Harvard took first in the poll announced as part of the Ivy League Football Media Day teleconference on Aug. 10 for the fourth time in five years, notching 10 first-place votes. The University of Pennsylvania, with six first-place votes, came in second place overall, while Brown was pegged to finish third with zero first-place votes. Yale also received one vote for first place and landed fourth in the rankings. Cornell rounded out the bottom of the rankings, finishing in eighth place.
Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens '79 said that though he never specifically quantifies his expectations at the beginning of a season, the team believes it can finish its upcoming season higher than seventh place.
"The only poll that really matters is the one at the end, but [the preseason ranking] does add some incentive," he said. "We have higher expectations for ourselves and that's what's important."
Tri-captain Charles Bay '11, who will lead the Big Green alongside Tim McManus '11 and Pat Scorah '11, said results of preseason polls are generally not a focus for players.
"To be honest, I think the majority of the guys on the team don't even pay attention to [the poll] because we can do a lot better than the rest of the league is predicting," Bay said. "While we have knowledge of it, we don't really agree with it. It's a motivating factor but it's not where we're going to end up."
Dartmouth hopes to benefit from a core of returning athletes who have played together for several years, Teevens said.
"The number of freshmen and sophomores that have played for us specifically in the past two years far exceeds the numbers across the league," he said. "There's nothing like experience and then physical development you're generally a little more productive and efficient athletically [as you mature]."
The Big Green lost 15 players to graduation since last season, but many of last year's starters were underclassmen. After quarterback Alex Jenny '10 dislocated his elbow at Yale in the fourth game of 2009, the position was filled by younger team members including Conner Kempe '12 who also suffered an injury later in the season and Greg Patton '13.
The team also has two new additions to its coaching staff, Jim Pry and Don Dobes, who joined the team in the winter as new offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively.
The revamped coaching staff combined with changes in the team's preseason workouts will help the Big Green improve during the upcoming season, Bay said.
"We've changed some things up with the strength and conditioning training," he said. "The coaching staff knows what needs to be done and they see that we have the necessary talent and the necessary people to do these things."
Penn came out on top at the end of the 2009 season, closely followed by Harvard a reversal of the preseason media poll's slated top two. Brown finished third, as predicted.
Dartmouth was not viewed as a serious preseason threat last year, according to the 2009 media poll results. Pegged to round out the bottom of the league following a 12-game losing streak leading up to the 2009 season, the Big Green surprised skeptics with a dramatic 28-6 Homecoming victory over Columbia on Oct. 24.
After a close 20-17 win against Cornell two weeks later Dartmouth's first ever double-overtime victory the Big Green finished 2-5 in the Ancient Eight and 2-8 overall, ultimately landing the team in a tie with Yale for sixth place in the conference.
Dartmouth's season begins Sept. 18 when the squad travels to Lewisburg, Pa., to take on Bucknell University. Before playing any league games, the Big Green will host Sacred Heart University on Sept. 25.
These games are a change from past seasons, in which Dartmouth historically competed against the University of New Hampshire and Colgate University in the weeks preceding Ivy play.
The Big Green was winless in its last 19 matchups against the UNH Wildcats and is not scheduled to play them again for at least the next two years, The Dartmouth previously reported.
