The EA Sports College Football 26 teams we are most excited to play

New York Times

12 hours ago

By Antonio Morales, Ari Wasserman and Chris Vannini
We're getting closer and closer to the release of EA Sports College Football 26's launch. There was a ton of hype and excitement surrounding last year's game, which was the return of the college football game after an 11-year hiatus.
Now, we're starting to learn a little more as EA Sports has tried to work out the kinks from last year's return. EA released an official trailer for the game last week, and The Athletic's Chris Vannini played the game and wrote about the differences in this year's version.
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As the July 10 launch date nears, three of The Athletic's EA College Football devotees (Vannini, David Ubben and Antonio Morales) have shared their thoughts on the teams they're looking forward to playing with in this year's game.
Let's get to their choices.
This time last year, Kevin Jennings was the best-kept secret on SMU's campus. By midseason, the dual-threat passer had officially taken over for returning starter Preston Stone, helping lead the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff. His speed is going to be maddening on the game, and he's due for a ratings upgrade after his breakout season. He was an 88 by season's end with 87 speed. Plus, LJ Johnson Jr. is due for a breakout season at running back, and RJ Maryland and Jordan Hudson should be a solid 1-2 punch in the passing game.
The Wildcats were my online team last year, and working the quarterback run game with Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards should be very satisfying again. Johnson should be improved as a passer on the game to give some balance, and Jayce Brown should get a speed boost (it was just 90 last year) to make defenses account for the vertical game more than they did a year ago. Plus, with the additions of receivers Jaron Tibbs and Jerand Bradley, the weakness of the offense should be upgraded. I'll miss trucking defenders with DJ Giddens, but Edwards' rating should get a boost this year.
Nyck Harbor only caught 26 passes for 376 yards last year, but he's a cheat code in the game and opens up the entire offense. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound track star shouldn't have his 99 acceleration and 99 speed ratings dip, and that's good news for QB LaNorris Sellers, who was only an 82 overall on last year's game. Dylan Stewart was only an 87, and a freakish defensive end can change everything for playing defense. He might be pushing well into the 90s on CFB26. Alongside Harbor, Mazeo Bennett and Jared Brown give Sellers three receivers with at least a 92 speed rating. I'm scared just thinking about it. There's a reason the Gamecocks were one of the most popular teams online last year, and that may only grow this year. Speed kills.
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I love to run the ball, and A&M has the craziest stable of backs on the game. Le'Veon Moss, Rueben Owens and Amari Daniels were all over 85 overall last year and should get some bumps this year for a team that's very good on the line of scrimmage, too. Plus, QB Marcel Reed should get a bump from being an 83 overall last year. The Aggies aren't a sexy team in the passing game, but running multiple-back sets from Collin Klein's playbook will give defenses a headache. There's nothing more demoralizing than knowing you can't stop an opponent's running game, and A&M might be the best running team on the game. Especially with the emphasis on Wear and Tear this year, having three big-time backs means never having to adjust your approach.
New playbook! New Rice coach Scott Abell's gun option made him a force at Davidson, and with expanded playbooks on this year's game, I'm looking forward to digging into Rice's playbook for all kinds of option schemes out of all kinds of shotgun formations. There were some great plays and RPOs with options built on top of them on last year's game. And considering the unique nature of what Rice should be doing under Abell, I could see his playbook being very popular. I make my own custom playbook, and I know I'll be stealing a few pages from Abell's.
I've already played with the Sooners in my brief hands-on with CFB26, and they're as fun as you would expect. With dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, running back Jaydn Ott and a strong defense, the Sooners might be the go-to team for a majority of casual online players the same way Alabama was last year. Mateer finished CFB25 as an 87 overall and Ott was an 89. Both should be better. Oklahoma was one of the biggest portal winners this offseason. It needs to show up on the real field for head coach Brent Venables this year, but on the virtual field, they're guaranteed fun.
Quarterback Darian Mensah finished CFB25 as an 84 overall as a Tulane freshman, but he should get a ratings jump and be a lot of fun to play with at Duke as one of the better QBs in the country. Oklahoma transfer receiver Andrel Anthony should be a speedy deep threat (that 94 speed should improve), and the offensive line should be one of the better ones in the ACC. The defense returns a ton from a group that finished fourth in sacks and needs to get more respect than last year's ratings (80 overall).
While the attention is rightfully on quarterback Dante Moore (81 overall, 79 speed in CFB25), don't overlook that the Ducks added Tulane running back Makhi Hughes (92 overall). I briefly played with Oregon in Orlando, and it is a fun team with an obviously fun playbook. I grabbed an interception with Purdue transfer safety Dillon Thieneman (90 overall in CFB25), and the Oregon defensive front will be strong again.
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I always spend some time with a triple-option team, and Navy fits because of returning QB Blake Horvath (85 overall in CFB25) and its awesome playbook that could be even more dynamic this year. Offensive coordinator Drew Cronic's Wing-T option took off in a big way last year. I didn't get to the Midshipmen in my test, but I'm looking forward to it.
Yes, really. The Hawkeyes actually had a really solid playbook last year, and now they've got South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski under center. He's coming back from a knee injury, so I'm not totally bought in in real life yet, but video game Gronowski will have no concerns — I'm curious how FCS transfers will rate in the game. Running back Kaleb Johnson must be replaced, but there's a group of talented running backs behind one of the best offensive lines in the country.
To get ahead of it, Michigan may or may not be fun to play with this season. I tested out the Wolverines, but I didn't like quarterback Bryce Underwood's accuracy, and I really didn't like the playbook. I don't believe the players' ratings in the CFB26 test I did were final, so maybe that changes. While Alex Orji felt unstoppable early in CFB25, some ratings adjustments changed that, and I wonder what pre-adjustments will be made this year. Or if Underwood gets a boost for being on the cover.
I had the most success playing the game online with the Gators last year. DJ Lagway is a stud, can make every throw in the game and is really valuable in the run game. The offensive line was solid, and the run game was diverse with good formations, particularly out of the pistol. Jadan Baugh is a tough, physical runner as well. I play with the D-line when I'm on defense, and Tyreak Sapp is disruptive on the edge. Those players should all be better this year, so there's a lot to like about Florida, especially if you're playing with the Gators in Road to the CFP, where you can grind out long possessions during those three-minute quarters.
This is strictly for the running game. I tinkered with the Yellow Jackets last year and had some good moments with them online. I might utilize them a bit more this season because quarterback Haynes King is the perfect trigger man for this offense and is experienced, which should help when you run into an opponent with an overwhelming stadium pulse. Running back Jamal Haynes is a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and that speed complements King's running really well. There's an identity with this program, so if you're in the mood to run the ball, this is going to be a good option for you.
As you can probably tell, my video game allegiances lean toward mobile, athletic quarterbacks. I watched Devon Dampier quite a bit at New Mexico last season and even created a dynasty with the Lobos in the game a few months ago. He's raw as a passer, but he's very much a dynamic playmaker (2,768 passing yards and 1,166 rushing yards in 2024). It helps that the Utes have two stalwart tackles — Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — to protect Dampier and also run behind. Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker is a good player at running back, and Utah's defense is always solid. Utah is coming off a tough year on the field, but it should be fun to use in the game.
I'm all in on Huskies sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. There was some buzz about him last offseason, but the greater college football world didn't really get a full glimpse of it until Washington's bowl game against Louisville. He's a gifted, explosive playmaker with good escapability, so he's fun to play with and the best sort of quarterback to frustrate your opponent. The Huskies have a standout running back in Jonah Coleman and made some shrewd additions on defense through the portal this season. Williams has the potential to be electric, and there are good pieces on the team that'll make Washington entertaining from a gameplay perspective.
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I know there was a bit of a drop-off offensively last season, but the Hilltoppers at the very least have a productive passing game pretty much every season. I love the playbook. There's an HB Angle screen in there that became a go-to play for me. Whenever I started a dynasty in last year's game, I always changed my coach's playbook to WKU's. The Hilltoppers have cycled through offensive coordinators and quarterbacks almost every season, and this year they've brought in Abilene Christian OC Rick Bowie and quarterback Maverick McIvor, who teamed up to lead a productive FCS offense last year. I'm betting on the QB-playbook combination to be a fun one.