It is often argued that the CFL lacks players who are on-par with NFL talent, which for the most part is true, but there is also a huge chunk of players in the CFL who come from power conference schools in the NCAA. These players are not automatically better because they come from these schools, but there is something to be said when a player can say he was coached by Nick Saban, played against Tim Tebow during his Heisman days at Florida, or played in the Rose Bowl etc.
The schools in the SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and PAC 12 generally have more funding, better facilities, and attract the best coaches and recruits from across North America. They have millions of fans supporting them because they also have the most lucrative T.V deals in the NCAA that makes it easy to follow your favourite team whether you are in the United States or Canada. It is surprising just how many of these former NCAA stars make the trip to Canada to continue playing pro ball in the CFL, and with TSN broadcasting every game, and ESPN displaying the Canadian product down south, I see no reason why a Texas A&M fan who loved watching Jeff Fuller play can’t continue to enjoy his football career by tuning in to the CFL.
It makes the excuse that the NFL is so much more talented weak when you have so many players who were trained at the exact same schools playing in both leagues. I understand there is a reason why most of these guys didn’t make it in the NFL, but not in every case was it because they were not talented enough. The CFL is an exciting league that mimics the type of unpredictability the NCAA offers to football fans, and with such a large contingent of players hailing from the power conferences, I think it is a great boost for the league to bring in talented high profile players who played their college ball on the biggest stage. One way the CFL can latch on to the heart’s of Americans is through their player’s former alma mater, and the giant fan bases that come along with them.
Here is an interesting breakdown of how the power 5 conferences are represented in the CFL.
cflunderground.wordpress.com 