(STATS) -- Despite an encouraging end to last season with the prospect of returning many veteran players this year, the Cornell football staff opened the offseason by posting a blank depth chart in the teams locker room.At Columbia, the coaching staff has been busy changing the approach of its players as much as making adjustments in the two-deep.Neither Ivy League program has enjoyed much recent success, but both began to see light on the horizon last season that perhaps this year they can slip through the door when nobodys looking.Not surprisingly on Tuesday, there was a far drop to last years two cellar-dwellers in the Ivy Leagues preseason poll, which was fronted by the three defending champions -- Harvard picked as the favorite with Penn second and Dartmouth third. Then it was Yale, Princeton and Brown before Columbia was picked seventh and Cornell eighth.Same ol, same ol in the Ancient Eight?Not necessarily.We think we will be much more competitive than weve been, said Columbia second-year coach Al Bagnoli, who previously won eight Ivy titles at Penn. We think were doing all the right things. We have kids who are buying in.Its just a matter of showing them, Cornell fourth-year coach David Archer said, that the difference on a Saturday afternoon isnt as big as they really think.Cornell and Columbia received a much-needed bump in publicity last week with their inclusion in the top 100 of a list ranking all-time college football programs. But when you factor in what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, your fathers Ivy League, even your older brothers, is not your great-grandfathers Ivy League.The two New York state rivals found a lot of their historical success before there even was an Ivy League. Columbias Ivy title in 1961 is the only one in program history, and the Lions havent had a winning season since 1996. Cornell has the second-fewest Ivy titles with three -- most recently in 1990 -- and the Big Red are seeking their first winning record since 2005.But being that its August, there is optimism. Maybe its not unfounded, either.Columbia (2-8, 1-6 Ivy) lost six times by eight points or less in Bagnolis first season in New York. Meanwhile, Cornell (1-9, 1-6) let three potential wins slip away, and after beating Columbia by a rather fitting 3-0 score, the Big Red were competitive in a season-ending loss at Penn.We had to have buy-in, we had to have trust, in addition to us being able to evaluate our kids ability level of what they could and couldnt do, Bagnoli said. You fast-forward a year and I think weve tried to do a good job in addressing all those issues. I think theres been a change in the culture here. I think we have a little bit more confidence and a little bit more exuberance and a little bit more swagger than what we had when we took over the program.Were entering Monday (the opening of preseason camp) with 124 guys on roster, Archer said. Now league rules (say) you can only have 110 to camp, which is what well have. But having the ability to say to the guys in January, Hey, youre going to have to compete just to get a spot in camp, really drove up (competition). And we had our best offseason, best spring practice to date so far.For Columbia, its important for quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, in his second year after transferring from Florida, to avoid similar injuries of a year ago. Five of last years six leading tacklers, including co-leaders linebacker Keith Brady and safety Christian Conway, return on defense.Up in Ithaca, Cornell brings back 15 starters, although it will have a change at quarterback if sophomore Dalton Banks unseats senior Robert Somborn. The Big Red feature one of the better defenders in the league in safety Nick Gesualdi and perhaps the best punter in the FCS in Chris Fraser.Neither team is ready to challenge for the league title considering more incremental steps are necessary. But the league could take on a different complexion after last years finish marked the first three-way share of the title since 1982. On graduation day, Penn lost 10 starters, Harvard saw 12 depart and Dartmouth lost 17.The trust testament is, who is the next man up? said Penn coach Ray Priore, who succeeded Bagnoli last season. The key to success … is dont forget how you won previous years.You just hope the kids develop and rise to the occasion, are opportunistic when given the opportunity to make their imprint in the program.---=IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL=1. Harvard (7 first-place votes), 126 points2. Penn (9), 1193. Dartmouth, 834. Yale, 815. Princeton, 796. Brown (1), 617. Columbia, 438. Cornell, 20 Latest Adidas Basketball Shoes . LOUIS -- St. Adidas Nmd Mens Ireland . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/adidas-basketball-shoes.html . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Adidas Basketball Shoes Discount . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Wholesale Adidas Nmd Mens . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. DENVER -- Jared Bednar never got a shot in the NHL as a player but hes getting one now as a coach.The Avalanche on Wednesday formally introduced Bednar, who was hired two weeks ago to lead Colorado after spending years in the minor leagues as a player and as a coach.I havent been in a rush to get to this point in my career, Bednar said. I was hopeful this opportunity would come. I hadnt stopped believing in that.Bednar succeeds Patrick Roy, who abruptly resigned as head coach and vice president of hockey operations on Aug. 11. With Roys departure coming six weeks before the start of training camp, the team had to move quickly to find a replacement.We knew we didnt have the luxury of interviewing 20 candidates, but we tried to put a good group of candidates together, said Joe Sakic, the teams executive vice president and general manager. Usually you have one or two interviews after, but we didnt have that luxury.Without the benefit of time, Sakic sought input from around the league and became convinced Bednar was the best fit for Colorados young core.There were a lot of phone calls to different people that know him and coached against him, Sakic said. The message was consistent.The 44-year-old Bednars path to the Avalanche began with an unspectacular minor league playing career. He scored 61 goals in 434 games for two different teams in the ECHL, had one goal in 74 AHL games and three more goals in 74 games in the International Hockey League.He never got an NHL call-up.Probably didnt come very close, Bednar said. I was just kind of a bubble player, a role player, but I was never really considereed a prospect.dddddddddddd Its disappointing because you work your whole life to be a player in the NHL.He spent his last two years with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL and found a second hockey life there at the end of his playing days.I started coaching and realized how much I loved it, he said. Ive been a more dedicated coach than I was a player.He began as an assistant with the Stingrays in 2002 and became the clubs head coach in 2007. He led the Stingrays to the conference finals in his first year, and they won the Kelly Cup in his second year.He jumped to the AHL in 2011 with Peoria, where he spent two years. He took over the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate in Springfield in 2014 and guided the Lake Erie Monsters to a Calder Cup title this year.His success in the minors helped him land the job with the Avalanche.I put value in winning a championship, Sakic said. Its hard to do that in any league.Things have moved fast for Bednar over the past two weeks. His wife, Susan, and their children stayed in Cleveland while he hopped into his truck for the move to Denver.I drove because I had some stuff I wanted to bring and it gave me some time to think, he said.His biggest realization? That finally reaching the NHL is not the end of his journey.Being the coach of the Avalanche isnt the be-all, end-all for me, its the success I want our team to have, he said. Getting here is certainly achieving something but its what you do when youre here thats more important. ' ' '