OT: Poll Shows Fans Believe Buckeyes Could Beat the Browns

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

A poll of Ohio voters - an actual scientific poll - shows that 62 percent of repondents think the Ohio State Buckeyes could beat the Cleveland Browns in a game of football. Only 23 percent picked the Browns. You'll find the poll and story here.

I'm of the belief that the worst NFL team would beat the best NCAA team by at least two touchdowns. Even the worst NFL team is bigger, faster and stronger.

The poll also showed that Urban Meyer is the second-most popular person in the state, behind only LeBron James. It didn't say where Harbaugh ranked.

Sac Fly

October 7th, 2016 at 2:19 PM ^

They do something like this every year. Kentucky could beat the Sixers, Alabama could beat the Jaguars. It's dumb. A team that is largely made up of players who will never play pro football could not beat a team that is entirely made up of pro players.

canzior

October 7th, 2016 at 4:20 PM ^

as wide as you think. bottom of the roster NBA guys are about the same level or worse than the top college players. Basketball is such a streaky sport. A college team winning is very explainable, a better shooting night for example. If there was such a huge talent disparity, players wouldn't so easily transition to the pro game after 35 college games.

ak47

October 7th, 2016 at 4:53 PM ^

Michigans final four team had six guys who would go on to drafted by the NBA, none of them can cut it in the league right now.  An NBA team would wipe the floor with any college team and anyone arguing otherwise is just incredibly foolish.  

Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2016 at 6:00 PM ^

Because it's happened...

And who said anything about Michigan? They were a 4-seed that lost in the National Championship game. Does anyone think that was the best team ever?

That team could've easily gotten SMOKED by some of those Kentucky or UNC or Duke teams that've won since 2000.

Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2016 at 5:58 PM ^

This isn't true at all for basketball

#1 College teams have won exhibition games before...so to say "never" is stupid. It's just not likely. People keep saying things like never for something that's already happened.

#2 Basketball is a completely different game. Depth doesn't play a factor nearly as much. Who cares if an NBA team has 12 guys who played well in college? There are only 5 guys on the floor and you could play 5-6 guys all game if you wanted.

...Could a college basketball team win a 7 game series? Nope. Could they win a one off game versus a "talentless" NBA team? Absolutely.

Football? No QUESTION. I'm not sure your best college team could ever could get into FG range versus an NFL team. And even they did...congrats, you lost 70-3, celebrate that field goal like you're James Franklin.

uncle leo

October 7th, 2016 at 7:37 PM ^

Depth. The worst NBA team's bench players are still incredibly talented players at the college/overseas level. The best college team's bench completely tails off after 6 or 7. NBA teams would wear them down. You would need the best college team to have each guy play 35-40 minutes. And because a lot of those players are freshman/sophomores, their conditioning is NOWHERE near the NBA level. NBA games go 8 minutes longer. You know how many minutes of pure, high level basketball these guys have played compared to college guys?? College kids are tested maybe 10-15 games a season, so by the time this mythical amazing college team gets to the pros, they may have been in 20 games that were tough. The rest they are walking over garbage teams. 

You forget that the worst NBA team has veterans that have been in the system for awhile. Those guys have learned the system, went through the rigors of NBA seasons against other NBA stars. They would suck the life out of any college team.

 

Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2016 at 8:06 PM ^

Depth doesn't matter in one game. It matters in a series or over the course of a season.

I'm sorry, but you can't tell me something couldn't happen when it already has.

You can't tell me something can't happen, when college team routinely beat pro teams...not NBA teams, but pro teams.

Like I've said, in basketball, you can have a Steph Curry go nuts from 3. There is no equivalent like that in football.

Rules for basketball don't allow you to physically overpower the other team like it does in football. And if you talk about Shaq and LeBron...think about what you're saying, it's not what we're talking about.

Again, like I said, in basketball there is FAR more parody than football. D2 and D3 football teams can't beat ranked college football teams...it can certainly happen in basketball. What a D3 football school is to Bama would be Bama to the worst NFL team. Not happening.

What a D3 basketball school is to Duke/Kentucky/UNC (their all time best teams, not just an average team)...is what those teams would be to that terrible 76ers team. Which highly unlikely they'd win...but they'd at least have a shot if the stars aligned on their 1 in 1000 chance. Football is 0 in 1 billion. It'll never happen in football.

uncle leo

October 7th, 2016 at 9:20 PM ^

And compare Steph Curry when he was in college compared to what he is now. He's 900 times better after years of conditioning and going up against the best. Even if some random version of a college Steph Curry got hot, he'd be quickly shut down from the pure athleticism in the pros. And because it's college, there's probably only one or two more guys he could dish to for help.

And like hell depth doesn't matter in a single game. That's how the best teams become the best. You think five college kids could all log 48 minutes against an NBA-ready team that does it 82 times a year? And those same kids manage to be effective in minute 41 after being hounded time and time again by the athletes in the NBA?

I think the biggest flaw in your argument is talking about bad NBA teams like they are filled with 12 bad ROOKIES. There are players on the 76ers who have played 5-10 years. 

Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^

The NBA is incredibly well structured defensively as a league.

...did you not watch the Sixers from a few years back? Do you see James Harden play defense?

Your statement is 100% spot on for playoff teams. But no one is talking about playoff teams. They're talking about all-time bad NBA teams.

Again, even all-time bad teams would win a series versus you all-time best college team. But you're kidding yourself and don't quite understand basketball if you think 1 game couldn't be won.

 

Look no further than the desparity in the NCAA alone and it shows you how basketball is just a different sport. I'm not talking cinderellas, I'm talking BAD 1-AA or 1-AAA teams who beat top college basketball teams.

That would never happen in football. Morgan St. isn't beating OSU or Alabama for the same reasons OSU or Alabama aren't beating any NFL teams, ever. In fact, those games would be unsafe...and it's a big reason why these P5 conferences are stopping their teams from playing against the Delaware St.'s of college football.

 

Flip it to college basketball...anyone can beat anyone for one game. Again, not talking NCAA tournament. Not even talking EMU/NJIT over Michigan. BAD D1 teams can beat ranked teams in a one off. Hell D2 and D3 schools beat D1 teams. Why? It's just the sport. 

  1. Physically there may not be as big of difference in basketball
  2. The rules...basketball doesn't allow you to physically overpower your opponent nearly as much as football does. 
  3. All you need is one hot game with a hot 3 point shooter... there's no equivalent to that in football.

I'm done. Just silly when people put basketball in this argument. Football is one thing...and basketball for a series or against even a bad NBA team is an NBA win. But all-time worst level teams? It can happen. Every year college teams crush pro basketball teams in other countries. Not NBA, but they're pros.

MH20

October 7th, 2016 at 2:33 PM ^

I think a college team would struggle if the game were played with an NBA three-point line and likewise an NBA team would feast on the shorter college line.  The game would come down to physicality and the NBA squad would wear down their weaker college opponents.

Even a bad NBA team is still an NBA team.

Gr1mlock

October 7th, 2016 at 3:07 PM ^

I said similar below, but this is another good example of my point - the Sixers bench is 7 guys good enough to play in the NBA.  The absolute best college teams have 3, maybe 4 guys good enough to play in the NBA.   Pros win every time.  

Steeveebr

October 7th, 2016 at 4:14 PM ^

Every time?

1.) The best team doesn't always win.

2.) Games (basketball especially but football included) often come down to a few individual matchups and not a team by team comparison.

3.) The x factor not being discussed here would be the coaches.  Not every coach in the NFL is better than every coach in the NCAA.  I feel like Caldwell or maybe even Sean Payton right now could find a way to lose.

But as for football?  I think many people forget just how much growing and filling out these NCAA players still have ahead of them.

Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2016 at 6:14 PM ^

Not every time.

As that's already been proven to be inaccurate.

Stick to NFL vs. College Foobtall if you want generalize...that would be an accurate statement for football, not question. Basketball is a different sport. Not likely. But possible, even if it's 1-2%, it's not 0.

canzior

October 7th, 2016 at 2:19 PM ^

every few years. Remember when Bama was supposedly as good as a few NFL teams?  And now a few players from that Bama team that were supposed to be really good flamed out of the league? Dee Milliner and Barrett Jones come to mind.

 

What it does make me think about though are what are OSU's weaknesses.  Anytime they are mentioned, it's usually followed by swallowing or spitting...never a real critique of anything they do poorly.  I've seen JT Barrett miss quite a few throws, lock on to recievers, and isn't great fitting the ball into tight spaces.  As a senior, you just have to figure this is who he is, and not something he's going to get better at in 6 weeks.

buckeyejonross

October 7th, 2016 at 6:43 PM ^

JT Barrett is only a junior with ~15 starts to his name. While I think it's unlikely he improves mechanically, I do think it's reasonable to forecast with more reps and time with his receivers, his reads and decision making improves as the season goes on.

PopeLando

October 7th, 2016 at 2:20 PM ^

Yeah, any NFL team is better than any college team. OSU would get blown out.

Meyer is an exceptional college coach, but the system OSU runs wouldn't fly in the NFL, where linebackers and safeties are HOPING that the QB will run at their 1-deep look, and get his head removed.

ak47

October 7th, 2016 at 4:56 PM ^

If the spread worked in the NFL it would have been done by now.  Coaches want to win and they don't care what brand of football they use to do it.  The 9ers and Washington football team both attempted to use the read option for a couple of seasons, ti worked relatively well but then RGIII and Kaepernick both got destroyed and are broken quarterbacks.

Steeveebr

October 7th, 2016 at 6:06 PM ^

The spread has been used in the NFL for years.  Additionally, the read option spread was used pretty much exclusively with Michael Vick and Nick Foles in the shotgun by the Eagles and proved it can / does work fine against NFL linebackers.  I'm pretty sure one of the Super Bowl teams last year had a good amount of their play book based off the zone read as well.

Here's a clip of it not working for the NFL MVP last year.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlwOigZEJIc

This year, there have been a handful of teams that I've seen run the read option.