"The Bulldogs' squad was packed with talent -- seven of the 11 projected starters in an official "game souvenir" (something like a game program in the form of a bound flipbook) from the team's game against Harvard would earn All-American honors at some point in their careers -- but admittedly the sport they played was a far cry from what fans today might recognize."
"Schedules across teams were uneven. Yale may have played 16 games in 1894, but that didn't mean everyone was doing the same. Harvard, for instance, played 13 games that season. Princeton played 10. Brown -- which Yale actually played twice, at home in early October and on the road in early November -- played 15 (including "doubleheader" series with Harvard and MIT in addition to Yale). With a smaller number of teams on the West Coast, USC played only once!"
The 1894 Yale Bulldogs compiled a 16-0 record while outscoring opponents 485-13. The team faced a mix of Ivy League rivals and varied opponents across an uneven schedule. Seven of the 11 projected starters in a game souvenir from the Harvard matchup later earned All-American honors. The rules and style of play in 1894 differed significantly from modern football. Teams designed schedules with little regulation, producing widely different game totals across schools. Several notable programs played far fewer contests, including Harvard (13), Princeton (10), Brown (15 across multiple meetings) and USC (one).
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