The Washington times., 1902-12-08
SEASONS FOOTBALL
WINNERS COMPARED
Discussion of Undecided National Championship as Be
tween East and West and AIl-American Teams.

Ories as to strength OF teams, as TO the
/ champion team; as to the probable
makeup OF next seasons eleven; as 10
why this was done and that left undOne:
as to whether the East or the West has
/ the better team; as to whether or not
the game is brutal or whether its play
ing is beneficial as a sport
! Ranking the big teams is the hardest
! task Of all. 1t Is unsatisfactory at best.
| owinE TO the numerous complications
arising from varying form of the teams
in the different games and the great in
/ consistency in scores. Yale undoubted-
iy had all the Eastern teams o-teIassed.
The Blue" was in class by itself. No
matter how one may look upon the age.
| weight. and experience OF Old ELS rush
/ line there Is no doubt Of ia great su-
/ periority. The team had the call on
big line men. just as Harvard had last
/ season with Cults and Blagden. neither
Of whom was retained by Harvard this
year.
Princeton's Good Work.
While not at her best form. Yale de-
/ feated Princeton. 12-5. playing the best
game OF the Tigers season. The next
week in the final contest Of her season
she completely smothered Harvard, %
TO 0.
It has been said that Harvard was
stronger than Princeton. but the latter
made better showing against Yale than
did Harvard. 1t is true the Tigers did
not gain as much ground as Harvard
but they scored. and that's what counts
They kept Yale's total down much lower
than did the Crimson. Only three
touchdowns were made in the season
against Princeton, while eight we're
made against Harvard; one each by
Wesleyan. Bowdoin. West Point, and
Dartmouth, and four by Yale.
So long as the teams did not meet. the
results indicate that Princeton's defen-
sive work more than offsets Harvard
superiority in the offensive department
SO while one authority gives second
place to Princeton. another gives the
second honors TO Harvard on the
strength Of the testimony OF those who
have played both. r
Harvard Is Second.
Harvard is entitled to second honors.
as the Crimson has a clean record. with
the exception Of the defeat by Yale. al
though some OF the winning scores were
small ones. The other teams are we'll
punched. and the third position is open
to debate. Princeton and West Point
both have strong claims for the place.
! Princeton has the honor OF having the
least number of points scored against it
Of any Of the big elevens, which would
indicate that Princeton is strong on the
defensive. Yale has the lbtst net score
so far as points are concettfed, and West
Point comes in second
Had the Army met Princeton there
would have been a better means Of COM
parison.
A notable feature OF the season was
the drop three Of the most prominent
teams in tho East-Pennsylvania. Co
lumbia, and Carlisle-took. They cannot
be figured even as good as fourth. Penn
sylvania was formerly one OF the big
four. but the latter institution has al
most totally collapsed. owing 10 the
rapid rise Of the smaller school teams.
Pennsylvania is entitled TO some con-
sideration in ranking the teams. because
OF the splendid showing against Cornell
when the team seemed at the point OF
going to pieces. and because Of the grand
uphill fight she made against Harvard.
J Il is barely possible that "PenRsy''
J might have beaten Princeton, but on
form the team did not show IL, and
Princeton. under the enthusiastic excite
ment OF the game. might have won from
( West Point, as the soldiers were rather
lucky in their showing against Yale and
Harvard.
National Champion.
The great question remains, which
Is the leading team OF the country"
The East very naturally viii contend
that Yale Is entitled TO that honor, but
the fact remains that the great West
has in Michigan University a team which
came through the season indicated and
played a schedule in which the opposing
teams compare very favorably with the
big ones Of this section OF the country.
Michigan may not be able to beat Yale,
but so long as the two do not meet there
Is no way Of deciding which is the bet
ter team. There IS no way OF drawing
line on the two teams and in the alb
sence Of this IT is unfair to leave the
/: claims Of the West out OF consideration.
Michigan scored GA points in her sea-
. son. and lost only II points. winning
twelve games. Yale scored 286 points
and lost p points, winning y games.
B Michigan Leads West.
The above figures alone show that the
West made equally as good a showing
as the East and that Michigan played a
great game and practically outelassed
! the other Western universities and all
that can be said for Yale is that she
was I'm a similar position in the East.
So the championship question will have
to remain unsolved
Nebraska Second.
Unlike the question Of second honors
In the East. that OF the West is settled
dccisivcly. for Nebraska holds the tTi-
, State championship and is entitled TO
second place. having won eight games
and was not scored on at all and is the
only team In the country enjoying that
remarkable distinction.