College Football 2025 was released this month for the first time in 11 years. It has been one of the most widely anticipated games, especially after it’s release date was pushed back a couple years ago.
EA, the game’s producer, paid great attention to detail. From the celebrations to the university traditions and the replication of hundreds of college football stadiums, this game took every detail into account.
Team Intros
Most teams in College Football have a special way they walk out before games. Some are presented by a team mascot, some touch a statue for good luck, and some play a specific song for their walkout.
The most notable one I’ve seen thus far is the intro for Virginia Tech. The iconic Enter Sandman introduction directly imitates the real life university. This has been widely regarded as one of the best introductions in the NCAA and the video does it justice. Each fan jumping up and down, the players touching the Hokie Stone before entering the stadium, the music, the energy is ecstatic.
Some other fan favorites are FSU’s mascot planting the torch in the middle of the field by horseback or even Penn State’s iconic introduction.
Crowd Details
Speaking of Virginia Tech’s crowd, College Football 25 did a great job making each crowd unique to their university. In dynasty mode, you can see all the different theme nights. Most popular being Penn State’s Whiteout night and even Tennessee’s orange and white checkered stadium.
While these details are small, they add so much realism to the game as these are iconic themes many students look forward to.
Some other fun additions are Texas A&M’s red, white, and blue crowd and even Ole Miss’ stripped blue and red crowd.
Another atmospheric detail is the universities which different colored turf. Boise State is known for their blindly bright blue field, but Coastal Carolina and Eastern Michigan also showcase their abnormally colored turf.
Another small detail that I appreciate is the “away” section of the crowd. As seen above, there is a small patch of blue and yellow shirts to represent the portion of the crowd there for Notre Dame. EA did a great job of remembering those minor details for an overall great game.
NFL Stadiums in Game
There is also the ability to play in multiple NFL stadiums. Some teams like Miami, UNLV, and USF share stadium with NFL teams. USF even changes out the sails on the pirate ship for ones with the Bull’s logo.
A lot of neutral site games are also played in NFL stadiums. The Cowboy’s stadium makes an appearance as well as the Jaguars stadiums as the host of the Georgia Florida rival game.
Team Traditions
Finally, the team traditions are the details that I think really sell this game.
Details like these are what made the game so anticipated by fans. Looking back at the introductions, Clemson has each of its players run down the hill a tradition the school has carried on since 1942.
Fans were also happy to see the Iowa team and crowd turning to wave at the children’s hospital in the middle of the game. This is a newer tradition, starting in 2017, however it is probably the sweetest and most wholesome of college football.
Finally, Colorado carries this through some of their celebrations. Sanders will celebrate touchdown with the iconic “Prime Time” celebration. More importantly, after interceptions players will go to the thrown on the sidelines and post up for a moment with their teammates.
Final Thoughts
NCAA College Football 25 shows gamers EA can really connect with what the audience wants.
The pushback on the release date is exactly what they needed to get all of the fine details in check.
All the larger aspects of the game has been very similar to previously installments but built anticipations over the past 10 years allowed EA to go all out on the small things that add up to a larger product.
