Could Alabama or Texas beat (1 Viewer)

[shader]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.

BUT

I say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.

Thoughts?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

 

[jurb26]

It would not surprise me and I would probably favor them in that game. Of course in saying that I realize that the guys on the field together in the 4th quarter of a preseason game have never been on the field together before in their lives and are learning all new terminology and playbooks. The starters for Alabama/Texas have been playing together for at least a few years and at least have chemistry with one another. I won't even debate what the talent levels of each team may be. I think that alone makes enough of a difference.

 

[shader]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

I'd say that every single starter on the field in last year's Alabama Texas game will at least get NFL tryouts, assuming they stay healthy and stay in school.And we aren't talking about boys vs men. We're talking about players one year out of college.

 

[HellToupee]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

I'd say that every single starter on the field in last year's Alabama Texas game will at least get NFL tryouts, assuming they stay healthy and stay in school.

I doubt that all 44 players will camp invites

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

They'd lose 28-3 instead of 45-0

 

[FUBAR]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

I'd say that every single starter on the field in last year's Alabama Texas game will at least get NFL tryouts, assuming they stay healthy and stay in school.

I doubt that all 44 players will camp invites

Sure, but you'll also have more studs on Bama/Texas. I'd bet on the college teams in this hypo.

 

[Darth Cheney]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This....although the fact that some of the players on the college team have played together for awhile might count for something.

 

[shader]

I went back and checked Bama's starting lineup.

Of the starters in the championship game, 20 of 22 will get NFL invites.

One of those, Eryk Anders, was only starting because Donta' Hightower was injured. Hightower will be drafted in 2011 probably in the top 2-3 rounds.

So if you put injury aside, the sole player on the entire Alabama starting lineup that wouldn't see an NFL camp was the RT, Drew Davis.

The only player starting in that game that I even wonder about is William Vlachos, the center, as he is kind of short. But I still think he'll get a camp invite. We'll see. The rest are all shoo-ins.

 

[((Morpheus))]

It would be dangerous to allow a college team to play with the big boys. Seriously.

 

[shader]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This....although the fact that some of the players on the college team have played together for awhile might count for something.

On the college team, you'd have future NFL stars. On the "scrub" team, you'd have 1 or 2 guys who MIGHT make rosters, but are nothing more than camp bodies. Give me the college team all day long.LOL at the guy who said 28-3. You think Mark Ingram wouldn't be able to score against 3rd string camp bodies of an NFL team?

 

[shader]

It would be dangerous to allow a college team to play with the big boys. Seriously.

Agree. These aren't the big boys though.

 

[jurb26]

I went back and checked Bama's starting lineup.Of the starters in the championship game, 20 of 22 will get NFL invites.One of those, Eryk Anders, was only starting because Donta' Hightower was injured. Hightower will be drafted in 2011 probably in the top 2-3 rounds.So if you put injury aside, the sole player on the entire Alabama starting lineup that wouldn't see an NFL camp was the RT, Drew Davis.The only player starting in that game that I even wonder about is William Vlachos, the center, as he is kind of short. But I still think he'll get a camp invite. We'll see. The rest are all shoo-ins.

I would think that Alabama would easily have the 6-10 most talented players on the field in that game. I can't speak as much for Texas because I'm just not nearly as familiar with their team. Now are they as developed as players as the guys who are fighting for NFL lives? I don't really know the answer to that. However, to say that one group is men and the other are boys is very far fetched. 90% of the guys on the field for that NFL team are probably rookies or 2nd year players. I'd say that at least 6 of these 10 Alabama players will go in the 1st 3 rounds of the NFL draft next year. The 1st 3 of which are virtual locks for the 1st round:Marcell DareusMark IngramJulio JonesMark BarronJosh ChapmanJerrell HarrisJames CarpenterRobby GreenLuther DavisDonta HightowerThis doesn't even include sophomore players such as Dre Kirkpatrick, Nico Johnson and Trent Richardson.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This....although the fact that some of the players on the college team have played together for awhile might count for something.

On the college team, you'd have future NFL stars. On the "scrub" team, you'd have 1 or 2 guys who MIGHT make rosters, but are nothing more than camp bodies. Give me the college team all day long.LOL at the guy who said 28-3. You think Mark Ingram wouldn't be able to score against 3rd string camp bodies of an NFL team?

No I don't, and it has little to do with Ingram. Bama would get dominated on the line of scrimmage and outschemed by an NFL defense (led by superior NFL defensive coaches). He'd have little space to run. You said yourself that Bama has two starters that won't even get into an NFL camp. That's enough for an NFL team to exploit. Seriously, Greg McElroy is a nice player, and might make it as a backup QB some day, but you're saying he can win against an NFL defense? Now? At 22 years old? Please.The rest is just a matter of size and maturity. I'll take a team of 23-27 year old prospects and journeymen (most of whom were among the best players on their college teams) over a team of 18-22 year old kids 10 times out of 10, even if a few of those kids are highly talented.

 

[Doug Drinen]

Mark me down as a vote for the Tide or Horns in this game.

 

[tombonneau]

Mark me down as a vote for the Tide or Horns in this game.

I agree. 1. Cohesion factor. They've been playing together for awhile. These players have only been together weeks, and likely never all practicing as the #1s together.2. Top Talent. Similar to what someone else said, the Texas/Alabama team would have the top 10 most players on the field, if not more.

 

[jurb26]

No I don't, and it has little to do with Ingram. Bama would get dominated on the line of scrimmage and outschemed by an NFL defense (led by superior NFL defensive coaches). He'd have little space to run. You said yourself that Bama has two starters that won't even get into an NFL camp. That's enough for an NFL team to exploit. Seriously, Greg McElroy is a nice player, and might make it as a backup QB some day, but you're saying he can win against an NFL defense? Now? At 22 years old? Please.

The rest is just a matter of size and maturity. I'll take a team of 23-27 year old prospects and journeymen (most of whom were among the best players on their college teams) over a team of 18-22 year old kids 10 times out of 10, even if a few of those kids are highly talented.

This is a rather silly comment IMO. Dominated by scheme from players who have only played that scheme for a month vs. players who have played in theirs for 2+ years? Not too mention that Saben runs a very similar scheme to any NFL defense as well. Maybe it doesn't have all the bells and whistles but they guys fighting for roster spots on in the 4th quarter are just getting the basics down at that stage of the game. The Alabama players will be playing against a shell of a real NFL defense.

 

[jurb26]

Just another comment to add. Have any of you who think the NFL 4th and 5th stringers ever actually watched what happens in a preseason game when one team leaves it's starters in and another put in just the 2nd team? It's a freaking white wash. The talent gap and cohesion gap just between 1st and 2nd string is remarkable this time of year let alone all the way down to the fringe guys who about 60% of will get cut. You act as though they are playing starters or 2nd string guys here. Not the case at all.

 

[SSOG]

It would not surprise me and I would probably favor them in that game. Of course in saying that I realize that the guys on the field together in the 4th quarter of a preseason game have never been on the field together before in their lives and are learning all new terminology and playbooks. The starters for Alabama/Texas have been playing together for at least a few years and at least have chemistry with one another. I won't even debate what the talent levels of each team may be. I think that alone makes enough of a difference.

I think the college football team would have better top-tier talent. I'd imagine that the 5 best players on the college squad would be much better than the 5 best players on the Preseason Squad. The Preseason Squad would have better depth of talent, though- the 5 worst players on the preseason squad would be much better than the 5 worst players on the college squad. At the end of the day, I think the talent would be pretty close, either way. Then it becomes a question of whether the extra couple of years of physical maturity for the preseason squad would overcome the extra practice and cohesion of the college squad... and I don't think it would. I'd take the college team.

 

[SSOG]

Just another comment to add. Have any of you who think the NFL 4th and 5th stringers ever actually watched what happens in a preseason game when one team leaves it's starters in and another put in just the 2nd team? It's a freaking white wash. The talent gap and cohesion gap just between 1st and 2nd string is remarkable this time of year let alone all the way down to the fringe guys who about 60% of will get cut. You act as though they are playing starters or 2nd string guys here. Not the case at all.

Also The majority of the time, the team that wins the most preseason games is the team that leaves its starters in the longest.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

A lot of good arguments here and I was definitely hasty in my first comment.

But this might put it in perspective... I opened the first game I saw from preseason last week. And the 4th quarter QB for the Ravens was Troy Smith. Smith won a Heisman four years ago. So on one team you have a HTW with three years of pro experience who only has to beat a college scheme. On the other you have a decent college QB with no pro experience who has to beat a pro scheme.

On the other side was Hunter Cantwell, probably pretty similar to the college player.

Still leaning towards the pros, but not nearly so vociferously as I was at first.

 

[TLEF316]

the college guys beat the camp fodder.

I know a few guys that were camp fodder a few years ago. Had a buddy that was a starting WR in the Big East and got a short cup of coffee in eagles camp. (was an early cut in his first year, gave it a shot in one of the arena leagues for 2 seasons and then gave it up). I'm fairly certain he'd admit that he didn't the ability to get on the field for a national power. (despite being recruited by a few semi-elite schools like Penn St.).

Sure, there are a few guys that are good players and will eventually have short NFL careers. But there are multiple future NFL starters on Alabama's squad. When you add in the fact that they have experience playing together, i think they win. I don't believe the physical differences between an ELITE 20-22 year old and a 25 year old camp body are all that great, if anything at all.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

Just another comment to add. Have any of you who think the NFL 4th and 5th stringers ever actually watched what happens in a preseason game when one team leaves it's starters in and another put in just the 2nd team? It's a freaking white wash. The talent gap and cohesion gap just between 1st and 2nd string is remarkable this time of year let alone all the way down to the fringe guys who about 60% of will get cut. You act as though they are playing starters or 2nd string guys here. Not the case at all.

Also The majority of the time, the team that wins the most preseason games is the team that leaves its starters in the longest.

I disagree 100%. I have no facts to back it up, but it seems to happen with great regularity where pre-season games take huge swings back and forth later in the game.

 

[shader]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This....although the fact that some of the players on the college team have played together for awhile might count for something.

On the college team, you'd have future NFL stars. On the "scrub" team, you'd have 1 or 2 guys who MIGHT make rosters, but are nothing more than camp bodies. Give me the college team all day long.LOL at the guy who said 28-3. You think Mark Ingram wouldn't be able to score against 3rd string camp bodies of an NFL team?

No I don't, and it has little to do with Ingram. Bama would get dominated on the line of scrimmage and outschemed by an NFL defense (led by superior NFL defensive coaches). He'd have little space to run. You said yourself that Bama has two starters that won't even get into an NFL camp. That's enough for an NFL team to exploit. Seriously, Greg McElroy is a nice player, and might make it as a backup QB some day, but you're saying he can win against an NFL defense? Now? At 22 years old? Please.The rest is just a matter of size and maturity. I'll take a team of 23-27 year old prospects and journeymen (most of whom were among the best players on their college teams) over a team of 18-22 year old kids 10 times out of 10, even if a few of those kids are highly talented.

It's not an NFL team or an NFL defense. I fully realize no college team is a match for an NFL team. This is the NFL scrubs playing in the 4th quarter of the pre-season.

 

[EBF]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This.The only thing working in a top college team's favor is that they might have 3-4 blue chip guys who are better than any 3rd string NFL players. For example, Alabama has Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram in their backfield, both of whom would start for the majority of NFL teams. Those guys are superior to 4th quarter preseason players, but having 1-2 guys like that couldn't offset the overall disadvantage.Even the guys on the bottom of the NFL rosters were standout players that the NCAA level. It's a silly topic.

 

[jurb26]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This.The only thing working in a top college team's favor is that they might have 3-4 blue chip guys who are better than any 3rd string NFL players. For example, Alabama has Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram in their backfield, both of whom would start for the majority of NFL teams. Those guys are superior to 4th quarter preseason players, but having 1-2 guys like that couldn't offset the overall disadvantage.Even the guys on the bottom of the NFL rosters were standout players that the NCAA level. It's a silly topic.

Alabama doesn't have just 1 or 2 guys like that. They've got at least 6 if not 12.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

The 4th quarter guys would have big problems with depth since they couldn't put their NFL team's starters in the game.

If we're saying only 22 starters (+kickers and returners) from the college team and the NFL team gets time to practice together, my money is on the NFL. You're still talking about a couple hundred schools feeding 32 teams and, as wdcrob pointed out, a fair number of guys that play in the 4th were excellent college players that have been backups in the NFL for years.

 

[CalBear]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This.The only thing working in a top college team's favor is that they might have 3-4 blue chip guys who are better than any 3rd string NFL players. For example, Alabama has Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram in their backfield, both of whom would start for the majority of NFL teams. Those guys are superior to 4th quarter preseason players, but having 1-2 guys like that couldn't offset the overall disadvantage.Even the guys on the bottom of the NFL rosters were standout players that the NCAA level. It's a silly topic.

These are guys below the bottom of the NFL rosters. Let's look at some examples. From the Niners-Colts game this weekend, in the fourth quarter you've got Tom Brandstater at QB. Who, you ask? He played QB at Fresno State. 59% completions for his college career, 47 TD 32 INT. Best season was 2654 yards, 15 TD 5 INT; as a senior he went for 2664, 18 TD 12 INT.He was sacked by Will Tukuafu, from Oregon, a DE who had 13 sacks in three years for the Ducks. One forced fumble. Best year had 55 tackles.Devin Moore had a 3 yard run. Moore played RB at Wyoming. He rushed for 1300 yards and 7 TDs his senior year in the Mountain West; didn't pass 1000 yards any other year.After an incomplete pass to Brandon James (whose best year at RB at Florida was 520 yards and 2 TDs), Indianapolis punted, but Brandon Guilliory from Louisiana-Monroe (think he played safety there, no stats available) muffed the catch, recovered by DE Trevor Anderson of the Colts. (Anderson had 45 tackles and 4 sacks as a senior and was named honorable mention all-Big-10). Another Brandstater pass, this one to Blair White (who almost had one 1000-yard receiving season at MSU) went incomplete, but pass interference was called on Patrick Stoudamire (CB from Western Illinois who had six INTs in a three-year college career). Given the ball at the three yard line, Brandstater completed a TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme, who had 56/619/6 his senior year (no more than 386/2 any other year).And so on. I think it's safe to say that none of these guys would have started in the BCS championship game--maybe not in any of the BCS games. They are significantly outclassed by top college teams.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

These are guys below the bottom of the NFL rosters. Let's look at some examples. From the Niners-Colts game this weekend, in the fourth quarter you've got Tom Brandstater at QB. Who, you ask? He played QB at Fresno State. 59% completions for his college career, 47 TD 32 INT. Best season was 2654 yards, 15 TD 5 INT; as a senior he went for 2664, 18 TD 12 INT.He was sacked by Will Tukuafu, from Oregon, a DE who had 13 sacks in three years for the Ducks. One forced fumble. Best year had 55 tackles.Devin Moore had a 3 yard run. Moore played RB at Wyoming. He rushed for 1300 yards and 7 TDs his senior year in the Mountain West; didn't pass 1000 yards any other year.After an incomplete pass to Brandon James (whose best year at RB at Florida was 520 yards and 2 TDs), Indianapolis punted, but Brandon Guilliory from Louisiana-Monroe (think he played safety there, no stats available) muffed the catch, recovered by DE Trevor Anderson of the Colts. (Anderson had 45 tackles and 4 sacks as a senior and was named honorable mention all-Big-10). Another Brandstater pass, this one to Blair White (who almost had one 1000-yard receiving season at MSU) went incomplete, but pass interference was called on Patrick Stoudamire (CB from Western Illinois who had six INTs in a three-year college career). Given the ball at the three yard line, Brandstater completed a TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme, who had 56/619/6 his senior year (no more than 386/2 any other year).And so on. I think it's safe to say that none of these guys would have started in the BCS championship game--maybe not in any of the BCS games. They are significantly outclassed by top college teams.

Technically Brandon James did start a BCS title game at PR and KR.

 

[jurb26]

The 4th quarter guys would have big problems with depth since they couldn't put their NFL team's starters in the game.

If we're saying only 22 starters (+kickers and returners) from the college team and the NFL team gets time to practice together, my money is on the NFL. You're still talking about a couple hundred schools feeding 32 teams and, as wdcrob pointed out, a fair number of guys that play in the 4th were excellent college players that have been backups in the NFL for years.

I think CalBear might have just shown us that Smith was more an outlier than the norm. The fact that they were all excellent college players doesn't really mean a whole lot. We are not comparing them to average college teams. We are comparing them to the very few ELITE college teams who have pretty much nothing but excellent college players and several elite ones to go with it.

 

[jurb26]

Technically Brandon James did start a BCS title game at PR and KR.

To me that fact that a guy like James, who couldn't sniff any serious playing time outside of ST at one of these few elite programs, is still getting a shot in the NFL kind of strengthens the case for Alabama/Texas.

 

[EBF]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This.The only thing working in a top college team's favor is that they might have 3-4 blue chip guys who are better than any 3rd string NFL players. For example, Alabama has Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram in their backfield, both of whom would start for the majority of NFL teams. Those guys are superior to 4th quarter preseason players, but having 1-2 guys like that couldn't offset the overall disadvantage.Even the guys on the bottom of the NFL rosters were standout players that the NCAA level. It's a silly topic.

These are guys below the bottom of the NFL rosters. Let's look at some examples. From the Niners-Colts game this weekend, in the fourth quarter you've got Tom Brandstater at QB. Who, you ask? He played QB at Fresno State. 59% completions for his college career, 47 TD 32 INT. Best season was 2654 yards, 15 TD 5 INT; as a senior he went for 2664, 18 TD 12 INT.He was sacked by Will Tukuafu, from Oregon, a DE who had 13 sacks in three years for the Ducks. One forced fumble. Best year had 55 tackles.Devin Moore had a 3 yard run. Moore played RB at Wyoming. He rushed for 1300 yards and 7 TDs his senior year in the Mountain West; didn't pass 1000 yards any other year.After an incomplete pass to Brandon James (whose best year at RB at Florida was 520 yards and 2 TDs), Indianapolis punted, but Brandon Guilliory from Louisiana-Monroe (think he played safety there, no stats available) muffed the catch, recovered by DE Trevor Anderson of the Colts. (Anderson had 45 tackles and 4 sacks as a senior and was named honorable mention all-Big-10). Another Brandstater pass, this one to Blair White (who almost had one 1000-yard receiving season at MSU) went incomplete, but pass interference was called on Patrick Stoudamire (CB from Western Illinois who had six INTs in a three-year college career). Given the ball at the three yard line, Brandstater completed a TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme, who had 56/619/6 his senior year (no more than 386/2 any other year).And so on. I think it's safe to say that none of these guys would have started in the BCS championship game--maybe not in any of the BCS games. They are significantly outclassed by top college teams.

I disagree. There are no scrubs in the NFL. Even the lowest of the low would start for the overwhelming majority of NCAA teams. Even the very best teams in college football only put a handful of players in the NFL each year. Let's take Alabama for instance. They have had 19 players drafted in the 5 years between 2006-2010. That's not even enough for a full 22 man starting lineup, let alone enough for special teams. There's also a lot of redundancy. They have had 7 DBs and 3 RBs drafted in that time frame, but zero WRs and only one OL. How are you going to win when you can't pass or block? Guys like DeMeco Ryans, Rolando McClain, and Le'Ron McClain are better than the average NFL bottom feeder, but they wouldn't be enough to overcome the deficits at other positions. There are a few schools like USC, Ohio State, Texas, and Florida who could field pretty competitive teams. But when you realize that only a fraction of their players get drafted and only a fraction of those who get drafted end up sticking in the NFL, I don't think the overall outlook is very rosy. I would only make exceptions for those rare periods when one college team manages to assemble an improbable and incredible collection of talent. Miami in the early 2000s qualifies. In the 4 drafts between 2001-2004 they produced the following NFL draft picks. 2004 1 5 5 Sean Taylor Redskins DB 1 6 6 Kellen Winslow Jr Browns TE 1 12 12 Jonathan Vilma Jets LB 1 17 17 D.J. Williams Broncos LB 1 19 19 Vernon Carey Dolphins G 1 21 21 Vince Wilfork Patriots DT 7 12 213 Darrell McClover Jets LB 7 14 215 Alfonso Marshall Bears DB 7 53 254 Carlos Joseph Chargers T2003 1 3 3 Andre Johnson Texans WR 1 15 15 Jerome McDougle Eagles DE 1 23 23 Willis McGahee Bills RB 1 25 25 William Joseph Giants DT 3 25 89 Andrew Williams 49ers DE 4 34 131 Jamaal Green Eagles DE 5 15 150 Matthew Walters Jets DE 7 27 241 Ken Dorsey 49ers QB2002 1 7 7 Bryant McKinnie Vikings T 1 14 14 Jeremy Shockey Giants TE 1 17 17 Phillip Buchanon Raiders DB 1 24 24 Ed Reed Ravens DB 1 27 27 Mike Rumph 49ers DB 2 19 51 Clinton Portis Broncos RB 4 18 116 Martin Bibla Falcons G 4 37 135 Najeh Davenport Packers RB 6 11 183 James Lewis Colts DB 7 15 226 Daryl Jones Giants WR 7 16 227 Joaquin Gonzalez Browns T2001 1 11 11 Dan Morgan Panthers LB 1 12 12 Damione Lewis Rams DT 1 16 16 Santana Moss Jets WR 1 30 30 Reggie Wayne Colts WR 3 3 65 James Jackson Browns RB 6 37 200 Leonard Myers Patriots DB 7 45 245 Andre King Browns WRA team like this would be really hard for a preseason team to handle because they would have superior top level talent and comparable depth. This group is extremely exceptional though and you also have to consider the fact that while dozens of Miami's players eventually became NFL draft picks, in any given year many of them would be in their freshman-sophomore season and perhaps not at their peak whereas the NFL players would all be 21+ years old at a minimum. Also, the OP never specified which week of the preseason we're talking about. The teams fielded in week one are not as strong as the teams fielded in the final week because they contain more total fluff. I guess if you had the best college team of the decade in their perfect year playing against week one preseason scrubs, they might be favorites. In general I still don't buy the notion that a great college team could beat an average collection of fringe NFL players. Even a lot of the "great" college players like Dwayne Jarrett and Troy Smith end up being no better than the likes of Blair White and Tom Brandstater.

 

[latrops]

Mark me down as a vote for the Tide or Horns in this game.

I agree. 1. Cohesion factor. They've been playing together for awhile. These players have only been together weeks, and likely never all practicing as the #1s together.2. Top Talent. Similar to what someone else said, the Texas/Alabama team would have the top 10 most players on the field, if not more.

This gets my vote as well. We are talking about teams that competed for the national title. I think a national title contender would compete with and probably even beat an NFL team of 3rd stringers, practice squadders, and players that ultimately get cut.

 

[Catbird]

So the argument for the college team is that nearly all of them will one day get drafted or at leats have tryouts? ALL of the pro team has been drafted or passed tryouts. Many of those guys playing seond and third string in the pre-season are the Nmdamukong Suhs, Tyson Alualus, Tim Tebows, Dez Bryants and Arrelious Benns who are not starting in their first NFL camps but laboring in camp as second or third stringers after totally dominating the college ranks a year or two before. The non-rookie pros are guys that have been playing in the bigs for several years and have trained at a higher speed against players with far greater strength and force. Any college team would be crippled in a full-fleged contest.

For those old enough to remember, the college all-stars of old - the best of all college players grouped together - were clearly inferior to the NFL squads who they faced pre-season, back when that annual game was played. And that was with the pros not caring (it was virtually a first pre-season scrimmage) and the college kids playing for their lives as youngsters coming up looking for pro jobs.

It is always surprising to me that people don't realize how great the difference is between the college level of play and the NFL. How many guys are great in college and can't make the huge leap to even make a significant appearance in the pros? Do you really think ANY guy playing in the NFL for a couple of years couldn't go back down and dominate in the college ranks?

Compare the minor leagues in baseball, where the best college players get drafted and go to the minor leagues, where (the rare Strasburg notwithstanding) mosr work and improve for years, with 4 of 5 players weaned out for every one who ever sniffs the majors. Many of those lucky enough to escape the minors after years of growth and development, long AFTER college careers winning 20 games with sub 2 ERAs or hitting .400 with 30 homers, only to 'succeed' eventually as backups in the bigs or middle relief pitchers. Cal-Fullerton or Arizona State is going to take out the Yankees second string in a best of 7 series?

Go ask Tim Tebow or Arrelious Benn how the second string NFL squad he is trying desperately to be good enough to make would fare against his former college buddies.

 

[latrops]

I disagree. There are no scrubs in the NFL. Even the lowest of the low would start for the overwhelming majority of NCAA teams. Even the very best teams in college football only put a handful of players in the NFL each year. Also, the OP never specified which week of the preseason we're talking about. The teams fielded in week one are not as strong as the teams fielded in the final week because they contain more total fluff.

First, I think there are some players you could call scrubs in the NFL. RB Chris Henry of Houston (formerly of the Titans) is arguably a scrub. He never had a 600 yard season as a rb in college and has done nothing in 3 pro seasons. He does have prototype size and a great 40 time, though, so he hangs around based on perceived potential.That said, when discussing the players that see the field in the 4th quarter of week 1 and 2 preseason games, we aren't really talking about players that are "in the NFL". They are NFL hopefuls, some are sure to make it, some have little to no shot. Teams roster 80 players during the preseason, cut down to 75 after preseason week 3, then down to 53 between the end of the preaseason and the beginning of the regular season. Those 27 players that end up getting cut are well represented in the 4th quarter of preseason week 1 games.The original poster said that the best college teams could beat "the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game". While he doesn't specifically state what week we are talking about, I think the point is to compare the best that CFB has to offer vs. the worst that the NFL has to offer...so I take it to mean the 4th qtr teams of preseason week 1/2.

 

[coolnerd]

I've always laughed at people who thought that the best CFB teams could beat the worst NFL teams. Even if you took the best CFB team in the last decade, they would get destroyed by any NFL team.BUTI say that an elite college football team would rather easily beat the teams put on the field in quarter 4 of an NFL pre-season game.Thoughts?

So you think a team made up of 18-22 year olds, 50%+ of whom will never even get an NFL tryout could beat a team of adult men who've all either been drafted or at least invited camp and practiced against seasoned pros?I disagree. A lot.

This.The only thing working in a top college team's favor is that they might have 3-4 blue chip guys who are better than any 3rd string NFL players. For example, Alabama has Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram in their backfield, both of whom would start for the majority of NFL teams. Those guys are superior to 4th quarter preseason players, but having 1-2 guys like that couldn't offset the overall disadvantage.Even the guys on the bottom of the NFL rosters were standout players that the NCAA level. It's a silly topic.

These are guys below the bottom of the NFL rosters. Let's look at some examples. From the Niners-Colts game this weekend, in the fourth quarter you've got Tom Brandstater at QB. Who, you ask? He played QB at Fresno State. 59% completions for his college career, 47 TD 32 INT. Best season was 2654 yards, 15 TD 5 INT; as a senior he went for 2664, 18 TD 12 INT.He was sacked by Will Tukuafu, from Oregon, a DE who had 13 sacks in three years for the Ducks. One forced fumble. Best year had 55 tackles.Devin Moore had a 3 yard run. Moore played RB at Wyoming. He rushed for 1300 yards and 7 TDs his senior year in the Mountain West; didn't pass 1000 yards any other year.After an incomplete pass to Brandon James (whose best year at RB at Florida was 520 yards and 2 TDs), Indianapolis punted, but Brandon Guilliory from Louisiana-Monroe (think he played safety there, no stats available) muffed the catch, recovered by DE Trevor Anderson of the Colts. (Anderson had 45 tackles and 4 sacks as a senior and was named honorable mention all-Big-10). Another Brandstater pass, this one to Blair White (who almost had one 1000-yard receiving season at MSU) went incomplete, but pass interference was called on Patrick Stoudamire (CB from Western Illinois who had six INTs in a three-year college career). Given the ball at the three yard line, Brandstater completed a TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme, who had 56/619/6 his senior year (no more than 386/2 any other year).And so on. I think it's safe to say that none of these guys would have started in the BCS championship game--maybe not in any of the BCS games. They are significantly outclassed by top college teams.

You are negative cherry picking who is playing in the fourth quarter. I am sure within the last few years Tony Romo, Pierre Thomas , Miles Austin etc could have been found in the 4th quarter of an NFL pre-season game. Besides undrafted guys, plenty of mid-to late rounders wind up as 3rd or 4th teamers their first year or two, basically closing out games while they learn their craft.Also, some of those guys you listed did not play with one other guy on his team the NFL deemed worthy of even giving a shot. So they are playing with better guys, under better coaching than they ever have evenif they are rookies. Remember the NFL only thinks that maybe 1,000 of the 10,200 D-1 college players are even worthy of a try out. The 1,000 is probably high between the lower level guys and the fact the NFL does not sign 750 UD rookies every year. So even the worst of this NFL bunch represent the best 10% of college football players in America at a given point. Even then best university only has 15-20 of the 1,000 on their squad. To attempt to answer the original question: I think that the game(s) would be relatively competitve if we are taking an average collection of NFL 4th quarter and the so-called best the NCAA has to offer, but over the course of 10 games I would put it at 7 or 8 to the pros over the college guys.

 

[Mr.Underhill]

It would not surprise me and I would probably favor them in that game. Of course in saying that I realize that the guys on the field together in the 4th quarter of a preseason game have never been on the field together before in their lives and are learning all new terminology and playbooks. The starters for Alabama/Texas have been playing together for at least a few years and at least have chemistry with one another. I won't even debate what the talent levels of each team may be. I think that alone makes enough of a difference.

That's my position and well stated at that. Chemistry and execution vs. a significant lack thereof could certainly win the day despite the significant talent advantage the pros have.But give the pros a month or two to prepare/learn/gel and I put my money on the pros every day. Once the pros' D gels in terms of the D-line and the secondary's coverage assignments, I think it would be lights out for the college team. Domination at the LOS.

 

[Catbird]

As if 2/3 of these guys weren't playing for the same team last year, in the same system they practiced every day since last summer and with mostly the same teammates?

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

Interesting topic, good arguments on both ends.

For me, I lean towards the NFL bench.

No question that the Tide have a plethora of talent that, taken together, could be/likely is better than many of the bench scrubs.

Even still, the speed of the NFL game -- even in the 4th Q of a preseason game -- is elevated beyond what Texas and Alabama normally see on the college gridiron, even with all that talent. While college blue-chippers might adjust, it's the rest of the guys who will be inordinately weak links in the chain.

Plus, those NFL journeymen and late round selection guys on the NFL team are on the bubble, playing for their job. That alone tips the scales in their favor, as they are bringing a lot more to the table in terms of making every play count.

 

[Mr.Underhill]

As if 2/3 of these guys weren't playing for the same team last year, in the same system they practiced every day since last summer and with mostly the same teammates?

If 2/3 of the guys are returning players and there were no coaching/scheme changes, which I don't concede but will go along with, that still leaves 1/3 that aren't that familiar with the scheme. So which 2 of the 5 OL's and in-line TE on that third and long are trying to remember their blocking assignments? Which 1 or 2 of the DB's in that nickel package is trying to remember his coverage assignment? Is it the QB, the split-end or the flanker who is trying to remember which pattern(s) will be run given his pre-snap reads?And since these guys are at the bottom of the depth chart, they spent most of their practice time last year simulating their team's opponent's defense or offense each week for the 1's and 2's to run against.That's why the third string QB struggles when he gets in the game on Sunday and the offense goes vanilla. He HASN'T gotten the practice reps the 1 and 2 got that week.

 

[SSOG]

So the argument for the college team is that nearly all of them will one day get drafted or at leats have tryouts? ALL of the pro team has been drafted or passed tryouts. Many of those guys playing seond and third string in the pre-season are the Nmdamukong Suhs, Tyson Alualus, Tim Tebows, Dez Bryants and Arrelious Benns who are not starting in their first NFL camps but laboring in camp as second or third stringers after totally dominating the college ranks a year or two before. The non-rookie pros are guys that have been playing in the bigs for several years and have trained at a higher speed against players with far greater strength and force. Any college team would be crippled in a full-fleged contest. For those old enough to remember, the college all-stars of old - the best of all college players grouped together - were clearly inferior to the NFL squads who they faced pre-season, back when that annual game was played. And that was with the pros not caring (it was virtually a first pre-season scrimmage) and the college kids playing for their lives as youngsters coming up looking for pro jobs. It is always surprising to me that people don't realize how great the difference is between the college level of play and the NFL. How many guys are great in college and can't make the huge leap to even make a significant appearance in the pros? Do you really think ANY guy playing in the NFL for a couple of years couldn't go back down and dominate in the college ranks? Compare the minor leagues in baseball, where the best college players get drafted and go to the minor leagues, where (the rare Strasburg notwithstanding) mosr work and improve for years, with 4 of 5 players weaned out for every one who ever sniffs the majors. Many of those lucky enough to escape the minors after years of growth and development, long AFTER college careers winning 20 games with sub 2 ERAs or hitting .400 with 30 homers, only to 'succeed' eventually as backups in the bigs or middle relief pitchers. Cal-Fullerton or Arizona State is going to take out the Yankees second string in a best of 7 series?Go ask Tim Tebow or Arrelious Benn how the second string NFL squad he is trying desperately to be good enough to make would fare against his former college buddies.

I wouldn't ask Tim Tebow. His 3rd string offensive line couldn't keep 3rd string nobody passrushers off of him. Meanwhile, the opposing 3rd string CBs couldn't cover anybody, but it didn't matter because his 3rd string WRs kept dropping the ball.Seriously, do you think Tim Tebow would take Matt Willis and Britt Davis and M. Branson (whoever that is) over Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy and Aaron Hernandez? Or that he'd take Bruce Hall over Jeff Demps? Or that he'd take the scrubs blocking for him over 1st round pick Maurkice Pouncey and his twin brother (and potential future 1st round pick) Mike? You think he'd rather look across the line of scrimmage and see Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins, Major Wright, Will Hill, and Jermaine Cunningham than he would Kyries Hebert, Vincent Rey, and David Jones? Last year's Gators featured 7 players who were drafted in the first three rounds of the '10 draft, as well as at least seven more who will go in the first three rounds in coming years. Find me one team on the field in the 4th quarter of a preseason game that can match that talent level. It's not gonna happen.

 

[CalBear]

You are negative cherry picking who is playing in the fourth quarter.

I'm not cherry picking at all; I just chose one drive from one of the local teams. I didn't look at it before I analyzed it to see who was in it.It's a pain to investigate all these players who don't have real stats available, But let me try again with the Raiders-Cowboys game.Fourth quarter starts with a failed FG attempt. Dallas takes over at their own 25. Stephen McGee is at QB. McGee played for Texas A+M; looks like a part-time QB, part time RB. At QB his best was 2311 yards passing, 12 TDs. He ran for 899 yards in his junior year.His first pass to TE DajLeon Farr [whose best season involved 104 receiving yards and 3 TDs] is incomplete.Next pass is to Jesse Holley, whose best college season was 670 yards with 1 TD. Pass is incomplete, but there's interference on CB Joey Thomas from Montana State (can't find stats, clearly not a world-beater). Lonyae Miller from Fresno State runs for 5 yards. His best college season was 812 yards rushing. He follows up with a 1-yard run.McGee passes incomplete, targeting Terrell Hudgins, a WR from a school named "Elon." Hudgins, an undrafted free agent, racked up a bunch of college stats against teams like Presbyterian, Furman, Wofford, and Appalachian State. Coincidentally, Dallas punts to Shaun Bodiford out of Portland State (undrafted free agent from 2006, on his fifth NFL team), who muffs the catch, with Teddy Williams recovering. Williams didn't play football in college; he's a track star from Texas-San Antonio. Dallas ball on the Oakland 11.Chris Gronkowski gets the carry, gaining 5 yards. Gronkowski is a FB out of Arizona, where his best year was 198 yards from scrimmage.L.Miller carries again, losing a yard.False start penalty on Robert Brewster, a right tackle from Ball State. Short pass to L.Miller and it's fourth down. Once again, there is not a single body listed in the play by play that looks like a BCS championship player. (For that matter, the Raiders are starting Kyle Boller at QB, and I can attest that he's not a BCS-level QB.) The perception that these players are great college players who couldn't quite make it in the NFL looks to be completely incorrect; they're above-average NCAA players who got a tryout for one reason or another, or just represented a body a team needed to bring in. They would not beat a talented and coherent NCAA team.

 

[Catbird]

Seriously, do you think Tim Tebow would take Matt Willis and Britt Davis and M. Branson (whoever that is) over Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy and Aaron Hernandez? Or that he'd take Bruce Hall over Jeff Demps? Or that he'd take the scrubs blocking for him over 1st round pick Maurkice Pouncey and his twin brother (and potential future 1st round pick) Mike? You think he'd rather look across the line of scrimmage and see Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins, Major Wright, Will Hill, and Jermaine Cunningham than he would Kyries Hebert, Vincent Rey, and David Jones? Last year's Gators featured 7 players who were drafted in the first three rounds of the '10 draft, as well as at least seven more who will go in the first three rounds in coming years. Find me one team on the field in the 4th quarter of a preseason game that can match that talent level. It's not gonna happen.

I'm surprised that you are making this argument. The seven Florida guys that got picked in the first three rounds ARE now playing on the second and third string pre-season team as they learn and fight for roster spote. Only now they have half a year of additional growth and development, and of pro conditioning and skill enhancement and coaching that they didn't before, when they would have been playing for Florida. And they have played at teh speed of the ro game and will be a lot less dumbfounded than they were on day one of teh off-season activities. The next seven guys, who will later get drafted ta the end of next year, are two pro development years behind the Tebows and Pounceys now playing late in pre-season games. The other 8 or 10 Florida players who will play for Florida in this contest will never get to the pro level - being pretty much by definition not up to the pros they would be lining up against.

SSOG, not long ago you argued directly with me - and effectively, I thought - that college guys going to the pros, with all the conditioning and training and coaching they got, were different people all together than they had been before. I am surprised that in this argument, all of those skill and ability improvements have become insignificant of forgotten.

 

[SSOG]

I'm surprised that you are making this argument. The seven Florida guys that got picked in the first three rounds ARE now playing on the second and third string pre-season team as they learn and fight for roster spote. Only now they have half a year of additional growth and development, and of pro conditioning and skill enhancement and coaching that they didn't before, when they would have been playing for Florida. And they have played at teh speed of the ro game and will be a lot less dumbfounded than they were on day one of teh off-season activities. The next seven guys, who will later get drafted ta the end of next year, are two pro development years behind the Tebows and Pounceys now playing late in pre-season games. The other 8 or 10 Florida players who will play for Florida in this contest will never get to the pro level - being pretty much by definition not up to the pros they would be lining up against.

SSOG, not long ago you argued directly with me - and effectively, I thought - that college guys going to the pros, with all the conditioning and training and coaching they got, were different people all together than they had been before. I am surprised that in this argument, all of those skill and ability improvements have become insignificant of forgotten.

No, the 7 guys who just got drafted from Florida are not on the 3rd string. Joe Haden is the nickle CB for Cleveland. Maurkice Pouncey is the first string center for Pitt. Cunningham and Brandon Spikes are both second string LBs for the Pats. Dunlap is 3rd string and saw a bit of action in the 4th quarter, but he first entered the game in the 2nd quarter. Major Wright is 2nd string. Tim Tebow, as we know, is 3rd string. Of the 7 Gators drafted in the first three rounds, 5 are already 1st or 2nd string (and therefore not "fourth quarter scrubs"), and the other two (Tebow and Dunlap) appear to be working their way out of the 4th quarter very quickly. As I said, watching Tebow play with the 3rd stringers was a joke- those guys were nowhere near the quality of his supporting casts in Florida.I do think that NFL-caliber conditioning and training make a big difference, but at the end of the day, as CalBear has so effectively illustrated, the players who are taking the field in the 4th quarter simply aren't any good. All the training and conditioning in the world can't change the fact that the 2009 Florida Gators were substantially more talented than the 4th quarter scrubs, to say nothing of their cohesion and scheme advantages.

 

[shader]

A little clarification...

Being pumped for football, both college and pro, I found myself laboring through the 4th quarter of the Titans game the other night, when I realized "Bama would destroy either of these teams".

It is true that the 4th quarter teams of week 4 in the pre-season would beat a college team, because they are primarily made up of guys in the 2 deep.

But there is no doubt in my mind that Alabama, Florida, Texas, in a year in which they have an elite team, would pretty easily handle a week 1 pre-season 4th quarter unit.

These units are full of NFL "flyers", with the occasional exception of a guy that the team wants to get some experience, like Tim Tebow the other night.

As I showed with Alabama's roster, an elite team has probably 17-20 people from their starting lineup that will get camp invites.

In Bama's case, (I know it's a prediction and meaningless, but I'll try anyway), both cornerbacks were drafted, the SS will probably be 2nd round pick, the FS went to camp, the entire DL will probably be drafted, McClain was a top ten pick at linebacker, 3 of the OL will be drafted and one will probably be a camp invite, the RB and number 1 WR will be first rounders, and the number 2 WR will probably be picked in the top 3-4 rounds.

Also if John Parker Wilson is still playing in the 4th quarter for the Falcons, than there's no reason to think that Greg McElroy won't be able to at least equal that.

2009 Alabama would dominate 90% of the 4th quarter squads in week 1, I'll stand by that. Texas probably would have too, as would Florida and Ohio State.

 

[Lash]

Texas would get destroyed trying that spread-n-go stuff, doesn't work

Alabama could compete

 

[coolnerd]

A little clarification...Being pumped for football, both college and pro, I found myself laboring through the 4th quarter of the Titans game the other night, when I realized "Bama would destroy either of these teams".It is true that the 4th quarter teams of week 4 in the pre-season would beat a college team, because they are primarily made up of guys in the 2 deep.But there is no doubt in my mind that Alabama, Florida, Texas, in a year in which they have an elite team, would pretty easily handle a week 1 pre-season 4th quarter unit. These units are full of NFL "flyers", with the occasional exception of a guy that the team wants to get some experience, like Tim Tebow the other night.As I showed with Alabama's roster, an elite team has probably 17-20 people from their starting lineup that will get camp invites.In Bama's case, (I know it's a prediction and meaningless, but I'll try anyway), both cornerbacks were drafted, the SS will probably be 2nd round pick, the FS went to camp, the entire DL will probably be drafted, McClain was a top ten pick at linebacker, 3 of the OL will be drafted and one will probably be a camp invite, the RB and number 1 WR will be first rounders, and the number 2 WR will probably be picked in the top 3-4 rounds.Also if John Parker Wilson is still playing in the 4th quarter for the Falcons, than there's no reason to think that Greg McElroy won't be able to at least equal that.2009 Alabama would dominate 90% of the 4th quarter squads in week 1, I'll stand by that. Texas probably would have too, as would Florida and Ohio State.

There is no difference betwen the 4th quarter in the 4th game and 4th quarter in the 1st game. Only 5 guys are cut before that last game and that is the one where many starters do not even suit out. The entire game is nearly unwatchable for me(key word nearly). I think the logistics of when and where and what rules could influence the outcome also.

 

[gump]

NFL Scouts agree: Tide D could play on Sundays

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20111013/COL0504/110130334/NFL-scouts-agree-Tide-s-D-could-play-Sundays

"I had seen them on TV and on tape, but I was down on the field before they played Arkansas," said one NFL team's chief talent evaluator. "They really look like an NFL team. You hear people say that, but with them it's true. That defense is huge, bigger than most NFL teams. Not just the linemen, but the cornerbacks, the linebackers, the safeties. And they can all run. That secondary. ... it's the best secondary I've ever seen in college football."

Said a third scout, "You watch Alabama play and the speed of the defense is the same as the NFL. It looks like they've got too many people out there."And another: "It's like watching a pro team, except they are bigger than a lot of pro teams. You just wish you could take them all."

And another: "What you get with Alabama is everybody plays to his speed. What I mean is a 4.7 guy really plays at 4.7 speed, because he is so well drilled and so well-coached he knows exactly what he supposed to do and where he's supposed to go. He doesn't have to pause and think. Sometimes, you see 4.5 guys to play 4.8 or 4.9. At Alabama, the 4.5 guys play 4.5. And they've got a bunch of them."

 

[nysportsfan]

NFL Scouts agree: Tide D could play on Sundays

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20111013/COL0504/110130334/NFL-scouts-agree-Tide-s-D-could-play-Sundays

"I had seen them on TV and on tape, but I was down on the field before they played Arkansas," said one NFL team's chief talent evaluator. "They really look like an NFL team. You hear people say that, but with them it's true. That defense is huge, bigger than most NFL teams. Not just the linemen, but the cornerbacks, the linebackers, the safeties. And they can all run. That secondary. ... it's the best secondary I've ever seen in college football."

Said a third scout, "You watch Alabama play and the speed of the defense is the same as the NFL. It looks like they've got too many people out there."And another: "It's like watching a pro team, except they are bigger than a lot of pro teams. You just wish you could take them all."

And another: "What you get with Alabama is everybody plays to his speed. What I mean is a 4.7 guy really plays at 4.7 speed, because he is so well drilled and so well-coached he knows exactly what he supposed to do and where he's supposed to go. He doesn't have to pause and think. Sometimes, you see 4.5 guys to play 4.8 or 4.9. At Alabama, the 4.5 guys play 4.5. And they've got a bunch of them."

For me it comes down to the following: Alabama has a lot of players that might play at the next level. The scrubs in the NFL do play at the next level.

 

[Lash]

Texas couldn't compete with either Alabama's Crimson or Cream team