What other highly selective, well-endowed, private research universities in the Northeast would you swap into the Ivy League? Tufts? Maybe. Although it’s already in a league, it seems to have more in common with the Ivies than with the other NESCAC schools (which are all small LACs). MIT, of course. I can’t think of any others, unless you go south of the Mason Dixon to consider JHU.
7 of the 8 Ivies were colonial colleges. Geography,history, academic excellence and the private research university model, as well as the sports league, together distinguish the Ivy League. There are other excellent private and public research universities dispersed all over the USA. However, for generations of Americans, “back East” was the target destination for the best concentration of good colleges. The Northeast, for most of our history, has been the location of America’s political, financial, and cultural capitals. Within this region, the Ivies arguably are the 8 best private research universities (other than MIT).