A lot has changed in the past eight years.
There hasn't been a new college football video game since the summer of 2013, but with EA Sports announcing on Tuesday that it will once again produce the beloved game, we've realized that college football looks quite different now than it did then.
We don't know yet when the new game will hit the shelves – though it won't be this year –but we do know it's going to have to incorporate quite a few new features when it returns.
College Football Playoff
The last time EA Sports released a college football video game, we were still in the final year of the BCS system as NCAA Football 14 was released ahead of the 2013 football season. So this will be the first time we'll see the College Football Playoff incorporated into a video game.
This means we'll likely see the weekly committee rankings incorporated into the game's dynasty mode, along with the four-team playoff – which could even be expanded by the time the game is released.
Recruiting
There really haven't been that many explicit rule changes to recruiting since the last college football video game's release, but the recruiting industry, in general, has exploded since NCAA Football 14 hit the shelves, and the fact is that the recruiting tool in that game was pretty archaic even then.
In NCAA Football 14, there was essentially no “flipping” of commitments – once a player committed, he was essentially a signee and could no longer be recruited. There was also no social media recruiting and not much acknowledgment of how NCAA rules and regulations impact recruiting.
Perhaps the biggest change here is that players can now sign in December during the early signing period instead of just in February, which speeds up the recruiting calendar.
All in all, recruiting has become a much bigger and more widely followed part of college football in the past decade, and the game should reflect that.
Transfer Portal
One of the major changes to the college football landscape since the last release of a college football video game has been the creation of the NCAA Transfer Portal. The transfer portal has become so much a part of college football the past few years that it would be difficult to imagine a college football video game without it.
In the game's dynasty mode, the transfer portal would likely give you – the coach – the option to search through a list of potential transfer options to help your team more immediately than a high school recruit. It would also likely mean having to handle your own players potentially entering the portal, just like a real college coach.
It's also safe to assume this would be an option for your created player if EA Sports were to bring back its popular Road to Glory mode or something similar.
Targeting
The “targeting” rule was actually implemented by the NCAA ahead of the 2013 season, which is the last season depicted by an EA Sports college football video game, but the rule didn't make it into NCAA Football 14.
Controversial as it is, there are few rule changes that have changed the game more than the targeting rule and it's undeniably become a big part of college football. It would surely lead to some frustration if this rule was implemented into the game, but it would also make the game more realistic, and perhaps punish players for over-using the “hit stick” feature.
Player Opt-Outs
Back when NCAA Football 14 was released, it was extremely rare for a player to even opt out of a bowl game. These days, it would not be shocking for a high-level player to opt out of an entire season to prepare for the NFL draft.
If this is incorporated into the game, it would be another thing for you to have to navigate in dynasty mode. EA Sports has always included players potentially declaring early for the draft, but this would be a new level of realism.
Run-Pass Option
College football has changed quite a bit schematically since the last time EA Sports produced a college football video game, but one of the biggest changes has been the incorporation of the run-pass option, aka the RPO.
These plays have already been incorporated into EA Sports' Madden video games for a couple of years, so there's no reason why they wouldn't make it into a future college football video game. But it will be a welcome addition nonetheless.
New FBS Teams
For the most part, EA Sports has limited its featured teams to FBS programs, only featuring four generic FCS teams in NCAA Football 14. Assuming that's true once again, we should be seeing a few more teams once the new edition is released.
Appalachian State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Liberty and Old Dominion have all joined the FBS ranks since the last game's release in 2013, while Idaho moved back to the FCS ranks.
Hilariously, UAB has disbanded and reinstated its entire football program since NCAA Football 14 was released, so there will be no changes on that front.
Turnover Props
This has nothing to do with gameplay, but the atmosphere, pageantry, and traditions made college football video games great in the past, and one major tradition that's taken off since the last college football game has been turnover props.
The Miami Hurricanes were the first with their turnover chain, but more followed like Tennessee's turnover trash can, Alabama's belt and Georgia's Savage Pads. They may just be a trend, but they're a part of college football now.
