Resistance training is an essential part of athletic preparation today and an organized program can lead to development of muscular strength of athletes (Fleck & Kraemer, 1997). The purposes of this study were to compare actual one repetition maximum (1RM) and predicted 1 RM by the National Football League (NFL) 225-test, to compare upper body strength of college football offensive linemen and defensive linemen; to compare upper body strength of the offensive backs, receivers, and defensive backs across 1RM and the NFL 225-test. Forty-one Division II college football players performed the actual 1RM test. Participants’ upper body strength scores were expressed relative to body weight and results were compared across both tests. Mayhew et al., (1993) equation was used to predict 1RM. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the groups. The present study found that Mayhew equation cannot predict relative 1RM and overestimate the relative upper body strength of college football players. Defensive players are stronger than offensive players when scores are expressed relative to body weight. Defensive linemen are stronger than offensive linemen according to the actual 1RM. However, by using Mayhew equation, the NFL 225-test results indicated that there was no significant difference between defensive and offensive linemen. Defensive and offensive backs are similar in strength in terms of the actual 1RM and the predicted 1RM. These results suggest that a football player with a smaller body type can have a stronger upper body than a larger football player when upper body scores are expressed relative to body weight although the larger football player can lift the heavier weight in a bench press. This relationship can be helpful to coaches in making decisions on player positions and developing training programs to meet the needs of individual football players.