Nathan Rourke is back in the middle of another Canadian football debate after saying that one of the top NCAA football teams could potentially beat a CFL team.
Rourke’s argument comes down to the rules. If they played NCAA rules on an American field, he believes a top college team could potentially beat a CFL team. If they played CFL rules, the advantage would swing heavily toward the CFL team. I understand what Rourke is saying. I just completely disagree with him. And I said the same thing on The Analyst Desk. I don’t care if we’re playing NCAA rules, CFL rules or making up some combination of the two.
Give me the CFL team every single time. Why? Because we’re talking about professional football players going against college kids. NHL vs CHL. or MLB vs NCAA. If we were talking UFL vs CFL than fair. But, we are not!
These Are Professional Football Players
This is the biggest thing I think people are forgetting. Yes, Ohio State is loaded with talent. Georgia is amazing team. Alabama, fantasic. Texas is stacked. These programs have future NFL, UFL and CFL players all over the field, and some of them are going to become first-round picks and NFL superstars.
But here’s the thing. Not everyone on those teams is going to the NFL. According to the NCAA, approximately 18,621 NCAA football players were draft eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft and only 257 were selected, meaning just 1.4% of draft-eligible NCAA football players were drafted into the NFL (NCAA, 2025). And out of that number, most of these guys won’t make a CFL roster either.
Now, obviously, that number includes more than just the powerhouse programs. So let’s narrow it down. The NCAA estimates that 9.9% of draft-eligible players from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft (NCAA, 2025). So lets think about that as these are the best of the best in the NCAA, the overwhelming majority of draft-eligible players aren’t getting drafted.
Now look across the field at the CFL team. Those guys already made it. They’re not hoping to become professional football players. They ARE professional football players. And a lot of NFL players speak on how talented CFL players are and the skill gap is not as wide as the public feels.
Chad Johnson spent 11 seasons in the NFL and made six Pro Bowls before coming to Montreal. After getting his first real look at the CFL, Johnson admitted he was “surprised at the talent” (Bucholtz, 2014). Ricky Williams found out the same thing when the former NFL rushing champion came to Toronto. Williams said he “didn’t notice much difference” between the NFL and CFL games outside of the different style of play, while also praising the talent around him (CFL.ca, 2006).
Doug Flutie, a true football icon! If anybody should understand the talent difference between the two leagues, it’s him. Flutie played eight seasons in the CFL before returning to the NFL and eventually becoming a Pro Bowl quarterback. When talking about his time in Canada, Flutie said people in the United States had “no clue” about the quality of football being played in the CFL and said most of the players he played with were “NFL-caliber talent” (Flutie, 2014). That’s coming from a guy who actually played both.
That’s what I think people forget when they talk about the CFL like it’s some massive step down. Nobody is saying the CFL is better than the NFL. As much as I love the CFL, the NFL is a higher level of football. But the talent gap isn’t nearly as big as some people make it sound.
And if former NFL stars can come to Canada and be surprised by the talent they’re playing against, you really expect me to believe a bunch of 19, 20 and 21-year-old college players are just going to walk onto the field and beat them?
I’m not buying it. And, its surprised me even more the face of the CFL said so!
You Don’t Just Walk Into the CFL and Start
This is another thing that drives me nuts about this debate.
This idea that if you played NCAA football and didn’t make the NFL, you can just come to Canada and immediately become a CFL starter. Ye no, its not true and I think your lying. It doesn’t work like that. Some of our favourite voice lines on the desk I might add!
Players come out of major NCAA programs every year and try to make CFL rosters. Some become stars. Others become starters. A few become backups. And the rest get cut. There were 112 players classified as first-year players in the CFL in 2025 (Canadian Football League, 2025).
That doesn’t mean 112 players walked into the league and became starters. Far from it. Look at Devin Veresuk.
Hamilton selected Veresuk second overall in the 2025 CFL Draft after his career at Windsor. He eventually took over as the Tiger-Cats’ starting middle linebacker and finished his rookie season with 66 defensive tackles, two sacks and an interception (CFL.ca, 2026).
He was one of the best young players in the league. But here’s the important part. CFL.ca described Veresuk earning a starting linebacker job in his first professional season as a “rare achievement for a first-year player” (CFL.ca, 2026). Think about what that says. This guy was the second overall pick in the CFL Draft, and him immediately becoming a legitimate CFL starter was considered rare.
That’s how hard professional football is.
Now Actually Think About These Matchups
This is where I think the whole argument falls apart. Imagine a 20 or 21-year-old college offensive lineman lining up against a 27 or 28-year-old CFL defensive lineman who has been playing professional football for years. Players with much high football IQ more experience and have been playing at the pro level for years
Who are you taking? I’m taking the pro. A college quarterback trying to read a professional secondary? Or Trevor Harris reading a NCAA secondary? I’m taking the pros. A college defensive back trying to cover a CFL receiver who has spent years going against professional defensive backs? Again. I’m taking the pro.
And people need to stop acting like CFL players weren’t good NCAA players themselves.
A large part of these rosters are guys who played NCAA football. Some were stars. Some got NFL opportunities. Some spent time on NFL rosters or practice squads. Then they came to Canada and continued developing as professional football players. So you’re basically taking talented college players, giving them years of professional coaching, training and game experience, putting them together on one team and then asking if a college team could beat them.
Like I’m sorry I just don’t get how this is even a contest. KHL vs CHL? KHL wins any-day that ends in Y
I’m Clearly Not the Only One Who Thinks This
That’s why I understand why this has created such a debate on X.
There are people who agree with Rourke and believe the talent level at the very top of the NCAA gives a team like Ohio State or Georgia a legitimate chance, especially if they’re playing American rules.
Then there are people like me who look at it much more simply. Pros versus college players. That’s it. And no, that’s not disrespecting NCAA football. I love college football. The atmosphere is unbelievable. The top programs are loaded with talent, and we’re watching future NFL superstars every Saturday.
Nathan Rourke has played NCAA football.
He’s played CFL football. He’s spent time in the NFL. So yes, when he talks about the differences between the games, I feel like he SHOULD know what he’s talking about. But that doesn’t mean I have to agree with him. I just can’t here.
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