EA Sports College Football is entering its third year, and as is true with sports, expectations are high. Call it unfair, but the more you impress people, the higher the expectations will be. It’s true in sports, it’s true in life, and it’s especially true in video games. The revived series has been absolute fire ever since its return a couple of years ago. I even went so far as to say College Football 26 was arguably the best football game around. I’ve also said that it might be EA’s most important IP moving forward, and here’s to hoping they continue to not fumble. It’s been a few weeks since the game’s release. While they’ve fumbled a couple of times, the good thing is they’ve never turned the ball over yet. At the same time, it really feels like EA Sports is playing it safe with this release.

“It’s In the Game,” As Expected

As someone who’s been playing EA Sports games for over two decades and enjoying sports, including football, for much longer, while I’ve always thought EA Sports left much to be desired as far as presentation, College Football has always been top-notch. College sports have always been about the pageantry. From traditions to boisterous fan chants, a lot of what you see on College GameDay makes it here, and College Football 27 comes with more authenticity both in its theatrics and overall gameplay.

With its biggest NIL deal ever, EA Sports College Football 27 brings more to the game. That means more school-specific traditions, more mascots, and a stronger overall identity. In addition to the aforementioned chants, 36 new mascots and on-field traditions like Vanderbilt’s anchor drop are in the game. Even my alma mater, San Jose State, saw representation, with Sammy the Spartan joining the team for the pre-game festivities. Unfortunately, they’re still called SJS instead of SJSU, but that’s neither here nor there.

As for its broadcast presentation, CFB27 remains impressive. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt has replaced Kirk Herbstreit as the color commentator alongside ESPN/ABC’s Chris Fowler. ESPN’s Holly Rowe also joins them from the sidelines to talk about the stories within the game. Her presence is welcome, as she’ll add insights on subjects such as injuries, records, weather, and other on-field developments.

As fun as the authentic presentation is, these are theatrics people typically skip. The game also has a brand-new Heistman Trophy Award Presentation, which gets old after seeing it a couple of times. Having Holly Rowe makes you second-guess skipping them because you might actually want to hear her weather forecast. In previous football games, the weather was generally predetermined right before kickoff. Now, the weather can change as the game progresses, and it actually matters. Throwing the ball all over the field every down in the rain typically isn’t the best thing to do. Now that you have to worry about it happening randomly, it’s another layer of strategy to keep in mind.

As Solid a Game of Football as You’ll Ever Get

One thing to easily appreciate is that this year, EA Sports hasn’t been afraid of change. They could’ve kept the gameplay mechanics the way they were, and while nobody would complain, there wouldn’t be much evolution. This year, the development team has added formation shifts, refreshed the hit sticks, and retooled pre-snap adjustments. The retooling will take some getting used to for veterans, but it comes with more flexibility. That could lead to a tighter experience if you stick to it.

Formation shifts happen all the time on the field; it’s great to see them happen in the CFB27. Picking the right defense against certain offenses is already a chess match. Now shifting to different plays using that same alignment gives the offense another wrinkle to confuse the defense. That being said, the remapping of the hit stick adds more flexibility to attack ball carriers as well. Before, it was all about flicking up for a big hit or flicking down for a low hit. Now, flicking left lets your defender attempt a diving tackle, while flicking right is a safer option. Individual player attributes will come into play when using these stick maneuvers, but it also brings more flexibility and control in situations where you would’ve whiffed in previous games.

Revamping pre-snap adjustments will easily be the most controversial of these changes. They’ve been what separates veteran and competitive players from novices and casuals, and it’ll take a while to relearn. I’m someone who’s known how to handle my secondary assignments and line shifts for over a decade, but now it feels like it’s all out the window (especially since Madden NFL 27 will be making all these changes as well). To make things a little easier, CFB27 also brings in Custom Adjustments to turn your usual shifts and audibles into macros that you can bring into games. On defense, you can use macros such as “Play QB Scramble” or “No Deep Passes” when you really think you know what the offense is up to. In the meantime, on offense, you can also bring up macros like “All Verticals” or “Outs” to really take advantage of every situation.

This is all part of the chess and cat-and-mouse game that is 11-on-11 football, and it’s great to see. 40 Custom Adjustments can be made in the game, with 20 each on offense and defense, and you can bring 10 of these adjustments to the game you play. Think of them as playbook “loadouts.”

As solid as all the actual gameplay was, I did have an issue with playing moments (instead of full games). For reasons that have no consistency, it was common for me to go up 7- 0 in a game, only for me to be inexplicably trailing 17-7 before I got control again. I’ve also seen countless instances where the game tells me to get a defensive stop on 4th down, only for the opposing team to punt or kick a field goal anyway. The game doesn’t even tell you to come back from a 10-point deficit, either, so it’s weird to be playing Moments where there’s no sort of control in the game aside from just the times it asks you to play.

Dynasty Is More Dynamic But Also Becomes Dull

Dynasty Mode has always been the biggest draw in EA Sports College Football. It’s all about running your favorite school’s football program how you want. Of course, you can’t just decide to run Eastern Michigan like the University of Michigan. That’s where Dynasty Blueprint Comes in. Now you have Dynasty Points to invest in factors like your coaching staff, facilities, and NIL.

You also have to meet the expectations of your Athletic Directors. Expectations include simple on-field-related goals, such as holding your opponents to an average of under 30 points. Other times, they’ll be a bit more demanding, like when they have your team qualify for a bowl game. All these things affect your coach’s and program’s outlook.

On top of that, you still have your team’s weekly performance and recruitment priorities to worry about. Remember, as college football is happening, so is high school football. You have to constantly keep an eye on the best players in the nation. You can do things like talk to their families or even offer them scholarships without ever meeting them. All of this matters, but it also comes at a cost for the same currency you’re using for coaching staff, facilities, and other priorities.

It’s nice to be able to oversee all these factors, but at the end of the day, they were just menus. Again, I’m the guy who uses my small school in Dynasty. I personally love living in a reality where San Jose State can take on Notre Dame in the National Championship game. I did exactly that during my first season in the game, even if it wasn’t an expectation from the athletic directors. Despite winning the National Championship, the majority of my squad still decided to enter the Transfer Portal. That was a surprise I wasn’t too fond of, and I don’t know if it was because I didn’t do a good enough job with recruitment. The worst part was that after winning the championship, expectations rose even though my roster was considered worse than the champions I coached in the first year.

Road to Glory Still Follows You Through High School and College Without the Actual School Part

Ever since its return, Road to Glory has been my favorite mode in EA Sports College Football. This year, CFB27 adds pass rusher, safety, and tight end as available positions for your created player. They’ve also improved the Player Builder and given you the ability to carry the Legacy Score of your player over to Madden NFL 27.

They’re pretty significant additions, but they feel more like a facelift than game-changing improvements. This is especially true when talking about the improved Player Builder. It’s definitely better, and it becomes a joy to use once you start unlocking traits to improve attributes above your ceiling, so it’ll be exciting once it’s time to bring my player over to the NFL in Madden.

Admittedly, I stuck with quarterback when creating my RTG player, but I did mess around with tight end. The fact that you can run routes, pass block, and run block really adds a fun dynamic to the game. Unfortunately, like running back and wide receiver, there isn’t a whole lot of fun if the quarterback doesn’t throw the ball your way. Still, knowing you’re making an impact when you’re on the field blocking is a good feeling. I didn’t touch pass rusher and safety — I get that they’re very different positions, but I’ve never really had fun using a defensive player, nor do I really like the defensive camera angles either. It just isn’t as fun.

Speaking of fun, that’s supposed to be part of the deal when it comes to athletics. Answering texts from coaches, teammates, and academic advisors is always interesting, but I want to see those situations play out. I want to see my guy go to a party instead of studying, or see him get rejected at homecoming. I want to be able to take part in the academic tests my player has to go through. Even more locker room stuff would be amazing to see, short of the full-frontal we saw in Any Given Sunday. It’s been nine years since “Longshot” in Madden NFL 18. It’s time to bring this story stuff to College Football.

Verdict

At its core, EA Sports College Football 27 is another solid entry. Ultimate Team, Road to College Football Playoff, and Mascot Mashup are still there, but we’ll save the headache of discussing what you’d probably expect from microtransaction-reliant modes. If solid to you is worth $70, by all means. You can also rest easy knowing that the new gameplay mechanics in this game will probably be a mainstay from here on out, so it could pay to learn these nuances.

This just feels like EA Sports played it safe instead of going all out, and considering they’re now under new ownership, it’s hard to blame them. The new gameplay mechanics are here to stay, but the additions to CFB27’s big modes don’t really feel essential. If you’re happy with CFB26, which is still a really good game, there’s no pressing need to upgrade at full price.

Score: 7/10

EA Sports College Football 27 launched July 9 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Reviewed on PS5, review code provided by Electronic Arts.

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