When Dante Reno transferred home from South Carolina this offseason to play quarterback at Yale, in addition to getting to play for his father — Bulldogs head coach Tony Reno — there was another big perk about heading to the Ivy League that had him excited.

“The new FCS playoff rule, that was a big eye-opener for me,” Dante said earlier this year. “Like, ‘All right, we can now go compete nationally with people and go play on the biggest stages in FCS. We can go win our league and then go play somewhere else and win somewhere else against, I don’t know, North Dakota State or Montana, those types of schools.’”

Reno will now have that chance.

In arguably the highest-stakes Harvard-Yale rivalry game ever, Yale dominated Harvard on Saturday afternoon at the Yale Bowl with a 45-28 win that clinched the Ivy League’s automatic FCS playoff bid for the Bulldogs.

Previously, the Ivy League hadn’t permitted its teams to compete in the FCS football championship, making the annual rivalry game more about pride, bragging rights and recruiting advantages. But last December, the league’s council of presidents approved a proposal to finally change that, starting this season.

Yale, which has won five of the last eight Ivy League championships, entered the game 7-2, with losses to Lehigh and fellow Ivy League member Dartmouth. Harvard was a perfect 9-0 before Saturday, but after the loss to Yale, both teams now have one conference loss. The Bulldogs own the head-to-head advantage, so they’re the ones punching their tickets to the playoffs.

Harvard, however, could still receive an at-large bid, which would give the Ivies two playoff teams in the league’s first year of participation.

From the jump, Yale looked ready to pounce on the opportunity Saturday, beginning with junior defensive back Brandon Webster’s strip of a Harvard wide receiver for a fumble recovery on the game’s first play. Reno then connected with sophomore receiver Jaxton Santiago for a 20-yard touchdown on the first play of Yale’s first drive.

FIRST PLAY TAKEAWAY!

Brandon Webster with the strip and recovery!

Yale 0, Harvard 0 | 1st, 14:48#Team152 | #ThisIsYale pic.twitter.com/NNFvvNweCe

— Yale Football (@yalefootball) November 22, 2025

BULLDOGS BITE FIRST!

It’s Dante Reno to Jaxton Santiago on the first play after the turnover!

Yale 7, Harvard 0 | 1st, 14:42#Team152 | #ThisIsYale pic.twitter.com/LtdWnZlDug

— Yale Football (@yalefootball) November 22, 2025

 

The Bulldogs had a 17-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter and a 31-14 lead at halftime. Reno looked the part of a former SEC recruit, finishing the afternoon 15-of-19 passing for 273 yards and three touchdowns.

The FCS playoffs will feature 24 teams, with the top eight seeds receiving automatic byes in the first round. North Dakota State is again the team to beat, as the Bison aim for their second consecutive title and the program’s 11th since 2011. The FCS bracket selection show will be broadcast at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPNU.