EA Sports CFB 25

[Big McLargehuge]

TEambuilder giving some ajax errors I just want to create my own uni

Basically the only way I've been able to access that site consistently is by having my VPN set to Bulgaria

So I just hit an issue that may make me restart my franchise all over again anyway...and by issue I simply mean a completely ridiculous and stupid design decision made by someone who needs to be hit with a stick. Coaching maxes out at level 50 and you can't gain any more coins beyond that. What's worse is that you can't reset your coach abilities, rendering most upgrades completely unobtainable without planning things out years in advance...and I don't recall once being told that there's a level max in the game, especially not one that doesn't allow you to unlock much more than ~1/3 of available skills. In fact I still haven't...I just have enough XP for about 7 more levels with the screen forever telling me that I should be level 51. It seems to have been hidden in a f***ing pre-release deep dive video that I never watched. f***ing awesome, EA. Apparently coaches stop improving after 4-5 years on the job. I have Program Builder and Talent Developer unlocked with 0 upgrades in either tree and no way to change that other than completely starting over again and losing 4-5 seasons of progress.

It was annoying enough having my level 40+ assistants being pilfered away consistently and never having any applicants above lvl 25, but this isn't intuitive, explained, or even consistent. There's AI coaches well above lvl 50 for crying out loud. I'm just bitter about having wasted so many points preparing for levels that the game didn't tell me don't exist with no way to alter it. f***ing tell me ahead of time in the f***ing game, you nonces.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Basically the only way I've been able to access that site consistently is by having my VPN set to Bulgaria

So I just hit an issue that may make me restart my franchise all over again anyway...and by issue I simply mean a completely ridiculous and stupid design decision made by someone who needs to be hit with a stick. Coaching maxes out at level 50 and you can't gain any more coins beyond that. What's worse is that you can't reset your coach abilities, rendering most upgrades completely unobtainable without planning things out years in advance...and I don't recall once being told that there's a level max in the game, especially not one that doesn't allow you to unlock much more than ~1/3 of available skills. In fact I still haven't...I just have enough XP for about 7 more levels with the screen forever telling me that I should be level 51. It seems to have been hidden in a f***ing pre-release deep dive video that I never watched. f***ing awesome, EA. Apparently coaches stop improving after 4-5 years on the job. I have Program Builder and Talent Developer unlocked with 0 upgrades in either tree and no way to change that other than completely starting over again and losing 4-5 seasons of progress.

It was annoying enough having my level 40+ assistants being pilfered away consistently and never having any applicants above lvl 25, but this isn't intuitive, explained, or even consistent. There's AI coaches well above lvl 50 for crying out loud. I'm just bitter about having wasted so many points preparing for levels that the game didn't tell me don't exist with no way to alter it. f***ing tell me ahead of time in the f***ing game, you nonces.

That's not even the worst coach related thing in the game.

There's a bug right now where changing your offensive philosophy completely breaks your roster.

Had it happen to me with Wyoming since I won the national title and my A+ OC left for the NFL. Had to hire a new one that happened to run air raid. Went into my coach setting to change my playbook. For some reason, the game decided that with the change, my entire roster had to shift to archetypes to match. So now my once 87 overall defending national championship roster is at a 47 overall.

My 88 overall power back is now a 47 overall receiving back, etc

Thank god I had a manual save just after I won the natty or I'd be furious..

 

[tucker3434]

Overall, this game feels like Madden with a college skin. The QB’s and WR’s are waaaay overpowered. That makes sense in the pass-happy NFL. It doesn’t in college where there’s so much variance between good and bad. Any team in this game can easily run a 2 min air raid for a TD. There needs to be more focus on the run, time of possession, field position, etc. I’ve stopped punting completely. Waste of time.

That's not even the worst coach related thing in the game.

There's a bug right now where changing your offensive philosophy completely breaks your roster.

Had it happen to me with Wyoming since I won the national title and my A+ OC left for the NFL. Had to hire a new one that happened to run air raid. Went into my coach setting to change my playbook. For some reason, the game decided that with the change, my entire roster had to shift to archetypes to match. So now my once 87 overall defending national championship roster is at a 47 overall.

My 88 overall power back is now a 47 overall receiving back, etc

Thank god I had a manual save just after I won the natty or I'd be furious..

Guess I need to check on that. My A+ OC just took the Pitt HC job. Understandable. But the computer only gave me 5 options for replacement and 3 were air raid. None were similar schemes to the guy that left. I simmed a week and they auto-hired an air raid F guy that I’m stuck with for the year. So far, I see no issues other than how it somehow destroyed my coach stability because I lost 1 coordinator in 3 years. Whole thing is dumb.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Overall, this game feels like Madden with a college skin. The QB’s and WR’s are waaaay overpowered. That makes sense in the pass-happy NFL. It doesn’t in college where there’s so much variance between good and bad. Any team in this game can easily run a 2 min air raid for a TD. There needs to be more focus on the run, time of possession, field position, etc. I’ve stopped punting completely. Waste of time.




Guess I need to check on that. My A+ OC just took the Pitt HC job. Understandable. But the computer only gave me 5 options for replacement and 3 were air raid. None were similar schemes to the guy that left. I simmed a week and they auto-hired an air raid F guy that I’m stuck with for the year. So far, I see no issues other than how it somehow destroyed my coach stability because I lost 1 coordinator in 3 years. Whole thing is dumb.

Edit: So long as you don't actually change your playbook to match the new OC you should be fine.

Also, If you think NCAA 25 is bad defensively, you should see what Madden looks like this year.

Played a game via the game pass trial thing on all-pro and the final score was 54-48 in OT. Defense was broken to the point guys were just standing still or completely ignoring their assignments (especially with zone)

Bad enough where it's currently had a front row thread on reddit saying the same

 

[tucker3434]

Edit: So long as you don't actually change your playbook to match the new OC you should be fine.

Also, If you think NCAA 25 is bad defensively, you should see what Madden looks like this year.

Played a game via the game pass trial thing on all-pro and the final score was 54-48 in OT. Defense was broken to the point guys were just standing still or completely ignoring their assignments (especially with zone)

Bad enough where it's currently had a front row thread on reddit saying the same

That’s what a lot of my games look like in CFB25. I use 15 min quarters but with a quick clock. Im 50-50 run-pass with most of my passes being short, high percentage throws. I’ll take 8 min off the clock on a 80 year scoring drive. Then the CPU scores on 4 straight passes in under 2 min. That’s how the game goes until the final whistle. It’ll be 45-42 and the CPU will have 400 passing yards, -20 rushing yards and 20 min ToP. Aside from the late, great Mike Leach, nobody has a chance staying in games at the college level with that kinda stat line.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Currently playing an online dynasty and am having success on defense for the most part. Held Mami to 24 points. Only sliders I'm using is for penalties. 12 minutes acc clock all american.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Currently playing an online dynasty and am having success on defense for the most part. Held Mami to 24 points. Only sliders I'm using is for penalties. 12 minutes acc clock all american.

For me it depends on the team and it feels almost completely random

I play in a Frankenstein PAC 12 (basically just the mountain west with Oregon State and Washington State stitched on) and there's just some teams I own.

New Mexico is a guaranteed ass whopping regardless of how good they are. actually beat them in the current year without giving up a single first down. Same with Colorado State.

Even better teams are just an auto win too. Played Michigan twice. Once in the CFP and then next season and completely locked them up. Same with Clemson. Beat their 91 overall squad in the year 3 national title game with ease at 38-17 and then beat them again in the next years quarterfinals like 31-10.

Complete opposite with teams that seemingly just exist to annoy the f*** of me. The biggest offenders being Boise State (will almost always come down to the wire) Texas Tech and TCU whooping my ass 52-35 in the last CFP semi-finals because I literally couldn't buy a stop.

I'm not sure what the difference is but I have a running theory that teams with award winners get some type of unseen, under the hood boost. Clemson was loaded but didn't have any big award winners despite being a 91 overall team and I didn't have an issue with them. TCU with their 86 overall however had the Heisman winner and a couple best of their position winners on defense and they were impossible to beat. That doesn't explain why Boise State turns into the mid 80s Miami Hurricanes every time I play them though...

 

[tucker3434]

I've started running zone almost exclusively, and while I'm not having any better luck breaking up passes, I'm getting a lot more interceptions. I just played a game against UGA in the rain. The CPU was 28 for 38 but threw 4 picks. Only 6 balls hit the turf in a rain game. My next game against bama was similar. I would rather have a couple less picks but have them drop a few more when they lead a receiver directly into the arms of a LB or S across the middle on 3rd and long.

Side note, bama was 90 overall and finished 6-6. While I would love that, it's not particularly realistic. UAB is about to make the CFP at 79 overall. They need to tweak things a bit. Everybody likes upsets, but they can't happen all the time.

 

[Blitzkrug]

There's a few programs that this game likes too much;

Liberty will become a playoff regular by about year 3. This one doesn't seem that unreasonable given quite a few pundits/analysts have Liberty (either them or Bosie State) as the G5 champion to make the playoffs this year

Tulane, more so because they are incapable of being bad. They start off with a decent team and will become a fixture in the top 25 by year 2. They made the playoffs in 3 straight years, missed once and then were back after they managed to replace their Heisman winning QB with another stud recruit.

Kansas State, another solid, but not world beater program will become a powerhouse within a couple years as they just rule over the Big 12 for some reason. Multiple top 3 finishes for them and a couple top seeds in the CFP.

UAB is another one for me as well. Irrelevant in year 1, but after that their team overall shoots up into the mid 80s and will also pop up in the top 25 often. Though unlike the other teams on this list they never seem to go anywhere major.

I enjoy seeing UAB though because for some reason whatever scheme the AI has them run was programmed by chimps. They refuse to stop pressing WRs with a single high safety and it generally ends poorly for them

 

[Jovavic]

My theory is that some programmers are from those small schools so they game the code to secretly make them better than the overalls suggest.

 

[Blitzkrug]

It could very well be, but my theory is it's how hard the recruiting system can tilt in a school's favor.

There's not a lot you can change about your program in a hurry, but the few you can seem to have a lot of weight: playing time, championship contender status, and coach prestige.

After 2 seasons (9-4, loss in conference championship, 13-0, loss in CFP opening round) my prestige went from like a c- on coaching and a d on championship contender to A's on both. It opened up recruiting in a big way since it seemed like most recruits valued at least one of those 3 as a top priority. Assuming the AI is playing by the same rules, they also benefit hugely from this. Since one good season means you're suddenly Belle of the ball and can now go blow for blow with he big dogs. Basically a positive feedback loop (pipeline is also a big deal and probably factors into this)

Or you get something like Oregon. You want to talk about developer meddling? Oregon is omnipotent in this game. They are in on everyone, everywhere at all times. They have seemingly 3500 scholarship spots to your 35. They probably have an S+++ rating in every category. That 5 star who is inches away from commiting? Here comes Oregon at the last second with the peak Hulk Hogan "that doesn't work for me brother" to steal him from you at the last moment with a week 12 visit that somehow gets an insta-commit. You're on the other side of the country? Oregon don't give a f***, all they see is the 5 star rating. If Oregon wants a recruit in this world, it is legally theirs.


CFB25 Oregon is a mythical level of powerful on par with Kirk Cousins in games that start at 1 PM ET and Tage Thompson when he happens to be playing in a game that is broadcast on TNT.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Looks like today's patch has some pretty good fixes. Gonna give RTG a try as a CB again since they seemed to fix them having low speed

 

[trojansoilers]

It could very well be, but my theory is it's how hard the recruiting system can tilt in a school's favor.

There's not a lot you can change about your program in a hurry, but the few you can seem to have a lot of weight: playing time, championship contender status, and coach prestige.

After 2 seasons (9-4, loss in conference championship, 13-0, loss in CFP opening round) my prestige went from like a c- on coaching and a d on championship contender to A's on both. It opened up recruiting in a big way since it seemed like most recruits valued at least one of those 3 as a top priority. Assuming the AI is playing by the same rules, they also benefit hugely from this. Since one good season means you're suddenly Belle of the ball and can now go blow for blow with he big dogs. Basically a positive feedback loop (pipeline is also a big deal and probably factors into this)

Or you get something like Oregon. You want to talk about developer meddling? Oregon is omnipotent in this game. They are in on everyone, everywhere at all times. They have seemingly 3500 scholarship spots to your 35. They probably have an S+++ rating in every category. That 5 star who is inches away from commiting? Here comes Oregon at the last second with the peak Hulk Hogan "that doesn't work for me brother" to steal him from you at the last moment with a week 12 visit that somehow gets an insta-commit. You're on the other side of the country? Oregon don't give a f***, all they see is the 5 star rating. If Oregon wants a recruit in this world, it is legally theirs.

CFB25 Oregon is a mythical level of powerful on par with Kirk Cousins in games that start at 1 PM ET and Tage Thompson when he happens to be playing in a game that is broadcast on TNT.

I've noticed that too! I'm about 5 seasons into my dynasty and Oregon has topped the recruiting charts every season and gets half the 5* recruits.
That Uncle Phil $$$ somehow made it into the game.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Oregon is perpetually 6-6 in my game, but they're always in the top 5 recruiting classes.

Certain programs change ratings annually, while others are incredibly consistent regardless of success (or lack thereof). Grades are usually to blame for that...no amount of 0-12 seasons are going to undo Notre Dame's championships of yore and that's generally fine with me. It's the teams losing half a star after winning a conference title or going up half a star after going 1-11 that gets me.

Rice is up to 3 1/2 stars in my game without any major success, while Northwestern is down to 2 stars with a couple conference championships and a playoff appearance. Wake Forest has gone full Temple in the 90s...which, I mean, not that far-fetched, but the ease at which they became the worst program in the game was still pretty awe-inspiring. Duke hasn't done much better, but haven't dipped below 2 1/2. UNC won back-to-back ACC titles and is a 3*. Hmm.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Yeah the star system is kinda trash.

Wyoming starts as a 2 star program. In 7 years I had;

2 national championships

5 conference championships

10 playoff wins

No season with a lower total of 9 wins

And somehow, that was only enough to get me to a 3.5 star program. Yet somehow Baylor, who as far as I can tell have done absolutely nothing in my dynasty somehow went up to a 4 star program.

National championships have to be worth more on the scale I think. With how college football works IRL, winning a natty automatically puts you above a good majority of programs in the country. 5 star should be hard to reach as big mclargehuge said only the bluest of blueblood programs with legendary histories should be up there. But winning one or two should put you ahead of the likes of Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU.