So do you think the XFL Champ could beat the Cleveland Browns or NCAA Champion?

[Regular Joe]

I just wanted to be the first to approach the topic.

[TrueViper]

NCAA, yes.

Browns? Prob not over 50% of the time, but sure they could win on occasion.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Not yet. Cohesion is a major part of a pro team's success, and these teams haven't built enough of it to stand a chance against an NFL team. (And the Browns are a halfway-decent team now. Certainly not living up to potential but they're not even the worst team in their division anymore.)

I'm not the kind of guy who will say "it'll never happen, derp" because I firmly believe that a truly dysfunctional franchise can lose to anyone, even if that dysfunctional team is an NFL squad. The 2017 Browns under Hue Jackson, for example. But I look at the worst teams in the NFL this year, the Bengals, the Lions, the Giants, and the Redskins—and of those, I don't really see gross dysfunction bad enough to outweigh their talent advantages. I mean, yeah, the last three teams are dysfunctional, but not dysfunctional enough to lose to a first-year startup team with second-tier talent. The Redskins might come close, though I'd still put them as heavy favorites.

College, it's tougher for me to say. The game has stagnated so much that a few teams in the Power 5 have basically built their squads to take on each other, and they rarely ever face any fresh blood (see: UCF getting shut out of the CFP in '17).

[4th&long]

browns arent that bad a team
so no there

ncaa champs. yes xfl definitely

[Sounder]

Poor Cleveland Browns......better be nice what you say about them because Ohio is watching..... and things have evolved to the point where we have new whipping posts in the NFL in Cincinnati and Miami to compare with XFL teams. Oh, Cincinnati is in Ohio too?.......sorree.

XFL against college is a boys vs. men scenario that would go the way it should 9 out of 10 times. As far as NFL goes.....it would be like the junior varsity vs. the varsity I guess would be a way to look at it........the XFL against Miami and Cincinnati maybe 15% chance only based on the fact that those teams seemingly work together. Against the likes of the NFL elite.....probably not. 1 in 50 maybe?

[Tank55]

In a seven game series, I bet a 12-0 XFL team could steal a game from an 0-16 NFL team.

The college one is tougher. Talent is so concentrated these days -- look at the gap from the #1 college team to the #4 -- and the coaching is top notch. I think that series goes 7, and I'm not so sure I wouldn't take LSU.

[Metallifreak10]

Well, against the NCAA champion, I’d say yes, maybe 8-2 in 10 games. Several of players on the college teams are gonna be top draft picks and solid NFL players. Many others won’t be. Now, add the fact that you are talking about inexperienced kids versus experienced men, even if many aren’t NFL caliber players.

Say the Roughnecks went 11-1 and got to play the Bengals. Assuming both teams were in peak season shape, I think the XFL team would win at least 1 out of 10. But, I think they’d go 2-8 against the Bengals using XFL rules.

[Sounder]

Well, against the NCAA champion, I’d say yes, maybe 8-2 in 10 games. Several of players on the college teams are gonna be top draft picks and solid NFL players. Many others won’t be. Now, add the fact that you are talking about inexperienced kids versus experienced men, even if many aren’t NFL caliber players.

Say the Roughnecks went 11-1 and got to play the Bengals. Assuming both teams were in peak season shape, I think the XFL team would win at least 1 out of 10. But, I think they’d go 2-8 against the Bengals using XFL rules.

Oh we HAVE to play by XFL rules......be a much more exciting game that way.

[Firecop]

There would be an inherent disadvantage to the team that has to play by the other league's rules; regardless of which way it went.

[MidwestJimmy]

The Browns are still bad, but they're not the worst team anymore -- the other Ohio team is. But the Bengals might get better with Joe Burrow.

Speaking of Burrow, could the Burrow version of LSU beat whoever winds up being the XFL's best team? It would be close.