EA Sports to Use Pay-for-Play Incentives for College Teams
EA Sports to Use Pay-for-Play Incentives for College Teams originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
If you're tired of watching your favorite college team struggle financially in the NIL era, here's your chance to help by simply picking them in College Football 26.
Advertisement
EA Sports is rewriting the NIL playbook. For the first time ever, schools will be paid based on how often they're used in the game. Gone are the static royalty tiers. Now, fan engagement equals real revenue.
Here's how it works: Every time someone plays a game with their favorite FBS team, it counts toward that school's share of the royalty pool. The more your squad is played, the more money your university makes.
'This percentage of games played will become the final allocation percentage for each school that will be applied to the total gross royalties,' one FOIA document reads.
Take a hypothetical $5 million royalty pool. If 1% of College Football 26 games are played using Colorado, that's a $50,000 payout to the Buffaloes, just for being popular.
Advertisement
This pivot marks a huge departure from the 2024 model, which paid schools based on their finishes in the AP Top 25 over the last decade. Under that system, elite Tier 1 schools earned close to $100,000. Tier 4 schools? Just $9,987.
Now, even underdog programs like Akron or Coastal Carolina can cash in if fans show up for them in-game. With more than 1.7 billion streams of College Football 25, the potential is massive.
And schools aren't the only winners. Players who appeared in last year's edition earned $600. This year? Up to $3,000 per athlete, thanks to dual deals from EA and Pathway Sports. While players don't get royalties based on gameplay, schools do, which could loop back into NIL funds for star players.
In College Football 26, fans directly shape the NIL landscape. Every pick matters. Every game counts. And for once, your favorite team's financial future might be in your hands, literally, on the sticks.
Advertisement
Related: Michigan Running Back's Groundbreaking NIL Deal Redefines College Football
Related: Kentucky Basketball Beats Cap Proposal With NIL Power Play
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wayne Gretzky's Daughter Paulina Turns Heads With Outfit After Panthers-Oilers Game 2
Wayne Gretzky's Daughter Paulina Turns Heads With Outfit After Panthers-Oilers Game 2 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Wayne Gretzky is considered by many to be the greatest NHLer of all-time. The Hall of Fame forward retired holding 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six all-star records, and since six of them have been broken and he gained a new one—most regular-season points per game— after Mario Lemieux dropped to second place after his NHL return from 2000 to 20025. Advertisement Gretzky's record most career goals was broken earlier this season by Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, and if that weren't enough heartbreak, the 64-year-old legend had to endure more painful news on Saturday when his daughter Paulina made it known publicly she was rooting against her father's Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. Less than 24 hours after the Florida Panthers' 5-4 overtime win over the Oilers in Game 2, Paulina posted a photo of her outfit as she hit the links. The 36-year-old social media influencer, who's also married to PGA tour star Dustin Johnson, was wearing a blank tank top and matching black shorts with a pair of red, white, and black Nike sneakers and a Panthers hat, which she proudly posted with the caption 'love the red.' Wayne Gretzky's daughter Paulina Gretzky shows off her Florida Panthers-themed outfit on SaturdayInstagram (@paulinagretzky) Paulina and Johnson reside in Palm Beach, Florida — just a 50-minute car ride away from the Panthers' Amerant Bank Arena. The couple are proud Panthers fans and have been seen many times supporting the team at games and wearing Panthers gear. Advertisement Meanwhile, Gretzky, who has been serving as a studio analyst for 'NHL on TNT,' spent the bulk of his Hall of Fame career with the Oilers (1979 to 1988). 'The Great One' scored 583 of his 894 career goals and 1,669 of his 2,857 career points in Edmonton, where he led the league in goals five times and points eight times. Paulina Gretzky with her dad, hockey Hall of Famer, Wayne GretzkyJayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Gretzky holds first (92), second (87), eighth (73) and 11th (71) place on the NHL's single-season goals list, and he holds nine of the top 11 spots on the single-season points list, including the top four spots (215, 212, 208, 205) — all with the Oilers. Gretzky earned nine of his 18 All-Star games, eight of his nine Hart trophies, seven of his 10 Art Ross trophies, and one of his five Lady Byng awards while playing in Edmonton as well. Related: Vancouver Canucks Hit With Brutal Quinn Hughes News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brad Marchand Makes Stanley Cup Final History in Panthers-Oilers Game 3
Brad Marchand Makes Stanley Cup Final History in Panthers-Oilers Game 3 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand is showing the world exactly why he was a hot commodity at the NHL trade deadline back in early March. Advertisement The Panthers acquired the 37-year-old from the Boston Bruins for a conditional second-round pick that has turned into a 2027 or 2028 first-rounder due to Florida winning two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Marchand playing in at least 50% of its games. Marchand, who spent the first 15-plus seasons with the Bruins, has a reputation for being an elite playoff performer. He's scored double-digit points in 10 of the 13 postseasons he's played in, including his last eight. With his first-period goal in Monday's Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers, Marchand is just five points away from matching his playoff best. That goal also helped Marchand reach a Stanley Cup Final milestone no other player has ever achieved. Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during overtime in Game 3 of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Navarro-Imagn Images Marchand scored 56 seconds into the first period of Game 3, making him the first player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in one game and an opening-minute goal in the following game in a Stanley Cup Final. Advertisement The NHL PR account posted a celebratory message on X moments after Marchand's accomplishment, posting: 'End it late. Start it early.' Marchand scored his seventh goal of the playoffs in the second overtime period in Friday's 5-4 double overtime win in Game 2. With his first-period goal on Monday, Marchand moved into third on the Panthers in playoff scoring (18 points) behind Sam Bennett (20 points) and Carter Verhaeghe (19 points). His eight goals are all second-most behind Bennett (13). In two-plus Stanley Cup Final games, Marchand has four points — all goals. The Panthers lead the Oilers 4-1 at the second intermission at time of publication. Advertisement Related: Wayne Gretzky's Daughter Paulina Turns Heads With Outfit After Panthers-Oilers Game 2 Related: Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Makes Big Career Decision: Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.


Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Giants seek to prolong win streak, take on the Rockies
San Francisco Giants (38-28, second in the NL West) vs. Colorado Rockies (12-53, fifth in the NL West) Denver; Tuesday, 8:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 19 strikeouts); Rockies: Carson Palmquist (0-4, 8.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 14 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -228, Rockies +187; over/under is 11 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants are looking to build upon a five-game win streak with a victory over the Colorado Rockies. Colorado has a 12-53 record overall and a 6-25 record at home. The Rockies are 4-37 in games when they have given up a home run. San Francisco has a 16-17 record in road games and a 38-28 record overall. The Giants have a 21-4 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents. The teams match up Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The Giants are ahead 3-1 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Hunter Goodman leads the Rockies with a .280 batting average, and has 14 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 14 walks and 37 RBIs. Tyler Freeman is 13 for 31 with a home run and four RBIs over the past 10 games. Jung Hoo Lee has 17 doubles, two triples and six home runs for the Giants. Heliot Ramos is 13 for 40 with a double, a triple and a home run over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Rockies: 3-7, .224 batting average, 5.13 ERA, outscored by 24 runs Giants: 7-3, .213 batting average, 2.05 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs INJURIES: Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tanner Gordon: 15-Day IL (oblique), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Ryan Feltner: 15-Day IL (back), Austin Gomber: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow) Giants: Jung Hoo Lee: day-to-day (back), Jordan Hicks: 15-Day IL (toe), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (pectoral), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.