Which is harder to win in: College or Pros?

[Megatron]

Every year, in almost every sport (especially football) there will be teams that were mere footnotes the year before making big splashes and having great seasons. For example, last year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 3-13, this year, they already have 7 wins with 6 games left and are in the playoff hunt, which was unexpected by most people. Also, last year my Michigan State Spartans were an average 6-7, and this year they were 11-1 and were co-Big Ten Champions. yes, I feel like mentioning that, since I'm still buzzing from it

What I'm getting at is, which do you think is it harder to win games in, at college or in the pros? When I mean win, I mean win a heavy dose of games (say 8+) and championships (conference or national). There's many pros and cons to both sides, and I'll use NCAA Football and the NFL as my examples.

Why it's harder to win in the NFL:
-It's the pros. The players are more talented and are more evenly matched.
-You can't pick all of your players. What I mean by this is in NCAA you can go and recruit whatever guys you want to fit your system. In the NFL the draft is in reverse order so you won't get all of the prospects that you desire.
-Money is a factor. If you can't dish out some money to some big time players you won't have as much talent.
-Schedule is tougher. Every year, pretty much every BCS team in the NCAA schedules at LEAST 2 cupcakes, and usually has 2-3 more gimme conference games, leading to only 1 more win to become bowl eligible. In the NFL, like I said, the teams are more evenly matched talent wise and the underdogs aren't just there to get a nice pay (like most FCS teams).

Why it's harder to win in NCAA Football:
-It's college. The guys aren't as talented and you have to coach your ass off to get the most talent out of the players.
-National Powers. Teams like Texas, Ohio State, and USC will always get the top players because they're always competing in the spotlight on national TV, leaving most lower-tier BCS teams fighting for the lesser prospects. Plus, those teams will always be at the top, save a down year ever once in a blue moon.
-Academics. While many players get 'lame' degrees, colleges such as Stanford, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt value education over athletics, which means most players have to juggle both, which can be difficult. In the NFL, you're only worried about playing football.
-You have a constant turnover of players. In the NCAA players can stay for (obviously) only a maximum of 4 years. That means that you're losing 10-20 guys each year that are meaningful to your team. In the NFL, some guys play for 10+ years on the same team, which is beneficial especially if they're top players (such as Brady and Manning).

So, which do you guys believe is tougher to win consistently at? I actually find this question to be quite stumping, as I can see reasons for either side.

 

[Big Sexy]

This question really can't be answered firmly one way or another because in the pros all of the teams are basically at the same level. Obviously some organizations are run better then others and some teams will stay at the top longer then others, but generally they are on an even playing field. In college it is completely different. You have the dominant programs in the power conferences. Then you have all of the smaller conferences and smaller schools like the MAC, WAC, C-USA, and MWC.

Basically it comes down to this. If you are a big school in a power conference like an OSU, Alabama, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.... then it is easier to win there then it would be the pros. However, if you are a lower team in a power conference like an Indiana or Vanderbilt. Or if you are a team from one of the non power conferences, then it is harder to win in college then the NFL.

There are definitely more non elite schools in college football then there are elite ones so overall I guess it's harder to win in college, but again there really isn't a concrete answer because they are just two completely different sports.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

This question really can't be answered firmly one way or another because in the pros all of the teams are basically at the same level. Obviously some organizations are run better then others and some teams will stay at the top longer then others, but generally they are on an even playing field. In college it is completely different. You have the dominant programs in the power conferences. Then you have all of the smaller conferences and smaller schools like the MAC, WAC, C-USA, and MWC.

Basically it comes down to this. If you are a big school in a power conference like an OSU, Alabama, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.... then it is easier to win there then it would be the pros. However, if you are a lower team in a power conference like an Indiana or Vanderbilt. Or if you are a team from one of the non power conferences, then it is harder to win in college then the NFL.

There are definitely more non elite schools in college football then there are elite ones so overall I guess it's harder to win in college, but again there really isn't a concrete answer because they are just two completely different sports.

your right here schools like texas, florida, usc always get talent but look at what has happen this season...easiest point here the top 3 winningest programs in all college football Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame there records

Michigan 7-5
Texas 5-7
Notre Dame 7-5

then throw in
Florida 7-5
USC 7-5
two teams who have dominated the decade

Look at the 90's dominate teams...Florida St. and Nebraska are just now turning back to powers (nebraska more so) but Miami is gone from the national scene.

plus you always have just random schools having magical seasons ie. Michigan St., Auburn and Ok. St.

It is so much harder to win consistently in College football with kids graduating or leaving early for the draft, coaches leaving for bigger schools.

What Ohio St. has, and Usc had last decade were hard to find and that why its special....

In the Nfl you can say every team is equal but when was the last time you saw the Lions or Browns in the Super Bowl (never) let alone playoffs...the Patriots and Colts win alot cause they can keep manning and brady for decade or two....Farve won many games for the Packers in his decade plus there....the Chargers have won 5 straight division crowns...as long as you have players like Manning, Brady, Brees, Peterson you can win often.

 

[Big Sexy]

your right here schools like texas, florida, usc always get talent but look at what has happen this season...easiest point here the top 3 winningest programs in all college football Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame there records

Michigan 7-5
Texas 5-7
Notre Dame 7-5

then throw in
Florida 7-5
USC 7-5
two teams who have dominated the decade

Look at the 90's dominate teams...Florida St. and Nebraska are just now turning back to powers (nebraska more so) but Miami is gone from the national scene.

plus you always have just random schools having magical seasons ie. Michigan St., Auburn and Ok. St.

It is so much harder to win consistently in College football with kids graduating or leaving early for the draft, coaches leaving for bigger schools.

What Ohio St. has, and Usc had last decade were hard to find and that why its special....

In the Nfl you can say every team is equal but when was the last time you saw the Lions or Browns in the Super Bowl (never) let alone playoffs...the Patriots and Colts win alot cause they can keep manning and brady for decade or two....Farve won many games for the Packers in his decade plus there....the Chargers have won 5 straight division crowns...as long as you have players like Manning, Brady, Brees, Peterson you can win often.

Teams like Texas, Notre Dame, and Michigan have had a down year and some powerhouses have had a down few years or even more but it is much easier to have a dynasty in college football then the NFL and that is a fact. Every decade the NFL has a few dominant teams for that decade while college football has a lot more teams near the top every year. Again, college football is harder to win as a whole but it is much easier to have a dynasty in college then it is the NFL, especially now that the NFL has free agency.

 

[People's Champ]

To me its the NFL, but I could see it going either way. Free agency has made it harder for teams in the NFL to have success year in and year out. There are really no cupcakes on the schedule as each team is more equal than in college. I understand that getting to the ultimate prize in college basically means you have to go undefeated, but there are so many bowls that it really makes it hard to see it as a failure. My vote goes to the NFL.