So, was it worth the wait?
EA Sports released College Football 25 this week, its first college football video game since 2013. Customers who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition got access starting at 4pm on Monday, while standard edition customers could join on Friday.
The title's return was announced on February 2, 2021, 2,765 days after the release of NCAA Football 14 and 1,259 days before the new game's debut. It was originally scheduled for a 2023 release but was in danger of being delayed by a year.
So, was it worth the wait?
My thoughts are:
Gameplay
I've spent many Saturday afternoons and weekday MACtion nights at Yeager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio, so naturally, when I fired up College Football 25 for the first time on Monday, I headed straight to my alma mater, Miami (Ohio) University.
It looks accurate: The developers flawlessly recreated the look of the stadium, including the parts the school has added since the last NCAA video game 11 years ago.
The audio is great, with the band blasting the anthems and filling in the gaps between plays. In real life, when Miami gets a first down, the band blasts out a specific part of the college anthem. It's right there in the game, with crowd noise and solid commentary from familiar voices (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Recy Davis, etc.).
And it feels like the real thing. The pre-game and post-game traditions. The in-game action. The rhythm of the entire college football game.
It feels like a modern version of NCAA Football 14, and I mean that as a compliment. The series wasn't canceled because it was terrible; EA Sports stopped production due to name, image and likeness restrictions in the mid-2010s.
Before, we couldn't pay the players, but now we can.
We had to warm up for the first game, me and the Redhawks were playing against UTEP.
Just to clarify, I don't pretend to be good at it. I'm a casual gamer who fires up my Xbox when I have time to play MLB The Show or Madden. My skill? Average.
However, this game was more difficult than I expected.
The “improved” passing system allows users to directly influence how good or bad a pass will be, and it took me a game or two to get used to it.
However, if you don't want to fiddle with that meter, you can change the settings back to the traditional overtaking mode, which is less complicated.
The kick meter is also different than traditional NCAA Football or Madden mechanics. Honestly, there are two reasons to avoid field goals. First, there's the new kick meter. Second, in golf parlance, you're not here to make layups.
The last thing I noticed was that we struggled defensively.
In fact, my nose wouldn't stop bleeding.
UTEP cost me 35 points, and the AI defender ran right past the ball carrier multiple times, which I think is punishment for me picking a MAC school, even if it's a good MAC school – this is not Georgia's defense.
But the Miners couldn't hold me back either. I scored 55 points.
I wasn't the only one: Our editor, Ryan Pruitt, allowed 59 points and 391 passing yards in the first game and somehow won in triple overtime (he's going to delete this tidbit, right?).
Overall, the gameplay is fun. It's a challenging game that will have players glued to the TV screen instead of putting down the controller after a week. The more you play, the more you'll see how good you are.
Movement and animations are smooth, most of the controls are similar to past NCAA and Madden titles, and most of the changes felt intuitive after just a few plays.
Those worried that College Football 25 was a Madden clone will also notice some similarities: the two games are made by the same company, and the central premise of each is American football.
But it's certainly not a carbon copy.
Every offensive playbook I tried offered something different: Up Tempo, Option, Air Raid. EA advertises that there are 134 ways to compete in the game, and each Division I team has their own style.
It was noticeable on the first day.
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The Road to Glory
I wanted my players on the field right away, so I took my talents to the only school that offered me the starting quarterback position.
Kennesaw State is a first-year FBS program.
When creating a character, you can choose from four levels: Elite (five-star rookie, overall rating of 79), Blue Chip (four stars, 75), Contributor (three stars, 67), and Underdog (two stars, 60). I chose Contributor.
You also choose a player archetype based on the position – I chose a Scrambler over a Field General or Improviser – this is college football after all, so you want the ability to run the read option when needed.
Once on the virtual campus, Road to Glory gives players opportunities on and off the field, with a weekly calendar that allows them to allocate time for academics (players must maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible), leadership, health, training and branding (NIL).
I prioritized academics (if I lose my eligibility and can’t play in games, there’s no point in being in this mode), leadership (the more trust I earn from my team, the more freedom the coach will give me on the field), and health (again, my players should be on the field, not on the sidelines).
Players will receive text messages each week related to these categories: Classmates may reach out and invite them to parties; academic advisors may message them about upcoming exams; coaches may reach out about opportunities for extra practice time; local businesses may offer NIL deals.
I also did short practice sessions each week. By the fourth week, my rating went up from 67 to 69.
Before our first game against UTSA, we increased the difficulty level to All-American, the second-highest of the four levels, and I thought I was ready.
That was pretty much it.
After being down 17-3 at halftime, we rallied to get up to 22 in the fourth quarter with a go-ahead touchdown pass and a two-point conversion with 32 seconds left. I thought we were on a roll.
Then, with six seconds left, UTSA hit a 70-yard dash to bring the score to a shocking 36-32, bringing me back to reality.
My Owls picked up their first win in week two by holding off Louisiana 38-35, then in week three they beat San Jose State 34-26.
Early in the game, the autocoach limits my throws and mostly dictates handoffs. He doesn’t trust my player, a freshman starting at a new FBS program.
But they established a rhythm in the second half and as the season progressed, their control over games waned, and once they gain enough confidence in their coach, they'll have complete control over the playbook.
And if he doesn't give me more freedom, I'm leaving! The transfer portal becomes available after each season.
A staple of the franchise's older titles, “Road to Glory” did not disappoint.
I wish this mode started in high school like NCAA Football 14 and the menu displays looked like dorm rooms like they did in the late 2000s.
dynasty
Want to build a program that spans up to 30 years? College Football 25 lets you make it as simple or complex as you need it to be.
UCF is my pick to test out a dynasty head coach: They're not a blue blood that will attract multiple five-star prospects solely on their brand name, but they're also not a club that will require a tough multi-year rebuild.
Again, I selected the All-American difficulty level, breezed through a few games, then simulated the rest, finishing with a 9-4 score.
But the biggest draw of this mode is the roster composition.
Hiring is fun. There is no complicated setup.
When designing a coach, you can shape them in one of three ways, just like in Road to Glory: A coach can be a motivator, a tactician, or a recruiter (my route was a recruiter).
During the preseason, I combed through prospect lists and populated my big board, taking care of targets every week.
I went after a four-star quarterback, I didn't get him, I went after a three-star defensive lineman, I had more success there.
You have control over everything from who you offer scholarships to when players visit campus to how you interact with them (you can DM prospects on social media, but you can't actually see the conversations).
Once the season ends and the offseason begins, the transfer portal opens.
Overall, I recruited 30 people, my class included 20 three-stars, 10 two-stars and was ranked 63rd in the country.
There have been so many times when a four-star prospect listed UCF as his first choice only to have Florida, Oregon or another traditional program swoop in at the last minute and snatch him up. Gone are the 14 days of NCAA football when it was easy to lure a five-star player to a Mid-American Conference school in his first year.
Many top athletes have non-negotiables. A college needs to be of a certain quality for them to even consider it. Chances are, an incoming freshman will want a lot of coaching stability. If your program has a coaching stability ranking of a C+ and your players score a B, you won't be able to recruit that player.
If you want to speed through the game and not bother with recruiting, you can still do that – enable auto-recruit in settings and the computer will manage recruitment for you.
Your responsibilities in Dynasty don't end there: you can customize your team's schedule, rearrange conferences, hire and fire assistant coaches, manage player goals and skill progression, and encourage portal entry.
And you yourself can look for a better job at the end of each year with coaching turnover. As head coach at UCF, I received head coaching offers from Louisville, Marshall, Missouri and Southern Mississippi, and coordinator offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson and Florida State.
If you do not meet the standards set out in your contract, you may be fired.
Ultimate Team and the Road to CFP
These two modes are superfluous for me, with Dynasty and Road to Glory taking up most of my attention.
I got a sneak peek at Ultimate Team, which is similar to Madden's mode of the same name. It focuses on solo challenges and online matches. Players and other items like jerseys are represented as collectible virtual cards. Pre-ordering the Deluxe edition will gift users a special pack.
Road to the CFP features three-minute online matchups that recreate the regular season. As you win and defeat increasingly tough opponents, you'll climb the rankings and join the College Football Playoff party.
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College Football 25 Final Thoughts
I stayed up until 2:30 AM on Tuesday testing out different elements of the game. I don't know the last time I stayed up until 2:30 AM playing a video game.
Have I said enough?
