EA Sports’ second year re-entering the college football landscape has come, and after spending a week with College Football 26, the verdict is clear: it’s sufficient. Not remarkable. Not terrible. Just… sufficient. A fair continuation to last year’s successful yet tumultuous reboot.

When CFB 25 debuted, the anticipation was tremendous. Following a decade-long hiatus and legal disputes, the series made a triumphant return, only to falter right away. Omitted features, buggy simulations, lackluster commentary, and underdeveloped gameplay modes swiftly dulled the excitement.

I was one of those caught up in the fervor. I reviewed CFB 25 last year and unequivocally claimed it was “superior to Madden.” And I still maintain that — but let’s not kid ourselves, that’s not a challenging standard. Road to Glory mode came across as a temporary solution, while Dynasty sorely lacked fundamental quality-of-life enhancements. Simulation statistics broke immersion. Chris Fowler’s narration — despite his public enthusiasm — felt like it was sent in from a remote location. The thrill of a franchise revival couldn’t mask the cracks in its base.

College Football 26 shows improvement over its predecessor, yet it’s still largely imperfect. The central experience holds promise, and the enjoyment is valid, but EA seems to regard the franchise as an annual duty instead of a prime opportunity.

With that perspective, here are three aspects I appreciate — and three aspects I despise — about CFB 26.

Appreciate: High school in RTG is reinstated

A long-desired feature from NCAA Football 14 finally makes its comeback in College Football 26: high school football in Road to Glory. The premise is straightforward — players kick off their career under the Friday night lights, where their performances secure recruiting stars and scholarship propositions. Collect enough stars, and elite programs will reach out, with a starting position likely awaiting. Fall short, and you can still attempt to walk on at your dream institution — but you’ll need to earn your way up the depth chart through practices and positional competitions.

It’s a solid groundwork, and witnessing high school return to the mode is truly exciting. However, this addition isn’t without its limitations.

Despise: High school RTG is underdeveloped

For all the accolades I just bestowed upon the return of high school in Road to Glory, what we actually received is a significant downgrade compared to what previously existed.

In earlier titles — particularly NCAA Football 12 — players could experience an entire high school season before selecting a college. It started modestly in NCAA 08 with merely the state championship playoffs, but rapidly transformed into a much more immersive experience. Now, in CFB 26, it has been condensed to just four games — and not even full ones. You’re only participating in isolated “highlight moments.”

Prior to each game, you select from a limited array of pre-defined scenarios — such as a “2-Minute Drill” or “Red Zone Threat” — each tied to specific goals. Succeed, and your recruiting star rating improves. Fail, and your standing diminishes. As you attract interest from colleges, some scenarios become school-specific, providing you extra opportunities to showcase a highlight crafted for their scouts.

It’s a reasonable concept in theory, but in practice, it feels awkward and unnecessarily limiting. Some objectives are blatantly flawed — like a “scramble for 50+ yards” challenge that doesn’t register if you score a touchdown during that play.

This simplified, gamified take on high school feels arbitrary and disjointed. Nobody requested this fragmented format. Players simply wanted the complete high school season back. What we received instead feels like an hastily made compromise.

Appreciate: Historical data/Trophy Room

One of my greatest gaming passions is the Football Manager series. I’ve invested countless hours into its detailed spreadsheets, analyzing data, charts, and graphs as I lead a nameless Scottish team to Champions League success. There’s something profoundly gratifying about documenting every milestone, every stat, every minor piece of history your team creates.

That’s precisely what was absent from CFB 25. Despite all the time I spent in Road to Glory or Dynasty, there was no means to reflect on the legacy I was crafting. No archive of prior champions, no record of bowl game victors, no hall-of-fame moment to revisit the legendary 2027 National Championship featuring Clemson and North Texas. I couldn’t even melancholically revisit the Independence Bowl trophy I fought tirelessly to claim.

Fortunately, CFB 26 rectifies this. EA has reinstated historical records and made a point to emphasize it — and rightly so. Immersion has consistently been one of the distinct strengths of this series, and features like these hold significance. These small details aren’t merely superficial; they’re how players engage with the narratives they construct.

Despise: RTG’s running back AI still underperforms

This might be a specific concern, but it annoyed me in CFB 25, and it’s still an issue in CFB 26: