How do college football top 25 rankings compare with EA Sports' team ratings? (2024)

Preseason polls give college football fans their first hint at the best teams for the upcoming season. There's always the Associated Press rankings and the US LBM Coaches Poll, but in 2024, we have another data set to consider: College Football 25 team ratings.

For the first time since 2013, EA Sports can weigh in with their picks for the best teams in the nation. The Orlando-based video game company released their top-25 team ratings June 28, and gamers learned every FBS team's rating when the game launched July 16.

How do the College Football 25 ratings compare with the traditional polls? The first Coaches Poll of the 2024 season came out Monday, August 5. The Associated Press preseason poll is due out Monday, August 12, which will surely provide even more differences in opinion.

First, let's take a look at the polls, and then we'll break down the biggest differences. One thing to note: Multiple teams have the same overall rating in the EA Sports system, so for example, Florida State and Penn State have the same overall rating, but FSU is No. 12 and PSU is No. 9. We're treating them as effectively equal in the eyes of CFB25.

US LBM Coaches Poll preseason top 25

  1. Georgia (46 first-place votes)
  2. Ohio State (7)
  3. Oregon
  4. Texas (1)
  5. Alabama
  6. Ole Miss
  7. Notre Dame
  8. Michigan (1)
  9. Penn State
  10. Florida State
  11. Missouri
  12. LSU
  13. Utah
  14. Clemson
  15. Tennessee
  16. Oklahoma
  17. Kansas State
  18. Oklahoma State
  19. Miami
  20. Texas A&M
  21. Arizona
  22. NC State
  23. USC
  24. Kansas
  25. Iowa

EA College Football 25 team rankings

  1. Georgia (95 overall rating)
  2. Ohio State (93)
  3. Oregon (93)
  4. Alabama (92)
  5. Texas (92)
  6. Clemson (90)
  7. Notre Dame (90)
  8. LSU (90)
  9. Penn State (88)
  10. Utah (88)
  11. Michigan (88)
  12. Florida State (88)
  13. Miami (88)
  14. Texas A&M (88)
  15. Ole Miss (88)
  16. Colorado (87)
  17. Oklahoma (87)
  18. Wisconsin (87)
  19. USC (87)
  20. Virginia Tech (87)
  21. NC State (87)
  22. Kansas (87)
  23. Arizona (87)
  24. Oklahoma State (87)
  25. Iowa (87)

Ole Miss: No. 6 in Coaches Poll, No. 15 in College Football 25

Both systems like the Rebels, but the coaches REALLY like them. They might just have a thing for the SEC (see below) as, despite being sixth in the nation, Ole Miss is fourth in its own conference in this poll. Lane Kiffin's crew went 11-2 in 2023 with losses to only Alabama and Georgia, and with Jaxson Dart back at quarterback, Ole Miss is feeling good about its chances.

EA Sports' rankings might have been less high on the Rebels because of relatively weaker recruiting classes for 2024: On3 ranked them 20th and 247 Sports ranked them 21st. The next team on this list had a similar poll-to-game discrepancy and similar recruiting rankings as well. It's just a theory, though. Ole Miss gets to host Oklahoma and Georgia this season while its toughest road test comes October 12 against LSU.

Missouri: No. 11 in Coaches Poll, unranked in College Football 25

This is the highest variance between the two systems. The Tigers have an 84 overall rating in CFB25, good for 12th in the new 16-team SEC. That puts them behind Arkansas and even with Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina, none of which made the preseason Coaches Poll (of those teams, Auburn received the most votes with 25).

Mizzou was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2023 season, going 11-2 and beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. They were picked to finish sixth in the SEC preseason poll, but the EA Sports raters seem to think they were a flash in the pan.

Clemson: No. 14 in Coaches Poll, No. 6 in College Football 25

EA Sports is clearly impressed with the Tigers' roster. Their 90 rating on defense is tied for third in the game, and linebacker Barrett Carter's 94 player rating is tied for 11th. But the Coaches Poll shows Dabo Swinney still has some doubters after three straight three-loss seasons, including a 9-4 campaign in 2023.

Clemson will get an early chance to prove the naysayers wrong with a Week 1 tilt against No. 1 Georgia.

Tennessee and Kansas State: No. 15 and 17 in Coaches Poll, unranked in College Football 25

We can group these two together since they're more or less the same story. Both went 9-4 in 2023, and both won their bowl games in Orlando (though the Wildcats' Pop-Tarts Bowl win certainly will be remembered more). But the CFB25 ratings are not kind to either of them, at least in comparison to the rest of their conferences. Tennessee's 83 overall rating is tied with Mississippi State for second-to-last in the SEC, while K-State's 84 is tied with Texas Tech for sixth in a weaker Big 12.

Both EA Sports and the Coaches Poll rank them as solid to good teams. The Vols have a tough test September 7 against NC State in Charlotte before they host Alabama in October and head to Georgia in November. K-State was picked second in the Big 12 preseason poll, and their three toughest opponents by that poll — Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona — will be coming to Manhattan.

Miami: No. 19 in Coaches Poll, No. 13 in College Football 25

The Miami Hurricanes have a roster that should push their team into the top 10 just about every year of the Mario Cristobal era. They have three players in the top-100 of CFB25's ratings (running back Damien Martinez, defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and receiver Xavier Restrepo), and transfer Cam Ward should be an upgrade at quarterback. The U has an offensive rating of 89, tied for fifth in the game.

But the coaches remember how the Hurricanes have performed on the field. Cristobal is a combined 12-13 in his first two seasons at Miami with some baffling in-game decisions (see the infamous Georgia Tech game last season). UM gets to win back the state of Florida when it faces the Gators in Gainesville to open the season and hosts FSU on October 26.

Texas A&M: No. 20 in Coaches Poll, No. 14 in College Football 25

After two bad years saw the end of the Jimbo Fisher era, the Aggies are looking for new life under former Duke coach Mike Elko. EA Sports has them rated highly on both offense (85, tied for 17th) and defense (84, T-18) and tied with Ole Miss for fifth in the SEC at 88 overall.

The coaches, on the other hand, have Texas A&M ranked as the ninth-best SEC team in the preseason poll. They'll get an early opportunity to prove themselves when they host Notre Dame to kick off the season. The Aggies will avoid most of the top-tier SEC teams this season, with a home date against in-state rival Texas closing the regular season.

Colorado: Unranked in Coaches Poll, No. 16 in College Football 25

The variance here is the least surprising. The Buffaloes received only two votes in the preseason Coaches Poll, likely because of the way they flamed out in 2023. After winning its first three games in thrilling fashion, Colorado crashed at the start of conference play, winning just one more game and finishing 4-8.

The Buffs certainly have star power with quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, and coach Deion Sanders' energy is infectious enough that EA Sports was always going to make sure they had a solid early rating. How much the porous offensive line has improved will determine who was right at season's end.

Wisconsin and Virginia Tech: Unranked in Coaches Poll, No. 18 and 20 in College Football 25

Both of these teams got 87 overall ratings in CFB25, so we'll group them together here. The Badgers received 17 votes in the preseason Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, the Hokies were the closest team on this list to break into the preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 64 votes to come three spots short of the rankings.

Wisconsin will get to test its mettle with a home date September 14 vs. Alabama, followed two weeks later by a trip out west to face USC. Virginia Tech has an easier slate, with its toughest tasks a road trip in September to Miami and a home showdown in November with Clemson.

How do college football top 25 rankings compare with EA Sports' team ratings? (2024)

FAQs

Is College Football 25 the same as Madden? ›

Moment-to-moment football feels similar to Madden, although I enjoy this game's unique tweaks to passing and kicking controls. Interestingly, EA's football gameplay style also inadvertently feels a bit better for college football than professional football because of its fast pace and focus on explosive plays.

What are the pipelines in EA College Football 25? ›

What Are Pipelines? Pipelines are a mechanic in College Football 25's dynasty mode that influences recruiting. Every school has a pipeline, every coach has a pipeline, and every recruit has a pipeline. Each pipeline is a geographic region in the United States (i.e. East Texas, Big Apple, South Florida).

What is the best offense in College Football 25? ›

Georgia was rated as the best offense in "College Football 25," receiving a 94 overall rating. Oregon, which replaced departing quarterback Bo Nix with Dillon Gabriel over the offseason, also received a 94 rating on offense, though it was listed as the second-best offense.

How are NCAA football rankings calculated? ›

Each voter provides their own ranking of the top 25 teams, and the individual rankings are then combined to produce the national ranking by giving a team 25 points for a first place vote, 24 for a second place vote, and so on down to 1 point for a twenty-fifth place vote.

Will NCAA 25 be a Madden reskin? ›

It would have been easy to use all of the same mechanics and game physics as the Madden franchise, but that's not what the fans wanted. CFB 25 is on its own unique game engine, and that's 100% for the better.

Is CFB 25 the same engine as Madden? ›

Despite running on the same engine as Madden NFL, College Football 25 feels unique and way more advanced. It proves to me that sports games can run on this engine if executed properly.

What is P5 in college football? ›

The Power Five conferences (or P5) are the five most prominent athletic conferences in college football in the United States. They are part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I, the highest level of collegiate football in the nation, and are considered the most elite conferences within that tier.

What was the last college football team to integrate? ›

The dubious honor of being the last SEC schools to integrate goes to LSU and Georgia, which waited until 1972. Integrating college football in Texas and throughout the South was not an easy thing, and those who were in the midst of it—the heroes and even some of the villains, in a way—deserve credit.

What pipelines are being built? ›

Pending Natural Gas Pipeline Projects
Project NameIn Service DateOperator
Whistler PipelineQ3/2021MPLX
Double EQ4/2021Summit Midstream
Permian Global Access Pipeline (PGAP)Q4/2022Tellurian
Acadian Expansion/Gillis LateralQ4/2022Enterprise
85 more rows

What is the most yards of offense in a college football game? ›

Combined offensive yards in one game (1,708)

The Sooners and Red Raiders combined for a ridiculous 1,708 yards of offense, as Oklahoma won 66-59 in Lubbock, Texas. Ironically enough, both teams had an identical 854 yards of total offense.

Is college football 25 out? ›

College Football 25 launches worldwide on July 19th, 2024. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition* or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle** and play 3 days early.

Who had the best offense in Madden 23? ›

Best offensive playbooks in Madden 23
  • Best rushing playbook: Baltimore Ravens. ...
  • Best passing playbook: Kansas City Chiefs. ...
  • Best balanced playbook: New England Patriots/Oakland Raiders. ...
  • Most underrated offensive playbook: Detroit Lions. ...
  • Best playbook to beat man coverage: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sep 1, 2022

What college football rankings matter? ›

A team's place in the AP Top 25 poll, and certainly the College Football Playoff rankings, is crucial to judging the success or failure of a season. Since 1936, the AP poll has been key in deciding which teams are in the race for the national championship.

What is the difference between AP poll and Coaches poll? ›

The Coaches Poll is, if anything, a little kinder to mid-majors and a little less likely to get caught up in the hype than the AP Poll. Each coach who agrees to be on the panel submits their top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, second place gets 24 points, and so on down to one point for 25th.

How are sports rankings calculated? ›

The Rankings are based on the Ranking Scores. Athletes are ranked in the Event and Overall Rankings by their Ranking Scores. The Ranking Score is the average of Performance Scores. In order to be ranked, athletes must collect a sufficient number of Performance Scores and some of them must come from Main Events.

What is the college version of Madden called? ›

EA Sports College Football (formerly known as Bill Walsh College Football, College Football USA and NCAA Football) is an American football video game series developed by EA Sports in which players control and compete against current Division I FBS college teams.

Are college footballs the same as NFL footballs? ›

The main distinction between official college footballs and those used in the NFL and other pro leagues is two 1-inch half-stripes located 3 to 3.25 inches from either end of the ball.

Is college football in Madden 20? ›

Gameplay. Madden NFL 20 features a new "personalized career campaign" known as QB 1, following the journey of a player-created college quarterback from their participation in the College Football Playoff, to being drafted by an NFL team.

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