What if I told you that you were playing College Football 26 wrong this entire time? Well, not wrong, but making avoidable mistakes that are causing you more stress than you need. Don’t be alarmed, we’ve all been there. But you don’t have to keep making those same mistakes over and over again.
Having played CFB 26 since release and finally coming to grips with its various systems, mechanics, and functions, I’ve decided to compile a list of a few of the mistakes that other players keep making, and how not to repeat them.
5 Mistakes You Might Be Making In College Football 26
Switching Too Much On Defense
If you’ve visited any of the original forum posts for any of the sliders we’ve posted over the past few weeks, you’ll notice that a lot of Operation Sports users refer to something called “no-switch defense”. Essentially, this is the act of using one player per play on defense and never switching to another, no matter how the play develops.
Not only is this a cool little flex for people who make sliders to show off how it affects the AI, but it is also helpful to give the user a way to make sure their defense is playing as it should, and that all of the AI-controlled players are sticking to their assignments.
If you’re giving up too many big plays on defense, try the no-switch method and see if things are better.
You’re Ignoring Archetypes
I get it — you just got this game, and you want to play it how you want to play it. And that’s fair enough! But, if you’re looking to win games, you’re going to need to play to both your team and your players’ strengths. With that in mind, you cannot afford to ignore archetypes.
For instance, if you have a quarterback who has a Pure Runner archetype, then maybe the Air Raid offense isn’t what you need to be doing. Instead, you need to be constantly running QB runs and option plays. And the same is true for the reverse scenario, too. If you have a QB who prefers to play in the pocket and sling it around the field, then stop running RPOs every three plays.
On the defensive side of the ball, it’s much the same. If you have a corner who excels in zone defense, don’t try to force him into man-on-man coverage. It all boils down to this: Don’t try to fit square pegs into round holes. And if you’re in Dynasty Mode, recruit for how you want to play.
Relying On The Algorithm To Place Passes
College Football 26 is what many in the racing world would call a “simcade” game. Sure, it’s technically meant to represent the real-life sport as realistically as possible. But it’s also meant to be as accessible as possible for players who don’t wish to get into the nitty gritty of every minute detail. That said, you’re only hurting yourself.
Just a few days ago, we talked about the different passing types in CFB 26, and all of them require a different skill level. However, I must recommend that you get used to using the Placement & Accuracy option. If you’re in a close game, the last thing you want is for the game to determine that your pass placement wasn’t good enough to prevent it from getting swatted down, or worse, intercepted.
In order to put as much control in your hands as possible, learn the Placement & Accuracy mechanic — don’t leave those decisions to the game.
Going After 5-Star Recruits As A Smaller School (With No Backup Plan)
I completely understand and empathize with Dynasty Mode players who wish to recruit the best players they can find. However, some people over-invest in the best recruits without having a solid backup plan, even when at smaller schools.
I’ll provide an example. The Dynasty Mode save I have going right now is with Rutgers. The NYC Metro area is starved for a truly competitive college football team, and I’m trying to change that. However, no matter how hard I try, I cannot compete with schools like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, or Ohio State for those top recruits right now. Instead, I had to target decent recruits who fit my playing style.
Now, does it hurt to maybe target one or two big-time players who are in the pipeline and may be swayed? Yeah, why not!? That said, I know I’m likely going to have to settle for a 3 or 2-star recruit at the end of the day and try to make due as I progressively build the program up. And I can’t afford to not talk to them, either.
Not Sticking To A Scheme
In order for players to properly develop, it’s best to place them into a stable environment where everyone knows what they’re looking for. And if you’re changing your scheme every season, you’re only hurting that development, and your results in the process.
In order to prevent your long-term project from going belly-up after just a few seasons, stick to a scheme. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the archetype stuff, too. If your team is designed to be a run-first team, then it’s likely you have recruited accordingly. But if you all of a sudden want to adopt a Pro Style scheme, then these players will all be fishes out of water.
Obviously, coaches need to evolve over time if they wish to be competitive. However, you need to incrementally institute changes, not flip the entire system on its head, in order to have the best results.
