College Football 26 is just a few short months away and after the reveal trailer, hype is starting to build around this game’s release. So, while we all wait and see what this game will truly offer, here are 10 things we are hoping for from this year’s CFB game.
#1: NIL
So far, there has been no official mention of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) being a part of College Football 26. This is a core part of what makes the current sport run and has dramatically changed its landscape in the past two years, so seeing it in the game would make a lot of sense, especially in Dynasty mode.
#2: Mascot Mode
This is a classic callback to older NCAAF games, which allowed you to play full games with all mascots. It is purely a for-fun addition, but one that fans would welcome back with open arms. Plus, the mascot assets are already in the game, so how hard could this be?
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#3: “Coach mode” in Dynasty
This would be an iteration of Dynasty mode, where you play as one of the coordinators and have a more deeply immersive interaction with that side of the ball, while being hands-off in other facets of the Dynasty. This could also lead into a full Dynasty mode playthrough, say if you were to be promoted to HC. But in a coach-specific mode, playcalling and recruiting could get more of a deep dive, which players would likely enjoy as a change of pace.
#4: An on-campus social space in RTG
With games like the NBA 2K franchise, players can run around in a social space and see other players doing the same, sporting their gear, tattoos, and all of the other wacky elements that franchise has come to offer players. I am not necessarily asking for that here, but I do think a campus social space, potentially for you and players who have also committed to that program, would be an amazing touch and transform what this mode looks and feels like.
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Time for class? You could actually walk, or bike, your player to class, or even choose to skip if you chose to. Even if there were no other players in the space and it was purely NPC students, giving players a small window into the college life side of being a student-athlete would still be something that would make me want to play the mode much more. Also, it could give a whole new reason to have your player interact with NIL offerings, something that I think should be more represented in other modes as well.
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I could see this being a really nice “challenge” type of mode where you can see if you can pull off classic plays from past and present CFB history. The Dillon Gabriel comeback drive against Texas in 2023, or any other vintage game-winning moments like it, come to mind. This could even be built into CUT as a way to earn certain players, which could help drive new players to that mode.
#6: In-Game Team Builder
This is more of a quality-of-life functionality item, rather than a new game mode, but CFB 26 would get a lot more mileage and use out of its Team Builder mechanic if there were a way to use it in-game. Even if this were a simplified version and there was a different one online that was a bit more savvy, this would be a lovely addition to College Football 26.
#7: Coach/Player “links” in Dynasty Transfer Portal
So much of the college football transfer portal is centered around pairings of players and coaches, in particular with QB and OC connections. For more realism, this would be a neat feature to see in Dynasty, allowing for coaches to have certain recruits linked to them, allowing you to more easily sell a transfer with a coaching acquisition (John Mateer coming to OU with Ben Arbuckle, for example).
#8: More interactive recruiting in Dynasty
Have four top recruits coming to a rivalry game on a visit, where a win could secure a bright future for your program for years to come?
This feels like a massive moment for a program in CFB Dynasty mode, but one that is currently anticlimactic in CFB 25. Wouldn’t it be great to see cut scenes of the recruits on the sidelines, talking with coaches, reacting to plays, and maybe even the opportunity to have a dialogue with them?
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Whether it be something like this or other big moments in the recruiting pipeline, giving players more actions with recruits seems like a great way to make the process more immersive and rewarding in College Football 26. In its current state, it feels too methodical and mechanical, where recruiting should feel alive, ever-changing, and unpredictable. These are high schoolers we’re talking about, after all.
#9: Increase the time pre-snap adjustments take
At higher levels of CFB 25, players will make tons of adjustments at the line of scrimmage to draw up a perfect cheesy verts pass, with little to no penalty for doing so. Occasionally maybe a False Start, sure, but what if these adjustments took considerably longer, especially in away game settings? For realism and preventing some of the more cheese plays, I think this could be a really nice change to pacing and punish players who abuse audibles.
#10: Significant FCS representation
This is one that hasn’t been said outright so far, but seeing a plethora of FCS schools represented would be another awesome way to splice some realism into CFB 26. They play a huge part in the development landscape of the game and would be well-suited in the game.
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