Evening star., 1941-10-15
Navy, Cornell Clash
One Of -Four Great
Testing Battles
Should Help to Clarity
Wide-O Open Fight for
Eastern Leadership
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.


rearranging an old metric philoso-
ply to meet the football situation
one might say-"As each week end
rolls roun' and roun'-some go up
and some 90 down.
Last week end Stanford, Tulane,
Colgate, Princeton, Yale, Oklahoma
and few others joined the grow
ing ranks of the beaten as Dart
mouth, Rice. Michigan, Pennsyl-
vania, Cornell, Notre Dame, T. c.
O., Temple Texas A. and NJ, VAN
derbilt, Clemson and Santa Clara
moved distinctly forward. So did
Columbia, Fordham and Duquesne.
There is sure to be the sound of
large bodies falling from tall
heights this next week end when
Michigan meets Northwestern. T. c.
U. tackles Texas A and M. Cornell
faces Navy and Columbia takes on
Georgia.
The answer is that none of these
teams have yet been rolled back, al
though Georgia has been tied. These
four games, headed by the Michi-
n-Northwestern crash or clash at
Evanston. will all have vital bear
ing on the seasons ranking list.
Navy Is Among Leaders.
The two top teams of the country
today seem to be Minnesota and
Texas. Duke. Notre Dame and
Michigan are close behind. Navy,
Fordham and Ohio State are prac-
tically alongside.
If 7 was forced to make an i'm
portant wager on one of two teams,
I'd pick Minnesota or Texas. And
If I was forced to make the same
wager on two teams that might stop
either I'd be inclined to pick
Michigan or Duke, or possibly Notre
Dame. Fordham Navy and Rive
also would receive consideration,
plus Ohio State.
Three of the main thrusts last
week came from three widely
Dame. Fordham, Navy and Rice
and Oregon State. They trampled
over three highly touted teams. The
defeat of Stanford by Oregon State
was the main jolt. but the fall of
Tulane's Green Wave reached
Niagara proportions.
Michigan Still Packs Power.
There was another jolt for those
who believed that the loss of Tommy
Harmon and Forest Evashevsky
would wreck Michigan If Michigan
Is a wreck, Bottom tank is a
feather duster.
Dartmouth whipped what was
rated as flrst-class Colgate team
and proved that the Green will in
sert a large block of poison in the
Ivy. ss+
There also is no reason to. with
hold a few bouquets from Red
Sanders Vanderbilt outfit The
unbeaten Commodoress spotted a
good Kentucky team IS points and
then put on track meet.
And Lou Little, after losing five
OF his best men,. can absorb a few
hurrahs from Princeton victory
before facing Georgia on Saturday.
This was a fine Columbia job.
The once but no longer effete
East still has a large batch of un-
beaten squads. In this list you will |
find Fordham, Navy, Dartmouth,
Pennsylvania, Cornell, Temple and |
Duquesne - among others Navy |
gets its first hard test against Cor
nell on Saturday at Baltimore.
This should be one of the big games |
of the Eastern roundup.
Penn, Fordham Face Tests.
Pennsylvania and Fordham step
into rougher ground later on when /
they must face Navy and Texas
Christian. Penn strictly is first
class, despite the loss of Reagan
and seven other regulars.
1t is also pleasant to note that |
Spike Nelson and his staff have
started Yale upward again. 1t was
a thrilling sight to see so many !
take 21-0 mauling in |
the first two periods and then come |
ripping back with enough stuff to
outplay a better Penn team all
through the second nail. 1hlS is |
a fine Yale team in the making |
with just a little more experience.
There will be hot race for the |
leadership of the East this fall, and !
1t might be added that any team |
good enough to go through the Ivy
League unbeaten will have to play |
more than a fair amount of good |
football
The unwhipped Army squad will |
need a busy afternoon against this
young Yale team that can bother |
anybody through the air. They
throw with either hand at New
Haven, and they also have receiv-
ers who can catch with both.
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