Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - In the Ivy League, change normally comes as quickly as the growth of those green, leafy plants on its schools' ancient walls.

But with a new executive director coming on board for the first time in 25 years, as Robin Harris replaces the retired Jeffrey Orleans, there are issues long cast to the background that will need to be addressed.

On the top of the list is the Ivy League's lack of participation in the postseason. With the Football Championship Subdivision expanding its playoffs to 20 teams in 2010, it is just a matter of time before the field moves to a more-workable 24 teams, and two more automatic bids are awarded.

When FCS turns the corner on 2010, the Ivy League, the Pioneer Football League and the Southwestern Athletic Conference will be the only eligible conferences without automatic bids. The PFL plans on officially petitioning for a berth after this season, while the Ivy League and SWAC have shown little interest in the playoffs, at least at the presidential and administrative levels.

The Great West Conference has yet to become eligible, with just five teams (six are needed to qualify for an auto bid) and two of those, North Dakota and South Dakota, still transitioning from Division II.

So with the PFL a possibility to gobble up one of those slots, that leaves the Ivy League with a great opportunity to grab the other auto bid. All that is needed is a willingness among the Ivy League leadership to go along with changes that its football coaches and players already solidly support.

On the field in 2009, the biggest change will come from the quarterbacks leading their teams into action. Only three signal-callers who threw the majority of passes for their squads last season - Yale's Brook Hart, Columbia's Shane Kelly and Dartmouth's Alex Jenny - return this year.

Among the quarterbacks who have graduated are Harvard's Payton Award finalist Chris Pizzotti, Brown's strong-armed Michael Dougherty, Penn's oft-injured Robert Irvin, Cornell's late-blooming Nathan Ford and Princeton's dependable Brian Anderson.

It would be hard to find a season in recent Ivy League history where there was so little experience behind center. That will make defense - already a well- accepted commodity in this confederation - even more important this year.

Penn should have an advantage with the nucleus of a defensive unit that ranked fourth nationally last season back and the presence of a potential star in junior quarterback Keiffer Garton.

Harvard has its typically high talent level at most positions, but doesn't have its normal NFL-caliber quarterback, or any experienced linebackers.

Brown, Princeton and even Columbia have elements that could fall into place for a championship run, while Yale must overcome the changes that come with a brand new coach. Cornell is still trying to improve its talent and experience level, while Dartmouth is looking for any progress at all after last year's dismal 0-10 campaign.

1. Penn (6-4 overall, 5-2 in league, third)

The Quakers didn't know what to expect when they found themselves with their third-string quarterback, Garton, in the lineup in a battle for first place against Brown last season. Penn may have lost that game, but it discovered that Garton (704 yards of total offense in the final four games) had added some spark to the attack with his combination of running and passing.

"Keiffer can certainly make things happen athletically," Bagnoli said. "Like everyone else, we're trying to balance things offensively, without getting your quarterback hit too many times."

Garton will have some good weapons around him with Mike DiMaggio in the backfield (584 yards rushing, four TDs) and four of his top receivers - Kyle Derham (29 catches, 13.9 average), Marcus Lawrence (25 catches, 9.0 average), Tyler Fisher (20 catches, 10.5 average) and running back Brad Blackmon (21 catches, 9.9 average) - around to grab his throws.

Joseph Krissel leads a solid offensive line that has five players with starting experience. The only starter not returning is All-Ivy League tackle Chris Kovalcik.

But the Quakers' calling card is always defense, and the presence of Buchanan Award candidate Chris Wynn at cornerback (79 tackles, 10 interceptions in his career) is a great place to start building. Among the five other returning starters are All-Ivy performers in nose guard Joe Goniprow (33 tackles, 10 tackles for loss) and linebacker Jake Lewko (team-high 61 tackles).

Penn is also solid on special teams, with Wynn (26.1 kickoff average, 10.6 punt return average) returning kicks and All-American Andrew Samson (16-of-19 field goals, 20-of-20 PATs) putting the ball through the uprights. Kyle Olson, Garton's experienced backup at quarterback, doubles as the punter (38.5 average, 32.4 net).

2. Harvard (9-1, 6-1, tied for first)

Tim Murphy has raised the expectations at Harvard during his 16-year career, with back-to-back Ivy League co-championships and five titles overall. So a rebuilding year won't be well-received in Cambridge, MA.

The biggest concern is finding someone to replace Chris Pizzotti at quarterback. Sophomores Collier Winters and Matt Simpson will battle for the job, but neither has played a varsity down.

"Someone is going to emerge as a quality quarterback," Murphy said. "Our quarterbacks have a lot to live up to. Our last two quarterbacks (Ryan Fitzpatrick and Pizzotti) are in the NFL."

The Crimson will have a high-powered rushing attack to make Winters' and Simpson's lives easier. Cheng Ho (1,040 career yards rushing) is back after an injury-plagued junior year and he will team with Gino Gordon (578 yards rushing, five TDs) to give Harvard a one-two punch.

Matt Luft (53 catches, 16.5 average, five TDs) is an imposing receiving target at 6-6 and 225 pounds for a team that returns its five top pass-catchers. Tackle James Williams may be the best offensive lineman in FCS and he joins center Alex Spisak to give the Crimson experience up front.

Harvard loses some key components on the other side of the ball, like defensive tackle Matt Curtis (55 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss), linebacker Glenn Dorris (49 tackles) and cornerback Andrew Berry (43 tackles, six pass breakups). But they can rebuild around safeties Collin Zych (72 tackles, six pass breakups) and Ryan Barnes (50 tackles, seven pass breakups), cornerback Derrick Barker (27 tackles, 10 pass breakups) and linebacker Conor Murphy (33 tackles).

3. Princeton (4-6, 3-4, fifth)

If Coach Roger Hughes needed any lessons in how important the quarterback position is, he learned one during the Tigers' championship run of 2006 with gutsy leader Jeff Terrell. He also saw what it meant to lack similar leadership during the back-to-back losing seasons of 2007-08.

Princeton has many of the components needed to start another chase of the Ivy League crown. Start with the best running back in the conference, Jordan Culbreath (1,206 yards rushing, 5.7 average, 10 TDs), a veteran offensive line, led by Mark Paski, and a defense that can stop the run.

But finding a quarterback may make the biggest difference for the Tigers. Harris Daniels, the brother of Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels, and Tommy Wornham, another talented youngster, are battling for the position.

Hughes has been concerned with the defense's propensity for giving up big plays. If the Tigers can clean up their mistakes, they could improve dramatically in that area.

Linebackers Scott Britton (81 tackles, four sacks) and Steven Cody (85 tackles) are top-notch performers in the 3-5-3 defensive set. Safeties Wilson Cates (67 tackles) and Carl Kelly (40 tackles) and cornerback Dan Kopolovich (35 tackles) give Princeton experience in the secondary. Joel Karacozoff (30 tackles, five tackles for loss) is the only returning starter on the defensive line.

"It is critical that we have success early," said Hughes. "Our key is to get off to a good start."

The Tigers must also play well on the road, with key Ivy League games against Harvard, Brown and Penn on the road looming during a four-week stretch in the middle of the season.

4. Columbia (2-8, 2-5, tied for sixth)

This could be the year that coach Norries Wilson and his New York City fans have been waiting for. The Lions return 15 starters, including the bulk of a hard-nosed defense.

"I'm optimistic," said Wilson. "We came out of the spring happy with what we have."

All-Ivy performers Lou Miller (68 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss) at defensive end and Alex Gross (team-high 101 tackles) at linebacker are the focal points on defense. Strong safety Andy Shalbrack (67 tackles) is a three-year starter.

All-American Austin Knowlin (1,062 combined yards) is Columbia's big-play man on offense as a receiver and kick returner. He was second nationally in punt returns (18.5 average), but he needs to have either Kelly (1,482 yards of total offense) or Jerry Bell develop as a quarterback to make Knowlin more a part of the passing game.

M.A. Olawale (5.7 rushing average) and Ray Rangel combined for 725 yards on the ground in 2008 and they should thrive again, as four offensive lineman with starting experience are back.

5. Brown (7-3, 6-1, tied for first)

The Bears have some of the best playmakers in the Ivy League, with the receiving tandem of All-American Buddy Farnham (63 catches, 13.0 average, six TDs) and Bobby Sewall (69 catches, 13.7 average, eight TDs). But in a competitive conference, the fact that Brown returns just 10 starters and must replace its All-Ivy quarterback may making repeating as champions difficult.

Junior Joe Springer is the leading candidate to replace Dougherty (2,677 yards passing, 19 TDs) at quarterback, but the smallish passer is being pressed by youngsters Kyle Newhall and Patrick Taken.

"Sewell and Farnham can take the pressure off the quarterback and make big plays," Brown coach Phil Estes said. "If we can have a back who can come in and stay healthy that will also take a lot of pressure off them."

Paul Jasinowski and Mark Callahan lead one of the top lines in the country at protecting quarterbacks, while tight end Alex Pressley could make an impact at tight end.

The defense returns just four starters, but the Bears will get a boost from having All-American tackle David Howard (27 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks) patrolling the middle of the line. Strong safety Chris Perkins (55 tackles, seven pass breakups) and cornerback David Clement (38 tackles, eight pass breakups) are two other key performers.

While Farnham is a top-flight return man (8.5 punt return average), the special teams units must replace Robert Ranney, one of the top punters (43.7 average, 35.9 net) in the league. Ranney also handled place-kicking chores.

6. Yale (6-4, 4-3, fourth)

Jack Siedlecki was just a year removed from an Eddie Robinson Award nomination and a share of the Ivy League title, but a 6-4 mark and another loss to Harvard got him put out to pasture. Into that brink steps new coach Tom Williams, from the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the assignment of beating the Crimson.

"It's hard not to know when you take this position what that game means," Williams said. "We have a fairly young team (10 returning starters), but we have the opportunity for our guys to show what they can do."

Williams will build the offense around the left-handed Hart (919 yards passing, seven TDs), or Nebraska transfer Patrick Witt. The Bulldogs lost all- time leading rusher and two-time Payton Award candidate Mike McLeod (4,514 career rushing yards, 55 TDs), and the chase to replace him is wide-open.

John Sheffield (43 catches, 8.3 average) and Jordan Forney (26 catches, 14.4 average, five TDs) lead an experienced group of receivers, but the line must be almost completely rebuilt.

Yale should still be a force on defense, even with the graduation loss of end Kyle Hawari (57 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and Buchanan Award candidate Bobby Abare (279 career tackles) at linebacker. Abare's brother Larry (73 tackles) is a star at strong safety in a decimated secondary, while linebacker Travis Henry (42 tackles) should continue his late production from last season and Tom McCarthy (29 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is a force in the middle of the line.

Tom Mante gives the Bulldogs a solid leg as a kicker and punter. He averaged 41.0 per punt and 36.0 net last season, while going 8-of-12 on field goals and 21-of-23 on extra points.

7. Cornell (4-6, 2-5, tied for sixth)

Jim Knowles' rebuilding program at Cornell has taken him longer than expected and the Big Red will be young again in 2008, with just eight starters returning.

"We worked hard in the off-season on leadership," said Knowles, who saw his team slip under .500 after three years with a combined 16-14 record. "Our program is not where we want it to be yet."

Cornell hopes to rely on a potentially dynamic offensive force in receiver and return man Bryan Walters (1,530 combined yards, 43 catches, 15.0 receiving average).

The graduated Ford threw for 4,717 yards in two years, but fired 33 interceptions. The Big Red will need their new strong-armed quarterback, Ben Ganter, to manage games better.

Randy Barbour should improve on the 413 yards and five TDs he ran for last season, with veteran guards Andrew Bohl and Quentin Bernhard throwing blocks. Tight end Jake Campbell, a transfer from Texas, should develop into another threat offensively.

Middle linebacker Chris Costello (90 tackles, nine tackles for loss) is the center of attention for Cornell's 3-3-5 defense and he will be helped by the return of outside linebacker Brandon Launhart from injury. Cornerback Emani Fenton (47 tackles, nine pass breakups) and safety Andy Wade (37 tackles, seven pass breakups) lead a solid secondary, but the defensive line is inexperienced.

Brad Greenway (9-of-13 field goals, 18-of-19 PATs) is dependable as a place kicker, but the Big Red is looking for a new punter.

8. Dartmouth (0-10, 0-7, eighth)

There is only one direction to go for coach Buddy Teevens and the Big Green after losing 12 consecutive games...up.

"Going 0-10 last season was tough for us," said Teevens, who is in his second tenure with Dartmouth. "With the number of returning guys we have, we should be more competitive."

Teevens hopes the offense (ranked 111th nationally last year) will be able to play ball control and keep pressure off quarterbacks Alex Jenny (1,309 yards passing) and Connor Kempe (655 yards passing). The Big Green will hope for good production out of starter Nick Schwieger in the backfield to make that happen.

Center Austen Fletcher and guards Alex Wodka and John O'Sullivan return on what should be a much improved offensive line, while Tim McManus (60 catches, 10.6 average, three TDs) is a quality receiver.

Dartmouth has struggled defensively the past two years, finishing ranked 111th and 114th nationally and allowing over 34 points per games in those seasons. Safeties Peter Piderman (56 tackles) and Shawn Abuhoff (43 tackles) and cover man Robbie Krattiger (29 tackles, four pass breakups) are the top returning athletes, though there are high expectations for sophomore defensive tackle Diego Fernandez-Soto as well.