re: How would the best football teams from decades ago do today?

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You do know that the nickel was invented in the early 60s right?

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[quote]Yeah idk where he pulled that from. I googled it and the Eagles won the 1960 NFL championship with it. The Steelers were running split safeties in the 70s as well.[/quoteI
I'll about guarantee that guy is 25-30 years old

1995 Nebraska was juiced to the gills lol

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A modern P-4 offense would score every time they got the ball.

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Could a modern defense stop Tommy Frazier or a true power run team with OL that grew up knowing how to run block?

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The worst Power 4 team in 2025 would probably beat the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. And if they're playing a national champion from something like 1975, it would be a total rout.

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Under consideration- nah.

Biggest argument would be player size for the 70's and before; let's look at that. Smaller players, running something like the Wishbone or similar option offense at a high level (remember, you said national champs), vs "worst Power 4 teams".
That sounds a lot like the service academies. Army, Navy, Air Force. They are size-limited, they run precise triple option attacks. Their attack is not brute strength, but pulling people out of position. These programs are VERY successful against "worst P4 teams". They can't compete against the UGA's, Ohio States, Texas' of the world, but they can make life miserable for the bottom tier.
Wait, you say, modern defenses would destroy the Wishbone and other triple option, that's why it's not popular. Well, not entirely true. Sure, better teams may have the speed to close it down, but keep in mind: money. The NFL won't run triple option because there's too much contact on the QB (and not enough passing), that QB wouldn't last a decade. NFL teams don't want to replace their QB every 4 years, so they run offenses that protect the QB (passing offenses). Continuity, etc. The best players want to make the NFL, so they want an NFL style offense in college to prep them. Wasn't quite the same back in earlier years, you had very good players running the option.

As for more recent teams- hell, I think by the 80's it was different. Take UGA with Hershel Walker- they would run all over a bad P4 team.

There are offensive guards coming into college who have never had to pull. Everyone is running a spread.

Decent teams routinely get torn up by scrubs who run a triple option well. It's a different form of football.

I agree some of today's teams could take on 94 FSU or other more traditional offenses, but Nebraska perfected the triple option and it would be hard to defend that even today.

I would wager on this defense of players from 1980-2000 over any offense you could but together with players from 2005-2025. Not only would they murder them on the scoreboard, they would hurt them on the field if allowed to play like they used to.

DT: Joe Greene, Warren Sapp
DE: Reggie White, Bruce Smith
ILB: Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary
OLB: Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas
CB:Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson
S: Ronnie Lott, John Lynch

I wouldn’t be worried about the modern offense scoring, I would worry about them surviving.

Hell if the same old college Reggie Bush was available in the modern times now, he’d start at every SEC school.

What if McFadden played for Saban?

He would have over 2,000 yards rushing on his Bama teams from 2008 to 2023.