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After over a decade without a new college football video game, the long-awaited release of EA Sports College Football 25 is finally here. While gaming technology has undoubtedly evolved since the release of EA NCAA 14 in 2013, let's examine the landscape of college football.
We will compare the top 25 teams from NCAA 14 to those in College Football 25, assessing which teams from 11 years ago are still dominant and which have fallen out of contention.
Why Teams Dropped Out
Of the 25 top-rated teams in NCAA 14, only eight are absent in College Football 25's creme of the crop. Michigan State, North Carolina, Stanford, Washington, Baylor, Florida, Louisville and South Carolina no longer hold top 25 ratings in this year's game.
Since NCAA 14 was released in July of 2013, Michigan State has a combined record of 88-49, winning two Big Ten Conference championships and making a College Football Playoff appearance. While Michigan State has been a solid team over the past 11 seasons, coaching issues have caused the Spartans to take a step back over the last couple of years. After losing long-time head coach Mark Dantonio to retirement, the Spartans hired Mel Tucker as his replacement. After going 5-2 during 2020's "COVID season", Tucker led the Spartans to an 11-2 record in 2021. The 2022 season was a letdown as the Spartans finished the season with a 5-7 record. Tucker was ultimately fired in September of 2023 after sexual assault allegations were made against him. After being named interim head coach, Harlon Barnett led the Spartans to a dismal 4-8 record. With the team going 9-16 over the last two seasons, it is easy to see why the Spartans' rating has dropped in College Football 25.
North Carolina has been a somewhat mediocre team over the past 11 seasons, with a record of 74-66. In this case, it's less about what the Tar Heels have done to fall out of contention and more about why they didn't deserve a 91 rating in NCAA 2014. North Carolina went 23-15 in the three seasons before the release of NCAA 14. They have gone an almost identical 23-17 over the last three seasons, demonstrating that not much has changed for the Tarheels in the previous 11 years.
Stanford experienced a golden age in football around the release of NCAA 14 in 2013, with three consecutive seasons of ten or more wins. Since then, the Cardinal has posted a record of 76-56 and secured two Pac-12 Conference titles. Things started going downhill for Stanford in 2019 when they went 4-8, finishing the season without bowl eligibility for the first time in over a decade. David Shaw resigned as head coach for Stanford in 2022 after two consecutive 3-9 seasons. Stanford's 17-37 record over the past five years is why they are not a highly-rated team in College Football 25.
Washington has been the strongest team to drop out of the ratings over the last 11 years. Since the release of NCAA 14, they have a record of 96-42. They also won three Pac-12 titles and made two playoff appearances in that same time frame. The Huskies went 14-1 and played in the national championship game just last year. Success can be a double-edged sword, as Washington lost their head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama in the offseason. Due to that coaching change, they lost most of their star players to the transfer portal. While they have been a solid team over the last couple of years, the Huskies lost too much to justify giving them a top rating in College Football 25.
Baylor is another team that experienced unprecedented success in 2013. Under former coach Art Briles, Baylor established itself as not only a Big 12 contender but also a national one. Over the last 11 seasons, Baylor went 81-58 and won three Big 12 Conference championships. Unfortunately, Briles was fired in 2016 due to the sexual assault scandal at Baylor. While Baylor saw flashes of success under both Matt Rhule and Dave Aranda since Briles's departure, their consistent success left with Briles. Baylor has gone 9-16 over the last two seasons, eliminating them from consideration of a top 25 rating in College Football 25.
In 2013, Florida was coming off an 11-2 season under second-year coach Will Muschamp. Since then, Florida has gone 80-58, making two Southeastern Conference Championship game appearances. They have also fired three coaches in that same timeframe. Florida's downfall can be attributed to its inability to find the right man for its head coaching job. The lack of stable leadership and coaching has turned this once-national contender into a team that'll be lucky to make a bowl game. With a record of 17-21 over the last three seasons, it's no surprise that Florida isn't rated higher.
In 2013, Louisville was coming off a 12-win season with returning quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Since the release of NCAA 2014, Louisville has gone 84-17. While they have had a few bad seasons in between, the Cardinals went 10-4 last year, proving to be a formidable team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The difference between this year and 2013 is that the Cardinals do not have a returning quarterback. Last season's starter, Jack Pummer, joined the NFL, contributing to the Cardinals not receiving a top 25 rating in College Football 25.
When NCAA 14 was released, South Carolina was coming off back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2013. Under then-head coach Steve Spurrier, the Gamecocks experienced the most consistent success the program had ever seen. Spurrier retired in 2015 after going 3-9. The Gamecocks hired Will Muschamp, who did have some success but was ultimately fired in 2020. Muschamp was replaced by Shane Beamer in 2021. Since this is Beamer's first head coaching job, growing pains are to be expected, and that's precisely what the Gamecocks are experiencing today. While a 23-18 record for a first-time head coach over the last three seasons isn't terrible, it's not enough to earn a top 25 rating in College Football 25.
New Additions in EA Sports College Football 25
Eight of the top 25 teams from NCAA 14 did not secure a similar rating in College Football 25, which means there are eight teams to replace them. The teams absent from the top rankings in NCAA 14 but present in the top tier for College Football 25 are Penn State, Utah, Colorado, Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Kansas, Arizona and Iowa.
When NCAA 14 was released, Penn State was still dealing with the fallout of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which included scholarship restrictions and a four-year postseason ban. Those were dark times for a program that is typically a top-25 team. However, James Franklin has led the Nittany Lions to back-to-back ten-plus-win seasons the last two years, making it a no-brainer to reward them with a top-25 rating in College Football 25.
In 2013, Utah had only been in the Pac-12 for two years and was coming off a 5-7 season. Under the leadership of long-time coach Kyle Whittingham, Utah has emerged as a formidable program, winning 10 games or more in three of the last five seasons. The Utes also won two of the previous three Pac-12 championships. While they did go 8-5 last season, they were without star quarterback Cam Rising, who is set to return from injury this season. The return of Cam Rising and the move to the Big 12 is enough to predict the Utes will have a successful season, justifying their rating in College Football 25.
Colorado was a bad team in 2013 and is still a bad team now. While they have recently added some great talent to the roster, there is no real reason for them to be rated as high as they are in College Football 25. Deion Sanders is a great personality, and his ascension to the Colorado job was one of the biggest sports stories of last year. The combination of the "Sanders Factor" and dynamic playmakers like Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are two reasons Colorado is rated so high in CFB 25.
Wisconsin just missed a top 25 rating in NCAA 14 after going 8-6 in 2012. Their record last season was worse at 7-6, but that was under first-year coach Luke Fickle, who is expected to do great things this season. The hype surrounding the Badgers' potential return to prominence likely contributed to their high rating in College Football 25.
When NCAA 14 was released, NC State was coming off a disappointing 7-6 season, leaving little question as to why it didn't receive a top-25 rating. Fast-forward to this year, and the Wolfpack is coming off a 9-4 season under first-year offensive coordinator Robert Anae. The offense is expected to be explosive in Anae's second year with transfer quarterback Grayson McCall under center. With this offensive improvement, NC State is expected to compete for the ACC championship. With the Wolfpack predicted to win ten games, giving them a top 25 rating in this year's game is reasonable.
Kansas has been a perennial bottom-feeder in the Big 12. In 2013, they were coming off a 1-11 season, making them one of the lowest-rated power five teams in NCAA 14. In 2021, Lance Leipold took over as head coach for the Jayhawks and has continued to improve yearly, culminating in a 9-4 record this past season. With Leipold expected to continue his trend of improvement, the Jayhawks receiving an 87 rating in College Football 25 fits with their trajectory.
Arizona has been a mediocre team for most of its history, and that was the case in 2013 when NCAA 14 was released. The Wildcats lost coach Jedd Fisch to Washington in the offseason, and Brent Brennan replaced him. Fisch led the Wildcats to their third ten-win season in program history this past season. Even with a first-year head coach, the Wildcats are poised to make a strong showing this season. Arizona is a team on the rise, just like their rating in College Football 25.
Iowa went 4-8 the season before NCAA 14 was released, which explains why they were not a top-25-rated team in that game. Last season, they went 10-4 and played in the Big 10 championship game. The Hawkeyes did all that with an anemic offense, averaging only 15.43 points a game. They brought in Tim Lester as the new offensive coordinator to overhaul the offense this offseason. With improved offense, the Hawkeyes look to win 10 or more games again this season, making their 87 rating in College Football 25 a perfect fit.
The Usual Suspects
While the top-rated teams changed slightly between NCAA 14 and College Football 25, the majority stayed the same. Although their ratings vary somewhat from game to game, these 17 teams have remained relevant enough over the last 11 years to retain their spots as top-25 rated teams. The teams are Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Texas A&M, USC, Miami and Ole Miss.
For the most part, the ratings for these teams only vary by three points or less between the two games, but there are some outliers. Alabama went from a 99 rating in NCAA 14 to a 92 rating in College Football 25, which is understandable considering the Tide were coming off back-to-back national championships in 2013 and lost legendary coach Nick Saban to retirement this off-season. Georgia, which replaces Alabama as the top dawg in College Football 25, went from a 91 rating in NCAA 14 to a 95 rating in CFB 25. USC went from a 91 in NCAA 14 to an 87, while Virginia Tech went from a 93 to an 87.
It's clear that the top college football teams have remained relatively consistent over the past 11 years, unlike the rapid advancements in gaming technology. Although our beloved Group of 5 teams may never have the chance to compete in the playoffs or dominate college football in reality, we can now make this a reality in Dynasty Mode in College Football 25.
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