"I don't talk about it, and I don't think the players talk about it," Columbia Coach Larry McElreavy says of The Streak. "I think the attitude here--and it's good--is that we are building a winning program here. If we break the [record], or if we don't break the [record], it doesn't really matter as long as we start winning."

"Being a senior, it's especially tough," says Lion defensive tackle Matt Sodl, who was in high school when Columbia last won. "But it's not like here we go again, because we've worked so damn hard in this offseason--we've got to get this b.s. over with."

"Everyone is pulling for us to break the record or laughing at us, but we've got to stick together. We're all we've got right now," adds wide receiver Terry Brown.

"No wonder the Columbia assistant coaches looked so unhappy after the Harvard game," people are chuckling. "They are the only ones in the country who didn't have Harvard in their office pools."

Things are looking up, however. Last year's Columbia freshman team posted a respectable 3-3 mark, and the program scored a big success over the summer when SMU refugee John Robinson--a big defensive lineman--donned the blue and white.

"Columbia is a much improved team this year," Harvard Coach Joe Restic said after his team summarily dismissed the Lions, 35-0, here on Saturday. "They are going to beat some teams this year, no question."

"I definitely think we've made a lot of progress from last year," Sodl adds.

Columbia is turning around, and sometime, maybe this year, maybe next, the Lions will win a game. Until then, though, they will have to live with the jokes.

"Hey, what's that blank blackboard doing in the Columbia lockerroom," people are asking. "That's no blank blackboard," others reply. "That's a diagram of the Columbia offensive plan."

Near the end of the second quarter Saturday, an announcement came over the Baker Field public address system. "We direct your attention to the new scoreboard at the end of the field, donated by alumnus Thomas Macioce."

A Bronx cheer arose from the Columbia crowd as it did direct its collective attention to the scoreboard--and was once again reminded of the sizeable deficit the Lions (once again) faced.

Coming within sight of the actual Bronx--and in the most modern stadium in the Ivy League, but one which has never seen a home victory--the cheer seemed all too appropriate.