EA Sports College Football 25: Everything you need to know (2024)

The EA Sports College Football 25 release date is this month, and the return of the series once known as NCAA looks seriously promising. The collegiate alternative to Madden 25 features Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter, and Donovan Edwards on the cover, and is aiming to feel significantly different to its Gridiron big brother. Below we have the College Football 25 trailer – two, in fact – as well as all the key gameplay and pre-order details, in your one-stop EA Sports College Football 25 guide.

The first College Football 25 trailer offered a glimpse at all the intricacies on offer in the series' return, such as lifelike mascots, jerseys, locker rooms, and stadiums. It also confirmed the first four teams: Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Hit the image above to give it a watch.

College Football 25 reveal trailer

May 2024 brought a closer look by way of the College Football 25 reveal trailer, with plenty of in-game action and atmospheric close-ups. Hit that button above to give it a watch.

The College Football 25 release date is July 19, 2024. However, as with most EA releases one of the pre-order incentives is getting to play it three days early. That means those who do purchase ahead of release can dive on on July 16, 2024. And on the subject of pre-ordering…

College Football 25 pre-order bonuses

There are three different editions of College Football 25, each with specific pre-order bonuses. Here's what you get included with each one. Note that the MVP Bundle also includes Madden NFL 25, which is released on August 16, 2024.

• Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 134)
• Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 3)
• Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item

College Football 25 Deluxe Edition

• Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 5) [if ordered by June 27]
• 3 Day Early Access(July 16-18)
• 4600 College Football Points
• Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 134)
• Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 3)
• Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item

• Madden NFL 25 Deluxe Edition
• 3 Day Early Access
• 4600 Madden Points
• Early Access Ultimate Teamm Challenges
• AKA Player Item
• Cover Athlete Elite Player Item
• Elite Player Item
• Choice of 2 Strategy Items
• Superstar Drip Gear
• Legendary XP Boost
• College Football 25 Deluxe Edition
• 3 Day Early Access
• 4600 College Football Points
• Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 134)
• Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 3)
• Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 5)
• Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item

NCAA Football 25 vs College Football 25

Is College Football 25 just NCAA Football 25 under a different name? Kind of, although there's a key legal difference. The National Collegiate Athletic Association were accused of failing to compensate its players for appearing in EA's games, which led to a lawsuit from some of the players in question – and the end of that series with NCAA Football 14. As a result, this is indeed considered the 21st game in EA's non-NFL football series – but it no longer bears the NCAA name.

As those pre-orders confirm, this will be the first EA college game to include Ultimate Team. Other modes include Road To Glory and Road to the College Football Playoff, but those early incentives make clear that 'CUT' will be the focus. Particularly with the game's trio of cover stars, Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter, and Donovan Edwards, being utilised to try to draw fans into snapping up those bonuses. It won't be to everyone's liking – but there's plenty else to look forward too…

College Football 25 real players

Given the lawsuit mentioned above, EA has been super careful when securing College Football 25 real players. Those who agree to be in the game will receive a $600 flat payment and a copy of the game, in reward for their likeness being used. The good news is that this strategy has worked, and more than 10,000 college athletes have signed up to appear.

However, there will be absentees. For instance, Texas quarterback Arch Manning – nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning – has reportedly opted out of College Football 25. Those who decline the use of their identity will be replaced with a generic character, and sadly there's no way to manually edit their name or likeness. Still, 10,000 real players is a colossal start. EA's goal is to have 85-man rosters for every school in the game, which would mean it's signed up 87% of real athletes.

All 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams are confirmed for College Football 25. That means newer additions to the association, such as the James Madison Dukes and Jacksonville State Gameco*cks, will be playable for the first time ever in an EA game. But what does this mean in terms of College Football 25 ratings? Great question. We've now seen the College Football 25 best teams list, and this is how it shapes up…

• 1 Georgia Bulldogs - 95
• 2 Ohio State Buckeyes - 93
• 3 Oregon Ducks - 93
• 4 Alabama Crimson Tide - 92
• 5 Texas Longhorns - 92
• 6 Clemson Tigers - 90
• 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 90
• 8 LSU Tigers - 90
• 9 Penn State Nittany Lions - 88
• 10 Utah Utes - 88
• 11 Michigan Wolverines - 88
• 12 Florida State Seminoles - 88
• 13 Miami Hurricanes - 88
• 14 Texas A&M Aggies - 88
• 15 Ole Miss Rebels - 88
• 16 Colorado Buffaloes - 87
• 17 Oklahoma Sooners - 87
• 18 Wisconsin Badgers - 87
• 19 USC Trojans - 87
• 20 Virginia Tech Hokies - 87
• 21 NC State Wolfpack - 87
• 22 Kansas Jayhawks - 87
• 23 Arizona Wildcats - 87
• 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys - 87
• 25 Iowa Hawkeyes - 87

College Football 25 dynasty mode

The return of Dynasty mode is a huge boost – it's why many proclaimed NCAA stronger than Madden. One of the key differences was recruiting. Instead of wheeling and dealing, players had to be scouted and approached while in high school, playing the strengths and weaknesses of your college off against those of others after their signature. It was so moreish that you could often spend more time trying to attract future players than out on the digital turf – and that again is a key area of focus.

Recruiting is now split into three phases: Discovery, Pitch and Close. In Discovery, you uncover details on your targeted prospects, such as their skills, and whether they're a good fit for your program. At the end of this process each player reveals their top five schools, and you move into the Pitch phase – selling your college to them, in the hope that it tempts them to join. Last up, in Close, it's time to host official visits, before seeing how well your targeting has gone on National Signing Day. It all sounds engaging and addictive. We'll confirm whether or not that's the case in our imminent College Football 25 review.

Will College Football 25 just be a reskinned version of Madden NFL 24? Nope! While the game is based on the same engine, it's exclusive to PS5 and XBox Series X, and places a huge focus on a feature called CampusIQ. This sees player ratings change in-game, a dynamic wear and tear system, and various clever ways of implementing home-team advantage. You can read much more about it in our College Football 25 preview.

College Football 25 NCFAA awards

One key difference from the classic series is that you won't be able to win NCFAA awards, such as the Ray Guy. These are the trophies dished out at the end of each season to the best players in collegiate football. "The offer that has been made is not adequate for the rights fee for the awards," president Mark Wolpert told On3. Apparently the figure presented by EA was "a "nominal increase based on the 2014 number."

According to Wolpert, EA has a plan B: fictional accolades: "If brands are going to be represented there, we want to be compensated properly. So when I explained that to the EA rep, the response came back to me that if we choose not to do that, they'll just make their own awards up and put them in the game."

However, along with EA's apparently self-created gongs, the Heisman Trophy is expected to be in College Football 25. That's because it's operated by a different organization to the NCFAA – the Heisman Trust.

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