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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Tyler Lauletta

From 'Mr. Brightside' to Pop-Tarts, Here Are Five Small Details That Set 'College Football 26' Apart

Michigan fans as depicted in College Football 26. | EA Sports

After EA Sports’ triumphant return to the college football video game medium last year, the pressure was on to deliver a worthy follow-up.

This week, fans across the sporting world got their hands on College Football 26 for the first time, and so far, it would appear that the game delivers.

While there is nothing like playing your alma mater to a national championship, the real magic of College Football 26, just like the real magic of college football, is in the small details.

Below we go through some of the small inclusions that make a big difference in the game.

Music That Matches the Moment

College football is a sport steeped in musical tradition, with fight songs deemed the rallying cries of schools across the country. In the modern sports landscape, the fight song has evolved, with many college football stadiums now using music from the early aughts to hype the crowd up.

The Michigan Wolverines have made headlines with such a move, with fans now screaming along to “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers as games at The Big House head to the fourth quarter. Whatever the cost was to clear the song, apparently EA Sports paid it. The results are fantastic.

Virginia Tech’s entrance to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” also looks glorious.

The Hat Fake

If you’re playing in the game’s “Road to Glory” mode, your created player will have the chance to select which school he’s going to play for coming out of high school.

That’s nothing new, but what is new is your ability to put some of your rival schools through pain by pulling off a hat fake at your commitment ceremony.

The Ritual Sacrifice of Pop-Tarts

In just a few short years, the Pop-Tarts Bowl has established itself as one of the must-see events of bowl season, thanks to its unique pageantry. Where else do you get to see a sentient Pop-Tart fulfill its dream of being toasted and eaten alive by a team of college football players?

College Football 26 committed to the bit. Dreams really do come true.

Terrifying Road Games

There’s no home-field advantage in sports quite like what we see in college football. Taking on LSU in Death Valley or heading to Penn State for a White Out can put even the best teams in the sport on notice.

College Football 26 is bringing back its “Stadium Pulse” feature, which makes is harder for players to perform at their best when playing on the road, with the challenge becoming greater as the environment their playing in gets harsher.

Watch out for more false starts or confusion around the play clock.

Additionally, your kickers will be distracted in ways befitting of the home crowd.

Western Kentucky’s mascot Big Red is always watching you.

The Transfer Portal

No college football game in the modern era would be complete without an active transfer portal, and if early returns are to be believed, the transfer portal in College Football 26 is set to be wildly devious.

College Football 26 became available to those that paid for early access earlier this week, and will be out for everyone on Thursday, July 10.


More College Football on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as From 'Mr. Brightside' to Pop-Tarts, Here Are Five Small Details That Set 'College Football 26' Apart.

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