played the game and wrote about the differences in this year\u2019s version.<\/a><\/p>\nAs the July 10 launch date nears, three of The Athletic\u2019s EA College Football devotees (Vannini, David Ubben and Antonio Morales) have shared their thoughts on the teams they\u2019re looking forward to playing with in this year\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s get to their choices.<\/p>\n
David Ubben\u2019s picksSMU<\/p>\n
This time last year, Kevin Jennings was the best-kept secret on SMU\u2019s campus. By midseason, the dual-threat passer had officially taken over for returning starter Preston Stone, helping lead the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff. His speed is going to be maddening on the game, and he\u2019s due for a ratings upgrade after his breakout season. He was an 88 by season\u2019s end with 87 speed. Plus, LJ Johnson Jr. is due for a breakout season at running back, and RJ Maryland and Jordan Hudson should be a solid 1-2 punch in the passing game.<\/p>\n
Kansas State<\/p>\n
The Wildcats were my online team last year, and working the quarterback run game with Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards should be very satisfying again. Johnson should be improved as a passer on the game to give some balance, and Jayce Brown should get a speed boost (it was just 90 last year) to make defenses account for the vertical game more than they did a year ago. Plus, with the additions of receivers Jaron Tibbs and Jerand Bradley, the weakness of the offense should be upgraded. I\u2019ll miss trucking defenders with DJ Giddens, but Edwards\u2019 rating should get a boost this year.<\/p>\n
South Carolina<\/p>\n
Nyck Harbor only caught 26 passes for 376 yards last year, but he\u2019s a cheat code in the game and opens up the entire offense. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound track star shouldn\u2019t have his 99 acceleration and 99 speed ratings dip, and that\u2019s good news for QB LaNorris Sellers, who was only an 82 overall on last year\u2019s game. Dylan Stewart was only an 87, and a freakish defensive end can change everything for playing defense. He might be pushing well into the 90s on CFB26. Alongside Harbor, Mazeo Bennett and Jared Brown give Sellers three receivers with at least a 92 speed rating. I\u2019m scared just thinking about it. There\u2019s a reason the Gamecocks were one of the most popular teams online last year, and that may only grow this year. Speed kills.<\/p>\n
Texas A&M<\/p>\n
I love to run the ball, and A&M has the craziest stable of backs on the game. Le\u2019Veon Moss, Rueben Owens and Amari Daniels were all over 85 overall last year and should get some bumps this year for a team that\u2019s very good on the line of scrimmage, too. Plus, QB Marcel Reed should get a bump from being an 83 overall last year. The Aggies aren\u2019t a sexy team in the passing game, but running multiple-back sets from Collin Klein\u2019s playbook will give defenses a headache. There\u2019s nothing more demoralizing than knowing you can\u2019t stop an opponent\u2019s running game, and A&M might be the best running team on the game. Especially with the emphasis on Wear and Tear this year, having three big-time backs means never having to adjust your approach.<\/p>\n
Rice<\/p>\n
New playbook! New Rice coach Scott Abell\u2019s gun option made him a force at Davidson, and with expanded playbooks on this year\u2019s game, I\u2019m looking forward to digging into Rice\u2019s playbook for all kinds of option schemes out of all kinds of shotgun formations. There were some great plays and RPOs with options built on top of them on last year\u2019s game. And considering the unique nature of what Rice should be doing under Abell, I could see his playbook being very popular. I make my own custom playbook, and I know I\u2019ll be stealing a few pages from Abell\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Chris Vannini\u2019s picksOklahoma<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve already played with the Sooners in my brief hands-on with CFB26, and they\u2019re as fun as you would expect. With dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, running back Jaydn Ott and a strong defense, the Sooners might be the go-to team for a majority of casual online players the same way Alabama was last year. Mateer finished CFB25 as an 87 overall and Ott was an 89. Both should be better. Oklahoma was one of the biggest portal winners this offseason. It needs to show up on the real field for head coach Brent Venables this year, but on the virtual field, they\u2019re guaranteed fun.<\/p>\n
Duke<\/p>\n
Quarterback Darian Mensah finished CFB25 as an 84 overall as a Tulane freshman, but he should get a ratings jump and be a lot of fun to play with at Duke as one of the better QBs in the country. Oklahoma transfer receiver Andrel Anthony should be a speedy deep threat (that 94 speed should improve), and the offensive line should be one of the better ones in the ACC. The defense returns a ton from a group that finished fourth in sacks and needs to get more respect than last year\u2019s ratings (80 overall).<\/p>\n
Oregon<\/p>\n
While the attention is rightfully on quarterback Dante Moore (81 overall, 79 speed in CFB25), don\u2019t overlook that the Ducks added Tulane running back Makhi Hughes (92 overall). I briefly played with Oregon in Orlando, and it is a fun team with an obviously fun playbook. I grabbed an interception with Purdue transfer safety Dillon Thieneman (90 overall in CFB25), and the Oregon defensive front will be strong again.<\/p>\n
Navy<\/p>\n
I always spend some time with a triple-option team, and Navy fits because of returning QB Blake Horvath (85 overall in CFB25) and its awesome playbook that could be even more dynamic this year. Offensive coordinator Drew Cronic\u2019s Wing-T option took off in a big way last year. I didn\u2019t get to the Midshipmen in my test, but I\u2019m looking forward to it.<\/p>\n
Iowa<\/p>\n
Yes, really. The Hawkeyes actually had a really solid playbook last year, and now they\u2019ve got South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski under center. He\u2019s coming back from a knee injury, so I\u2019m not totally bought in in real life yet, but video game Gronowski will have no concerns \u2014 I\u2019m curious how FCS transfers will rate in the game. Running back Kaleb Johnson must be replaced, but there\u2019s a group of talented running backs behind one of the best offensive lines in the country.<\/p>\n
Not Michigan<\/p>\n
To get ahead of it, Michigan may or may not be fun to play with this season. I tested out the Wolverines, but I didn\u2019t like quarterback Bryce Underwood\u2019s accuracy, and I really didn\u2019t like the playbook. I don\u2019t believe the players\u2019 ratings in the CFB26 test I did were final, so maybe that changes. While Alex Orji felt unstoppable early in CFB25, some ratings adjustments changed that, and I wonder what pre-adjustments will be made this year. Or if Underwood gets a boost for being on the cover.<\/p>\n
Antonio Morales\u2019 picksFlorida<\/p>\n
I had the most success playing the game online with the Gators last year. DJ Lagway is a stud, can make every throw in the game and is really valuable in the run game. The offensive line was solid, and the run game was diverse with good formations, particularly out of the pistol. Jadan Baugh is a tough, physical runner as well. I play with the D-line when I\u2019m on defense, and Tyreak Sapp is disruptive on the edge. Those players should all be better this year, so there\u2019s a lot to like about Florida, especially if you\u2019re playing with the Gators in Road to the CFP, where you can grind out long possessions during those three-minute quarters.<\/p>\n
Georgia Tech<\/p>\n
This is strictly for the running game. I tinkered with the Yellow Jackets last year and had some good moments with them online. I might utilize them a bit more this season because quarterback Haynes King is the perfect trigger man for this offense and is experienced, which should help when you run into an opponent with an overwhelming stadium pulse. Running back Jamal Haynes is a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and that speed complements King\u2019s running really well. There\u2019s an identity with this program, so if you\u2019re in the mood to run the ball, this is going to be a good option for you.<\/p>\n
Utah<\/p>\n
As you can probably tell, my video game allegiances lean toward mobile, athletic quarterbacks. I watched Devon Dampier quite a bit at New Mexico last season and even created a dynasty with the Lobos in the game a few months ago. He\u2019s raw as a passer, but he\u2019s very much a dynamic playmaker (2,768 passing yards and 1,166 rushing yards in 2024). It helps that the Utes have two stalwart tackles \u2014 Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu \u2014 to protect Dampier and also run behind. Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker is a good player at running back, and Utah\u2019s defense is always solid. Utah is coming off a tough year on the field, but it should be fun to use in the game.<\/p>\n
Washington<\/p>\n
I\u2019m all in on Huskies sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. There was some buzz about him last offseason, but the greater college football world didn\u2019t really get a full glimpse of it until Washington\u2019s bowl game against Louisville. He\u2019s a gifted, explosive playmaker with good escapability, so he\u2019s fun to play with and the best sort of quarterback to frustrate your opponent. The Huskies have a standout running back in Jonah Coleman and made some shrewd additions on defense through the portal this season. Williams has the potential to be electric, and there are good pieces on the team that\u2019ll make Washington entertaining from a gameplay perspective.<\/p>\n
Western Kentucky<\/p>\n
I know there was a bit of a drop-off offensively last season, but the Hilltoppers at the very least have a productive passing game pretty much every season. I love the playbook. There\u2019s an HB Angle screen in there that became a go-to play for me. Whenever I started a dynasty in last year\u2019s game, I always changed my coach\u2019s playbook to WKU\u2019s. The Hilltoppers have cycled through offensive coordinators and quarterbacks almost every season, and this year they\u2019ve brought in Abilene Christian OC Rick Bowie and quarterback Maverick McIvor, who teamed up to lead a productive FCS offense last year. I\u2019m betting on the QB-playbook combination to be a fun one.<\/p>\n
(Photo: Michael Hickey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Antonio Morales, David Ubben and Chris Vannini We\u2019re getting closer and closer to the release of EA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":108613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[331,7643,1301,7,4716,1286,4722,71,4712,49,48,1787,575,21177,4710,4278,7212,12951,671,4730],"class_list":{"0":"post-108612","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-college-football","9":"tag-duke-blue-devils","10":"tag-florida-gators","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","13":"tag-iowa-hawkeyes","14":"tag-kansas-state-wildcats","15":"tag-michigan-wolverines","16":"tag-navy-midshipmen","17":"tag-ncaa","18":"tag-ncaa-football","19":"tag-oklahoma-sooners","20":"tag-oregon-ducks","21":"tag-rice-owls","22":"tag-smu-mustangs","23":"tag-south-carolina-gamecocks","24":"tag-texas-am-aggies","25":"tag-utah-utes","26":"tag-washington-huskies","27":"tag-western-kentucky-hilltoppers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114636580955248415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}