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Could the best team in College Football beat the worst team in the NFL?

fsjeterfsjeter Posts: 1,390
in Sports Talk
I just had an interesting debate with a couple of guys here at work. They think that the best team in college football would get beat by the worst team in the NFL "by at least 60 points." I think the college team would have a good shot at winning this type of game. Up until 1976, the college all-stars played against the NFL. In the first game, the Chicago Bears and the College All-Stars played to a scoreless tie in 1934. The college all-stars actually won 27-7 in 1943 against the Washington Redskins (10-1). From 1934 to 1976 the scores were as follows:

Year Score
1934 Chicago Bears 0, All-Stars 0
1935 Chicago Bears 5, All-Stars 0
1936 Detroit Lions 7, All-Stars 0
1937 All-Stars 6, Green Bay Packers 0
1938 All-Stars 28, Washington Redskins 16
1939 New York Giants 9, All-Stars 0
1940 Green Bay Packers 45, All-Stars 28
1941 Chicago Bears 37, All-Stars 13
1942 Chicago Bears 21, All-Stars 0
1943 All-Stars 27, Washington Redskins 7
1944 Chicago Bears 24, All-Stars 21
1945 Green Bay Packers 19, All-Stars 7
1946 All-Stars 16, Los Angeles Rams 0
1947 All-Stars 16, Chicago Bears 0
1948 Chicago Cardinals 28, All-Stars 0
1949 Philadelphia Eagles 38, All-Stars 0
1950 All-Stars 17, Philadelphia Eagles 7
1951 Cleveland Browns 33, All-Stars 0
1952 Los Angeles Rams 10, All-Stars 7
1953 Detroit Lions 24, All-Stars 10
1954 Detroit Lions 31, All-Stars 6
1955 All-Stars 30, Cleveland Browns 27
1956 Cleveland Browns 26, All-Stars 0
1957 New York Giants 22, All-Stars 12
1958 All-Stars 35, Detroit Lions 19
1959 Baltimore Colts 29, All-Stars 0
1960 Baltimore Colts 32, All-Stars 7
1961 Philadelphia Eagles 28, All-Stars 14
1962 Green Bay Packers 42, All-Stars 20
1963 All-Stars 20, Green Bay Packers 17
1964 Chicago Bears 28, All-Stars 17
1965 Cleveland Browns 24, All-Stars 16
1966 Green Bay Packers 38, All-Stars 0
1967 Green Bay Packers 27, All-Stars 0
1968 Green Bay Packers 34, All-Stars 17
1969 New York Jets 26, All-Stars 24
1970 Kansas City Chiefs 24, All-Stars 3
1971 Baltimore Colts 24, All-Stars 17
1972 Dallas Cowboys 20, All-Stars 7
1973 Miami Dolphins 14, All-Stars 3
1974 No Game (NFLPA Strike)
1975 Pittsburgh Steelers 21, All-Stars 14
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers 24, All-Stars 0

According to the info I read, "there were two main reasons for the demise. First, pro football salaries had reached a much higher level, many college players who were unwilling to take part in the game for fear of injury. Second, fan interest had declined substantially because of the NFL's dominance."

I think if the college all-stars can do well (and sometimes win) against the best team in the NFL, the best college team would have a good shot at beating the worst team in the NFL.

I say bring back the Pro v. College all-star game. image

Scott
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Comments

  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    Yeah, there's no way the best team in college could beat the worst pro team.

    While there may be a few NFL guys on any given college team, EVERY guy on the worst NFL team is an NFL guy.

    Throw in the years of experience, the size, and the speed advantages the NFL team has, and it all adds up.
  • ziggy29ziggy29 Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
    That maye have been true 60, 50, even 40 years ago. These days even the best college players would get mauled by pretty much any NFL team.

    I don't think the margin of victory would usually be 60 points, partially because that's an awful lot of points and partially because the NFL team would start benching starters pretty early on to avoid injury.
  • RANDYMOSS84RANDYMOSS84 Posts: 1,980


    << <i>Yeah, there's no way the best team in college could beat the worst pro team.

    While there may be a few NFL guys on any given college team, EVERY guy on the worst NFL team is an NFL guy.

    Throw in the years of experience, the size, and the speed advantages the NFL team has, and it all adds up. >>




    Agreed 100%, they might not win by 60 persay though. THe worst team in FB is obv the raiders, Could ohio state beat the raiders? Doubtful.
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭


    << <i>THe worst team in FB is obv the raiders, Could ohio state beat the raiders? Doubtful. >>



    Perhaps not the Raiders, since they have a really good defense (1st in passing, I believe).

    Think OSU or MICH could put up a good game against the Bucs, maybe even win.
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • grote15grote15 Posts: 29,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Even the Raiders would crush OSU by at least 3 TDs. There may be a couple, even a few, players on the best college football team that will wind up even being drafted by an NFL team, and though the most talented players may be able to compete at the NFL level while at college, there are so many other mismatches on the field that even the worst offensive coordinator should be able to score at will on a college team. The speed of the game at the NFL level is way too fast and the size of the players way too big for a college team, even one like OSU to be able to compete successfully. And even the worst NFL teams can beat even a very good NFL team on any given Sunday, as we've seen many times this season already.


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  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭


    << <i> There may be a couple, even a few, players on the best college football team that will wind up even being drafted by an NFL team, and though the most talented players may be able to compete at the NFL level while at college. >>



    This is my point exactly.

    The best college team in the country may have a few players who make it to the NFL - even the worst NFL team is the very BEST of all these players.

    Throw in the experience of the NFL players, the massive size differences, and the speed, the best college teams don't stand a chance.
  • jamesyjamesy Posts: 132
    Anyone can beat anyone on a given day. But the college team would have tough time winning.

    This game used to have meaning in the 60's after the advent of the AFL. The AFL and NFL would have their drafts before the game and the other bowls,and after the game players would be signing their contracts on the field, with many of them being chased by representatives from teams of both leagues. If a guy had a good game, he might cash in better.

    Total bedlam would break loose around the undrafted guys who had a good bowl game and they were usually the ones that got the bigger money than the guys that got drafted because they could negotiate with any team.

    Times have changed and I doubt you could get a pro team to play any harder than they do at the Pro Bowl.
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  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,049 ✭✭✭✭✭
    <<< Could the best team in College Football beat the worst team in the NFL? >>>

    Let me ponder this and think about it for a millionth of a second. Okay, the correct answer is "No"
  • alpemomoalpemomo Posts: 355 ✭
    The best college team in the country may have a few players who make it to the NFL - even the worst NFL team is the very BEST of all these players.

    Throw in the experience of the NFL players, the massive size differences, and the speed, the best college teams don't stand a chance.



    This is so right, I remember in the late 80s working in Miami - the Miami Hurricanes played two exhibition quarters against the Miami Dolphins for charity. Now this was the Jimmy Johnson teams with all those great players on offense and the Dolphins always had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. In 6 years the Hurricanes scored 1 Field Goal! - on the other side, Marino lit up that Hurricane defense.
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  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    I can just see the horror on sweater vests face when Warren Sapp breaks Troy Smith in half and spits him out on the sideline.

    hmmmmmm

    JS
  • WabittwaxWabittwax Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭
    I don't think a college team could beat a pro team.

    Take last years USC for example. They were a MONSTER college team. Their future NFL guys at the time really haven't amounted to much yet and the rest of their team didn't even make it to any NFL Roster. Their best couple players have been average at best so far. No chance of them beating anybody.
  • Cincykid8123Cincykid8123 Posts: 239
    If the Raiders played Ohio State, plausable teams for this debate, it wouldn't even be close in the end. Oakland's defense would probably score a couple of TD's alone. As good as Troy Smith is at the college level, he would have zero time to throw that ball and would have linebackers after him that would easily run him down. Probably wouldn't be very competitive.
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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,698 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yea I agree 100 %. There is a zero chance of a Pro team losing to a college team, 85 % of the best college teams players would not even be considered for an NFL squad.
  • fsjeterfsjeter Posts: 1,390
    I don't know. I must be crazy or an eternal optimist. When I look at last year, this game would have been between the Texas Longhorns and the Houston Texans. Side-by-side, there wasn't that great a size difference. O.k., Houston had 15 players over 300 lbs. (avg. wt. 322.8) but the Longhorns had 12 (avg. wt. 320.75). Not that big a difference. Now, don't get me wrong. The college players don't win every year but I can't totally write them off as a perennial loss without a prayer in this scenario. I have to give the college players a little more credit. image

    Scott
    Registry Sets:
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    1988-89 Fleer BK PSA 10
    3,000 Hit Club RC PSA 5 & Up

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  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    What you are forgetting is the experience an average NFL guy has.

    Even with a team who is as lowly as the texans, they still have skill players who would absolutely dominate any and all college teams.
  • JerseyJersey Posts: 542
    Interesting question - although the answer is pretty clear cut. To go further, is there ANY sport in which a college team could beat the worst pro team in that sport?
    Wise men learn more from fools than fools learn from the wise.

  • bigfischebigfische Posts: 2,252 ✭✭
    Basketball coached right anyone can be victorious. All you need to do is get hot from behind the arc.





    edited to say: ok not ANYONE, but an athletic fundamentaly sound NCAA championship caliber squad.
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  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,343 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Times have changed and I doubt you could get a pro team to play any harder than they do at the Pro Bowl. >>



    That's why I don't think it's that unlikely that the college team would win. If you set it up so that the pro team has a real incentive to win, then they win easily 100 times out of 100.
    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • diamondmandiamondman Posts: 2,020
    I think if you picked an All-star college team and then played them against Tampa Bay , the college allstars might have a chance 4 out of 10 maybe? to win.
    I think a college bowling team might have a chance in the PBA. Is bowling a sport?
  • AlanAllenAlanAllen Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭
    For a glimpse into what fans thought of this subject in 1932, here's the back of a bears championship premium photo:

    image

    It was surprising to me, I thought the gap was much tighter in those days.

    Joe
    No such details will spoil my plans...
  • JerseyJersey Posts: 542
    <<For a glimpse into what fans thought of this subject in 1932, here's the back of a bears championship premium photo>>

    It's nice that you had that. Thanks for sharing.
    Wise men learn more from fools than fools learn from the wise.

  • GlynRParsonGlynRParson Posts: 364
    NO WAY
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭


    << <i>I think if you picked an All-star college team and then played them against Tampa Bay , the college allstars might have a chance 4 out of 10 maybe? to win.
    I think a college bowling team might have a chance in the PBA. Is bowling a sport? >>



    That has to be the laimest statement in a long time. A college All Star team?? I can see a bunch of stars running around the field
    not knowing what the play is and where they are supposed to be getting lit up by Derrick Brooks...yeah that would go well! LOL

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