What’s up everyone, it’s PIHCAM. For those who may not know me, I have been a competitive Madden player for five years and currently teach and create content for Huddle.gg. I take pride in my deep understanding of Madden and hope to bring this expertise to College Football 25. Today, we will discuss the upcoming release of this highly anticipated game.
The EA Sports College Football franchise is set to release on July 19th, with Early Access on July 16th, marking its first release since 2014. While there has not been an open beta, EA has released a ton of information regarding what we should expect in their official Gameplay Deep Dive Blog. Though I can’t cover every new feature here, I will highlight some of my favorites.
EA has established three core pillars for gameplay in College Football 25: All 22+, 134 Ways to Play, and Stories of Saturday, each introducing new mechanics and game modes that enhance the authenticity and strategy of college football.
Road to the College Football Playoff
EA is introducing a new game mode titled "Road to the College Football Playoff." This competitive mode, available across platforms, is similar to EA Sports FC’s (formerly known as FIFA) "Seasons," where players climb divisions to compete in the College Football Playoff and aim for a National Championship.
This addition provides an engaging way to compete, climb leaderboards, and rank up with your favorite college football team. Unlike Ultimate Team or Dynasty mode, Road to the College Football Playoff" offers online competitive play without significant time or financial investment.
A major complaint with H2H Play Now in Madden has been the lack of incentives and competition. Road to the College Football Playoff addresses this by providing a competitive platform for standard college football rosters throughout the year, giving an alternative to Ultimate Team.
134 Ways to Play
Another big complaint I’ve had with Madden, particularly in recent years, is the lack of diversity and options in playcalling. The meta has predominantly been centered around Gun Bunch, or other compressed formations, for what feels like a decade. While there have been occasional additions of new play-calls, these changes have not been implemented in any meaningful way.
According to EA, this will not be an issue in College Football 25. They have placed a strong emphasis on creating unique playbooks for each school, guided by the philosophy that "every team is somebody’s favorite team." Offering a wide array of schemes, formations, and play-calls will enhance the diversity of gameplay experiences. While I understand there will still be a meta on both sides of the ball, providing players with more options should result in better and more distinctive gameplay.
New Coverage Options
One of my favorite changes to the game is the removal of base aligned defenses. In Madden, base align defense has always been frustrating. The ability to base align and press, causing corners to be out-leveraged yet still able to defend a streak route, never made sense and oversimplified defense. Stopping everything with the same look is not beneficial for the game, and I believe this change will improve gameplay.
“Base Align” is a defensive adjustment in Madden that aligns your defense symmetrically across the field each play. This allows defenses to have the same alignment pre-snap, regardless of play-call.
With its removal, EA introduced a new coverage shell option and improved alignment overall. Now, you can disguise your coverage as Cover 0, Cover 2, or Cover 4 and choose a one-high or two-high safety look based on your formation.
These changes will make play calling and disguising your defense a significant skill gap on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Switch Stick
Another addition EA has introduced this year is the defensive Switch Stick. This mechanic has the potential to significantly enhance the skill gap on defense. When controlling a defender in pass coverage, players can now switch to other defensive players based on the direction of flicking the right stick.
Overall, this is a positive change that high-level players can perfect. My concern is how it could be manipulated and lessen the “chess match” aspect. For example, if my opponent is in a Cover 3 defense and I run a flood concept, I don’t think the opponent should switch to a defender with his back to the ball and cover both the streak and the deep corner/out route. This could allow players to stay in a similar defense all game, switching to defenders and taking away multiple routes they shouldn’t be able to cover. I’m anxious to see how this mechanic looks once the game drops.
In The Trenches
Offensive line play has been an area where EA has struggled significantly in recent years with Madden. The inconsistency in the trenches has made it difficult to understand how and why the offensive line behaves the way it does year after year. Hopefully, this will change in College Football 25. EA has indicated that this was a major focus for them and something they believe has improved significantly.
My favorite addition is the ability of seeing who your line is responsible for pre-snap. You’ll see each blocker’s assignment, making it easier to understand protection schemes and adjust accordingly. This transparency should help players feel more comfortable in the pocket and force defenses to be more strategic. Additionally, EA has added over 400 blocking animations for a more realistic feel in the trenches.
Run block targeting has also improved, potentially enhancing the run game by forcing opponents to make appropriate play-calls, encouraging thoughtful decision-making and rewarding correct play-calls.
What I Still Want to See
First, I am intrigued to see how abilities will function in this game. Personally, I have not been happy with the direction Madden has taken with abilities due to the lack of balance and the absolute outcomes for certain abilities. EA has indicated that abilities in College Football 25 will be merely attribute boosts and will not guarantee outcomes. If this is true and implemented correctly, it represents a very positive direction for the ability system.
Secondly, I am interested in how Ultimate Team will be implemented. While I assume it will be similar to Madden, I hope EA releases a detailed blog about the mode before the game launches. Despite its polarizing nature, I believe Ultimate Team will be the most played competitive mode in the game and the primary mode for most tournaments. As a competitive player, I see Ultimate Team as the most important mode in Madden, and I expect the same for College Football 25.
Lastly, I am excited to learn about Dynasty mode. Dynasty mode offers a unique experience different from Franchise mode in Madden. Recruiting players is key and always engaging. I fully expect EA to invest heavily in Dynasty mode, as it has consistently been one of the most popular game modes in college football games.
Conclusion
I’m extremely excited about the direction EA College Football 25 is heading. There’s a lot to be enthusiastic about, but we need to wait for the implementation of these new additions. While EA has highlighted many great features, we can’t confirm their effectiveness until we see the game played. This has been an issue with Madden due to inconsistent implementation, so I remain cautious about College Football 25 despite my excitement.
I hope you all are thrilled for this game as well. For many long-time fans, it has been eagerly anticipated. Let us know what you’re most excited about and what you’re still hoping to hear regarding the new game by leaving a comment below.
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