Until Saturday: What we like and what we don’t about CFB 25

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EA Sports’ College Football 25 is finally here! Did anybody have a better setup than these people playing on the UMass jumbotron?

It’s Finally Here!

Early pluses and minuses of CFB 25

After 11 years, EA brought back its college football video game franchise with yesterday’s early Deluxe Edition release of College Football 25. Why is the game’s revival such a big deal (trust me, as someone who didn’t grow up playing this game, I’ve been asking myself this same question)? Let The Athletic’s Chris Kamrani answer that question for you today. Or read the stories from current CFB coaches who grew up playing the game.

I asked our staffers from The Athletic to share their favorite and least favorite parts of the game so far. Here’s what I learned.

➕ Pluses: The game makes you feel like you are actually at a college football game. Mascots roam the sidelines. Crowd chants follow school traditions. EA dialed into the CFB atmosphere. Also, there was high praise for the speed and tempo of the game. While Madden is more methodical, CFB 25 reflects the higher number of plays in the college game.

➖ Minuses: The overwhelming negative review was about kicking. Why does the game make it so punishing? Shanked punts and missed extra points seem common, so you’re not alone if you’re having trouble on special teams. (Don’t throw your controller at your TV! We are all struggling!)

Our Chris Vannini spent 20 hours during the weekend playing the game (and has been the EA guru leading up to this release). In his official review, Chris says College Football 25 gets it right and the game was well worth the long-awaited release. I brought in Chris today to learn more about his thoughts on the game and share a few early superlatives.

In your review, you wrote, “The gameplay feels like college football.” What characteristics make the game feel that way?

There’s nothing else in the world like college football, and there’s no sports video game like the college football game. Activities like recruiting and the 100-plus unique environments make this game stand out. There’s also a large gap between the best and worst teams, and that is evident when you play. Every team is its own experience, with its own environment, and that gives you so many ways to approach the game.

After one weekend of play, can you hand out a superlative for your favorite team, favorite playbook and best stadium?

I haven’t gotten through everyone because there’s just so much, and it depends on what kind of level you want to play at. But I love using Wake Forest’s playbook with a mobile quarterback. The slow mesh offense is something we’ve never had in a video game before, and it’s a lot of fun. Kansas is a fun team. Kansas State is a fun team. So is USF. So is Alabama. The best stadium is hard to pick, but the scenic forest view at Appalachian State is pretty cool.

I’ll admit it, I am not a big gamer. I never played NCAA Football. What’s your advice for a newcomer like me?

I’m impressed with how this game is built for everyone, from the hardcore gamer to the newcomer. If you want to go hard, there is so much you can get into. But if you’re new, you can scale down the passing meter for gameplay and auto-simulate recruiting for Dynasty. There are ways to make the game simpler for people who don’t want a game that requires previous experience or deep knowledge. And that’s what a sports game should be.

Read Chris’ full review here.

SEC Media Days

Tiebreaker decision still on the table

A credentialed Nick Saban is at SEC media days in Dallas this week. The credentialed part is important. The greatest coach of all time was at first denied entry because he forgot his credential in his room. Rules are rules, Coach!

Anyway, the event will continue through Thursday this week with media opportunities with all 16 teams. Georgia and SEC writer Seth Emerson shared an early storyline from Dallas on the SEC’s still-in-the-works tiebreaker policy. With the end of divisions, adding two teams and remaining at eight conference games, the conference seems even more likely to find itself in a tiebreaker scenario to decide which teams play in the SEC Championship Game.

While the final decision is still pending, we do know what the tiebreaker won’t be. Rankings — from the College Football Playoff and the AP and coaches polls — won’t be considered. Margin of victory, overall record and points scored are not expected to be tiebreakers either.

The hope is to make the process purely about wins and losses in the conference.

“We’ve got a pretty good idea, but we don’t want to put it out there just yet,” SEC associate commissioner Mark Womack said. “Because some of the tweaks that go through might impact (where) we might want to flip two (tiebreakers).”

Quick Snaps

Pat White, the QB who made West Virginia a cheat code in NCAA Football 2008, joined the Until Saturday podcast to talk more about College Football 25. Listen here.

Imagine you’re a gamer stuck in the summer of 2013 playing NCAA Football 14. What has changed since then? For starters, there are bigger conferences, more transfers and lots of money. Manny Navarro writes a letter to the past to recap the change we’ve seen in college football since EA’s last game.

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford, 62, announced Monday he is stepping down due to health concerns.

You can buy tickets to every college football game here.

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(Photo: Screenshot courtesy of EA Sports)