Columbia only can control one piece of the elusive puzzle.
But the Lions (6-3 overall, 4-2 conference) have put themselves within touching distance of their first Ivy League football title since 1961.
They host rival Cornell (4-5 overall, 3-3 conference) Saturday afternoon for the 14th edition of the Empire State Bowl. If Columbia wins, and Harvard loses its rivalry game to Yale, Columbia would clinch a share of the Ivy League title. Dartmouth (7-2 overall, 4-2 conference) is in the same position as Columbia in its game against Brown, with the chance to claim a share of the conference title with a win coupled with a Harvard loss.
Lions head coach Jon Poppe has led a stunning turnaround in his first season in charge. He took over a team that finished in last place in the conference a year ago.
“That’s something we talked about openly before the season started,” Poppe told The Post’s Howie Kussoy of the team’s title expectations. “That’s been our goal. I felt comfortable and confident talking [about it]. … We had this influx of fifth-year seniors that were very experienced and very talented, and I said, ‘Hey, if we play well, we’re going to have a shot to win this thing.’
“A big part of this is creating expectations and setting a mentality of what it takes to be a champion, and they invested in that process. The depth we’ve been able to create, we’ve had a lot of next man up, and those guys have allowed us to play great football.”
Quarterback Caleb Sanchez, a true freshman, is set to make just his second career start Saturday. He threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns last week during a 21-12 win over Brown.
Though the matchup has only had its current name since 2010, the rivalry dates back 1889. Saturday will mark the 111th game between the teams. Columbia owns a 41-66-3 all-time record against Cornell, but has won five of the last six matchups.