Antonio Morales, Ali Wasserman, Chris Vannini
With just a month to go until EA Sports' College Football 25 returns for the first time in a decade, a large portion of the college football community is dusting off their consoles and getting ready to hit the sticks again.
Chris Vannini, who played the game in Orlando a few weeks ago, wrote extensively about what to expect from the new version: Now, let's take a look at which teams we're most excited to see play against:
let's start.
Chris Vannini's picks
Alabama: Jalen Milroe really excels at two things: scrambling and throwing the deep ball, which makes him an ideal video game quarterback. In college, my friends had a rule that I couldn't play with Terry Pryor at Ohio State. I don't usually play at top-tier programs like Alabama, but Milroe is a ton of fun to use, and Coach Cullen DeBoer's new playbook should provide plenty of work. Alabama makes sense as a popular choice when playing online games.
Air Force: I love playing with option teams. This is what makes college football unique and the video game different from the NFL and Madden. Air Force is the best of the three academies. I played about 10 minutes with the Falcons when I had a test run at the EA Sports studio a few weeks ago. In the new game, the blocking AI has been improved a lot, so running the ball is much more fun than before. If you hit the ball well in the hole, you will be rewarded. The Falcons also serve as a good Group of 5 dynasty team that you can develop. The academies do not accept transfer students in the real world, but they can in the video game, so you don't have to worry about roster limitations.
Wake Forest: This was the team I was most interested in trying out while in Orlando, and I spent about 20 minutes with the Demon Deacons practicing the basics of their RPO offense and “throw meshes” (I had completely forgotten that Hank Bachmeier had even transferred here until I played this game). The good news is that the RPO options are plentiful. I got penalized for an ineligible man downfield a few times for throwing the ball late, so there's some realism to it. I didn't find many throw meshes in the playbook, but the EA developers told me they plan to include more throw meshes in the playbook by launch. The amount of work EA Sports puts into the playbook is incredible. I spoke with the guy who runs the playbook team, and they're very trusting in sharing information with the coaches (no Wake Forest). I might even use the Wake Forest playbook if I were to play another team.
South Florida: USF could be the darling of the Group of Five dynasty thanks to the combination of star two-way quarterback Byram Brown and an exotic, exciting offensive line under Coach Alex Goresh. Brown was phenomenal last year as a sophomore, passing for 3,292 yards and rushing for 809 yards with 11 touchdowns. The other 3,000/800 yard player? Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. Coach Goresh's offense is built around stepping up the tempo, making explosive plays and getting the deep ball, which makes everything about USF the ideal video game team. (Brown is in the game, but not a real coach like Coach Goresh, although the playbook does fit the style of the real team.)
Byram Brown is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)
North Texas: Back in the day when starting a Dynasty with G5 teams, North Texas was like a cheat code. They were a 2-star program but always had great success, probably because of the recruiting talent nearby. Growing up in Michigan, I would often start my Dynasty with Central Michigan (my best friend always picked Eastern Michigan). Now that I live in Dallas, UNT is my choice as my G5 team. Its recruiting dominance should still hold, so the Mean Green makes sense as a Dynasty starter team.
Ali Wasserman's picks
Kansas: One of the most exciting teams to watch this season is Kansas State. We have our eye on Avery Johnson, a mobile up-and-coming quarterback who has the potential to be a star. We also have Dylan Edwards, a versatile running back who transferred from Colorado. The Wildcats also return running back DJ Giddens and welcome receiver Dante Cephus to the team, who transferred from Penn State. Cephus didn't play much in State College but has potential. It will be a lot of fun picking the Wildcats to light up the scoreboard when most people are going with the big-time programs.
Arizona: Arizona might have been the favorite to win the Big 12 if Jedd Fisch hadn't left Tucson and taken much of his player base to Washington. But the Wildcats kept two key players from last year's explosive offensive line: quarterback Noah Fifita and future first-round NFL draft pick Tetairoa McMillan, who is one of the best receivers in the country. Arizona also kept Takario Davis, a tall, long-legged defensive back who is a threat to steal the ball. Arizona could be a top-15 team this year.
Missouri: When people think of Dynasty mode, what comes to mind for many is taking a small G5 team and building them into a national title-winning team. In this year's game, the game designers wanted to make the recruiting experience realistic, so it's nearly impossible to recruit 5-star prospects from these smaller schools. I think Missouri is an interesting team to have as a dynasty team because they now play in the most competitive and highest-level conference in the sport, with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. The Tigers can recruit big-time prospects, just like they did in the real world, and leading them to SEC dominance will be fun and satisfying. You'll also have a chance to start with a really good team, with quarterback Brady Cook and explosive receiver Luther Baden III.
Appalachia: Maybe I'm a bit of a nerd, but I really love playing for a team that has a nice stadium and a nice environment. Appalachian State has one of the best players in the Group of Five this year, and when you add in the fact that this is the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Mountaineers seem like a really fun team to try and see if they can make it. Appalachian State returns with a lot of talent from the team that played in last year's Sun Belt title game.
Ohio: Some people will call me a homelander in the comments section. But I know I'm not the only one who thinks playing an offense with Will Howard (a mobile quarterback), running backs Tre'Veyon Henderson and Quinsion Judkins, and receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith is football video game nirvana. I'm very interested to see what EA Sports thinks of Smith. He's a true freshman, but he might actually be one of the best receivers in the country right away. I also like the idea of using Caleb Downs as a rover on defense to go after user picks. A lot of people love playing Dynasty mode, but my real passion is playing against other players in online ranked matches and screaming into my headset. If someone like Chris plays for Alabama, I'd love to play against Ohio State and rack up scores.
Antonio Morales' picks
Oregon: The road ahead is tough for the Beavers. The Pac-12 is gone and Oregon State is without a true conference home. Jonathan Smith did a great job of turning the program around after a dark period, but he took over as head coach at Michigan State after the regular season and took most of his staff with him. After Smith left, the roster was eviscerated by the transfer portal, with several players leaving for bigger name schools. So this is a major rebuild and the first few seasons will be tough. But the rewards of building a dynasty, righting wrongs and getting the Beavers back into a powerhouse conference again might be worth it.
Texas: The Bobcats are a good choice for online play or dynasty. The teams I find most attractive are those with a solid playbook and a good quarterback. Texas State fits one of the criteria as they averaged 36.7 points last year with head coach GJ Kine directing the play. The Bobcats also have a quarterback in place, in addition to 1,000-yard running back Ismail Madi, as they acquired Jordan McCloud this offseason, who threw for 3,657 yards and 35 touchdowns at James Madison University in 2023. The program just made its first bowl game appearance last season, which means there is a great opportunity to build something and get the school into a bigger conference or get a bigger job for themselves.
Transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson should thrive in Gus Malzahn's offense. (Nelson Shenault/USA Today)
UCF: The Knights are a fun team to use in a head-to-head matchup. KJ Jefferson is definitely no Cam Newton, but the last time Gus Malzahn had a QB with Jefferson's size (6-foot-3, 247 pounds) was when he was offensive coordinator at Auburn during the Tigers' national championship season in 2010. Jefferson has true dual-threat ability and is in a system that highlights his strengths. And he's surrounded by playmakers like running back RJ Harvey, who rushed for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2023, and receiver Kobe Hudson, who caught 44 passes for 900 yards. The offense can be explosive and is well-suited to be used online.
Tennessee: The Volunteers have a fun line-up of top-tier talent. Quarterback Niko Iamareva was once a five-star prospect and is a talented passer who showed solid mobility in last season's bowl game win over Iowa. The offensive combination of Iamareva and Josh Heupel attacks defenses vertically and should be fun for any player. Everyone has their preferences, but as a user, I'll always play the pass rusher on defense. James Pierce Jr. has recorded 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2023 and will be one of the best edge rushers in the game with his ability to disrupt offenses. Tennessee hasn't won a national title, or an SEC title, since 1998, so picking them for a dynasty isn't about jumping on the powerhouse bandwagon.
Colorado: I put the Buffaloes here simply because playing with Travis Hunter at cornerback and receiver would be one of the most unique experiences in the history of the sport. There aren't many true two-way options being produced in the sport and you're not going to rely on them as much as Colorado is relying on Hunter. Of course, quarterback Shedul Sanders would be fun to play with as well, although he might have to do a little running around on the offensive line. There are real questions about Deion Sanders' long-term ambitions at Colorado, so if you're looking to pick the Buffaloes for the dynasty and stick around for the long haul, you're going to need to step up your high school recruiting a few notches.
(Air Force photos by Jensen Jones and Dylan Carson by Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today)
