Photo courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications

PRINCETON, N.J. -- For the third time in four years, Harvard was selected the favorite in the annual Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll to win the 2009 Ivy title, announced today on the Ivy League Football Media Day Teleconference.

Harvard (9-1, 6-1 Ivy in 2008) received 10 of the 17 first-place votes from the media panel, tallying 129 points. The Crimson enter the 2009 season looking to capture its third-straight Ivy crown to become the first team to three-peat since Dartmouth in 1990-92. Tim Murphy’s Harvard squad earned a share of the 2008 championship, becoming just the eighth team in history to bounce back from a loss in its League opener and still win the Ivy title.

Penn (6-4, 5-2), selected second in the poll with four first-place votes and 117 points, was voted among the top four preseason favorites for 17th consecutive year. The Quakers will be relying on its defense headlined by senior defensive Chris Wynn, named to the preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, to lead Al Bagnoli’s squad to its first Ivy title since 2003.

Brown (7-3, 6-1) collected the remaining three first-place votes to finish third with 106 points. It marked the third time in five years the voting media picked the Bears to finish third. The number three has been the charm for Brown, which won a share of its third League title in 10 years in 2008. Phil Estes’ Bears look to remain among the Ivy title contenders this season with a potent offense led by their prolific receiving tandem of seniors Buddy Farnham and Bobby Sewall.

Yale (6-4, 4-3), under the direction of first-year head coach Tom Williams, rounded out the top half of the poll in fourth with 82 points, followed by Princeton in fifth with 67 points, Columbia and Cornell tied for sixth with 44 points and Dartmouth in eighth with 23 points.

2009 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
First-Place Votes in Parentheses

Rank	School	Points
1.	Harvard (10)	129
2.	Penn (4)	117
3.	Brown (3)	106
4.	Yale	82
5.	Princeton	67
6.	Columbia	44
	Cornell	44
8.	Dartmouth	23