS nationally. We won't go down the non-playoff rabbit hole. But the Ivy League continues to bring in some of the top recruiting classes in this subdivision. It's stacked with talent and should see one of the more entertaining conference races in the FCS.
THE FAVORITE: Yale – Not only were the Bulldogs picked to win the Ivy League, but it was also voted quite decisively with nine first-place votes. The next best was Princeton's four. Yale won the conference title two years ago but suffered several injuries last year. The Bulldogs have standout players at running back and quarterback that gained starting experience these last two years along with returning starters at just about every other position. This team is loaded with talent and wants redemption for last year.
THE THREATS: Dartmouth, Princeton – These two programs were Top 15 teams in the FCS last year and arguably Top 10. Both Dartmouth and Princeton lose key players on offense and defense. All-conference standouts are still scattered throughout the starting lineup, though, and both teams have brought in impressive recruiting classes in recent years to help fill those gaps. Dartmouth and Princeton come into the 2019 season with a chip on their shoulders
THE DARK HORSE: Harvard – Speaking of strong recruiting classes … hello Harvard. As pointed out in our team preview, the Crimson have brought in top recruits in the FCS. Like Dartmouth and Princeton, there are some unproven spots at key positions for Harvard. But the talent is on the roster to compete for a conference championship.
[divider]
FCS 2020 NFL PROSPECTS: The List
BEST FCS TRADITIONS: The List
[divider]
TEAM PREVIEWS
Brown | Columbia | Cornell
Dartmouth | Harvard | Penn
Princeton | Yale
[divider]
CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
Big Sky | Big South | CAA
Ivy | MEAC | MVFC
NEC | OVC | Patriot
Pioneer | SoCon | Southland | SWAC
[divider]
SUBSCRIBE: HERO Sports FCS Podcast
