Columbia shooting for first Ivy League football title since 1961

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. ...