Having now been available for a few weeks, College Football 26 again is the talk of the sports gaming world, and for good reason. When compared to its sports-sim contemporaries, CFB 26 is one of the deepest, satisfying, and most fun games on the market. But it’s far from perfect.
In this piece, we’ll address the five best things about College Football 26, as well as five categories in which the title falls short. Mind you, the game is still early in its cycle, so things can change down the line. But as it stands, these are the game’s indisputable strengths and weaknesses.
5 Best Things About College Football 26
The Atmosphere Is Unmatched
The atmosphere in college football is unreal and has to be seen firsthand in order to even get an idea of what it’s like. And College Football 26 captures that beautifully. From the pre-game rituals to the songs that the fans sing during the game, CFB 26 captures the essence of each school and makes you feel like you’re part of that raucous atmosphere.
It’s something many sports games struggle with. From Madden, to MLB The Show, to even EA FC, many games based on sports have struggled to accurately capture how big of a role the fans play — it’s part of the reason why homefield advantage is such a big deal. And trust me, once that Stadium Pulse gets going, you can feel the pressure.
Extensive Playbooks
As I’ve pointed out in the past, playcalling at the college level of football isn’t anything like you’ve seen in the NFL. In fact, many would consider college football to be the beta testing grounds for some of the most original and innovative schemes in football. Read options, the wildcat offense, Air Raid… it was all conceived at the collegiate level.
College Football 26 captures this perfectly by having over 130 unique offensive playbooks and defensive playbooks combined that each have their own flavor and feel. This is way more than seen in games like Madden. To be fair, there are far more college teams than there are professional ones, so the disparity between the two is understandable. Even so, having this many different playbooks to experiment with is a ton of fun.
Defense Wins Championships
For years, EA Sports has struggled when it comes to defense in its football titles. Cornerbacks have been hamstrung when it comes to route defense. Meanwhile, defensive linemen and linebackers have been similarly limited when it comes to penetrating the offensive line. CFB 26 changes all of that.
It’s not perfect. And honestly, there are some ways in which the defense has been nerfed this year. However, everything seems to be more realistic, and virtual coaches have more control over various things, such as route shading. It’s a chess match, and I like that.
Dynasty Mode Is Still One Of The Deepest Experiences In Sports Games
Fair or not, I compare every single-player Franchise-type mode to Football Manager, which has a ton of depth and long-term playability. And, to be honest, most Franchise modes fizzle out after one season for me. But Dynasty Mode in CFB 26 is different gravy!
Recruiting, building a foundation, and having different levels of competition all play into an engaging experience in Dynasty Mode. And it doesn’t get boring too easily. I won’t lie and say it’s perfect, but if you’re looking for a single-player mode with depth that you can get lost in for a long time, then Dynasty Mode in CFB 26 is a must-play!
An Amazing Community
People often gloss over how a great community within a game’s ecosystem can positively affect one’s experience. If you don’t believe me, try embedding yourself in the communities for games like EA FC, Grand Theft Auto Online, or League of Legends and let me know how things go. The CFB community, however, is made up of some of the most helpful and insightful gamers in the world.
If you don’t believe me, head over to the CFB section on the Operation Sports forums and look at the work and passion the community has for this game. Slider settings, helpful tips, thoughtful critiques that aren’t mindless rants — the CFB community is a gem.
5 Worst Things About College Football 26
Wear And Tear Is Imperfect
EA made a big deal out of its new Wear and Tear system, which was a really good idea at its base. Football is an incredibly physically taxing game, and if you want realism, players accumulating damage is kind of necessary. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders right now.
On the EA Forums, one user discovered that Wear and Tear was disproportionately affecting user-controlled teams, with CPU-controlled teams entering games with no Wear and Tear to speak of. Some players on the Operation Sports forums noticed something similar, even after experimenting with different slider settings.
Is Wear and Tear a good idea? Yes. Does it need some fine-tuning? Also yes.
Road To Glory Is Still Limited
If taking over an entire program and winning trophies isn’t really your deal, then Road to Glory should be a better option. Following the journey of one player, you can create your own college prospect and have them play. The problem is, you’re still limited in what positions you can play.
In RTG, your positional options are as follows:
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Wide receiver
- MIKE (middle linebacker)
- Cornerback
There are no options to play as a tight end, defensive lineman, offensive lineman, or a safety. I can understand why EA wouldn’t want to implement every position in the game. Like, I don’t think anyone really wants to be a kicker in a sports game. That said, not including safety feels like a crime. So does the lack of a true pass rusher.
Quarterback Play Isn’t Where It Should Be
We did a whole article on CFB 26 quarterbacks, so I’ll try to sum it up as best I can. As discovered by several OS posters in the forums, AI-controlled QBs play way too conservatively, often throwing short passes or checkdowns. This leads to CPU opponents having way too high a completion percentage in games.
Playing conservatively isn’t necessarily an issue, as many schools have a more conservative ethos when it comes to the passing game. But this is every opponent. And even sliders haven’t helped rectify this issue.
Stiff Arms Are OP
I love stiff arms, especially a good one. Nothing beats a ball carrier making their way down the field, being closed down on, sticking their arm out, and humiliating someone. Seriously, it’s one of the best things in sports. Unfortunately, it happens a bit too often in College Football 26.
To be fair, EA has recently addressed this in a recent patch, reducing the timing window for a “perfect” stiff arm. That said, I haven’t noticed too much difference when playing the game. Maybe my sample size isn’t representative of the current product, but it still feels like the mechanic needs some fine-tuning.
Broken Plays Are Still A Thing
Look, maybe I’m asking for too much. But every year, no matter the game, there always seems to be some kind of broken or “cheesy” play that is all too easy to execute. College Football 26 — despite having an incredibly diverse list of plays to choose from — suffers from this as well.
One play that was incredibly OP in CFB 25 and hasn’t been adjusted is the Smash Seam, a play with five receivers. Now, to be completely fair to EA, there is usually somebody open in a 5-receiver playcall. One of the comments on Reddit points this out. The problem is that in the video game, QBs are way more accurate and aware than they are in real life, so there isn’t really any way to stop it.
Maybe complaining about cheese in a video game is a fool’s errand. But it’s a problem nonetheless.
