Bill Pennington, author of an article in today’s Times, meditates on what many-an-Ivy Leaguer has meditated: just what is the purpose of pursuing a successful football program at a school known for its academic caliber?  Are the two ends of academic excellence and athletic triumph mutually exclusive?

(Perhaps: he notes that Duke, Northwestern, and Stanford, top schools with strong football programs, all have pretty shitty records)

The Columbia squad might be proud.