Colorado is a little overrated in EA Sports’ new college football game.
The team ratings for the game’s top 25 schools were released Friday as EA builds hype for its first college football video game in 11 years. “College Football 25” is the first game since “NCAA Football 14.”
More than 10 years ago, users had to manually add player names to each team roster. This year, players had the opportunity to participate in the game thanks to the NCAA’s current name and image rules, and the vast majority of players across the country will participate in the game — although Texas’ Arch Manning is a notable exception .
The long break between games has led to a lot of anticipation for ‘College Football 25’. And it’s a little bizarre how EA Sports can’t seem to figure out who will and won’t perform well this coming season.
Colorado went 4-8 and 1-8 in the Pac-12 a season ago. Still, the Buffaloes are apparently the 16th best team in the game, ahead of schools like Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas State.
According to the top 25 overall team ratings released Friday, Colorado sits at 87 overall and is the top team among at least nine other teams sharing that overall ranking. Every team ranked 17 through 25 is ranked 87th overall, and it’s not like Colorado is at the top of the group because of the alphabet. Arizona checks in at No. 23 with the same overall rating.
Video game rankings don’t really matter. But EA’s rankings are mind-boggling, considering they’ve been out all week. The Buffaloes’ defense is No. 20 despite allowing 6.3 yards per play in 2023, and the offense is No. 8, ahead of Ole Miss and Kansas, despite a rushing attack that averaged 2.3 yards per carry last season.
Yes, Colorado returns star QB Shedeur Sanders and star CB/WR Travis Hunter, along with a revamped roster via the transfer portal. But there’s no guarantee the offensive line issues that plagued the Buffaloes in 2023 will go away, and a vast improvement on defense isn’t a given either.
If you want to look at it another way, Colorado is the No. 16 team in video gaming, despite a projected win total of 5.5 at BetMGM and +2000 odds to make the 12-team College Football Playoff. Those CFP odds are also probably too high; the Buffs have been one of the highest-stakes teams since Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder ahead of the 2023 season.
Colorado’s inclusion in the top 25 feels and feels a lot like a tool designed to draw attention to the video game. Nowhere in the top 25 are Missouri or Tennessee, two programs that had much better seasons in 2023 and have legitimate playoff hopes. Both the Tigers and Volunteers are listed at +180 to make the 12-team field. Ole Miss, the team one spot ahead of Colorado in EA’s rankings, is better than even money to make the playoffs at -130.
But using Colorado to drum up hype doesn’t work either. The long hiatus between college football video game iterations has made “College Football 25” one of the most anticipated sports games in years. EA Sports didn’t have to overstate Colorado (or other units like USC’s No. 16 defense or Clemson’s No. 10 offense) to get people to buy the game. It could have skewed sentiment the other way. You don’t have to look far to find a college football fan who thinks there are dozens of teams with better rosters than the Buffaloes.
Perhaps EA Sports will have a dynamic rating system that will adapt to real-world performance when the season starts. Otherwise, there’s a real risk that Colorado will simply be working to qualify for bowling in real life while dominating the Big 12 on your console.
1. Georgia (95 total)
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)
