ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell football team will be the hunter heading into the 2015 Ivy League season, that much is certain. They will embrace that role given to them after being picked to finish eighth in the Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll announced today.

The Big Red had 26 points and finished just behind Columbia (29 points) in the final tally. Harvard and Dartmouth jockeyed for first in the poll, with the Crimson taking 11 of the 17 first place votes (130 points) and the Big Green taking four (116 points). Both Yale and Brown also picked up a first place vote. Yale (98 points) and Princeton (82) points also secured places in the top half. Brown (80 points) and Penn (51 points) rounded out the voting in fifth and sixth, respectively. In all, there were 17 votes in the poll (two media representatives from each school and one national media representative).

While working toward building a championship program, third-year head coach David Archer '05 has consistently talked about laying a solid foundation so that once the building has been completed, it will stand the test of time. Ivy League titles aren't built in a day, a week or even a year.

The Ivy League title hasn't come – yet. But it's impossible to talk about the program in any way other than it continues to move forward in ways that are obvious on and off the field, and in ways that aren't obvious to everyone – yet.

All-Ivy League running back Luke Hagy, arguably the conference's top returning offensive threat, will continue to spearhead a renewed commitment to the running attack. The most successful teams in program history have come when the Big Red was able to move the ball on the ground. Players with starting experience return all over the field on offense – five experienced offensive linemen, four that saw time at quarterback, three at tight end/fullback and three at receiver.

The defense, so significantly improved a year ago in the second season with its new scheme, returns reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Nick Gesualdi, returning captain Rush Imhotep and junior All-Ivy linebacker candidates Miles Norris and Jackson Weber, among others. Rookie of the Year has been a theme under Archer – his recruits have captured the conference's top award for newcomers each of his first two seasons. Another two of his recruits have been freshmen All-American.

The 2013 Rookie of the Year, punter Chris Fraser, has now been first-team All-Ivy in each of his first two seasons. As the Big Red becomes more potent and efficient in its second year running a new offense, Fraser's ability to flip field position will be an even greater benefit to the defense.

There's plenty of reasons to be excited for the 2015 Cornell football home schedule as well. Homecoming, the first-ever Friday night home contest, a visit from the defending Ivy champs, an opponent who has finished in the top half of the Ancient Eight standings in 14 of the last 17 seasons and an attempt to retain the Empire State Bowl are all on tap. That's an extremely full five-game schedule, and plenty of opportunity to see the continued building of a championship program from the ground up.