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This year, the globally popular video game made a few changes.

Last season, players who opted for EA Sports use their name and likeness in College Football 25 received $600 and a free copy of the game.

In College Football 26, players who are in the game will receive $1,500, which is more than double the amount given to them last year; only FBS teams are in the game.

EA Sports is also paying schools royalties depending on how much the team is used in the game, so you — yes, you! — can contribute to the budget of your favorite college football team.

College Football 26 is also adding head coaches and coordinators for “Dynasty Mode.â€� ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ head coach Brent Brennan, offensive coordinator Seth Doege and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales are in College Football 26. Colorado’s Deion Sanders and North Carolina’s Bill Belichick opted to not be in the game.

“Most of the messages I’ve been getting are friends and people talking smack about how weird I look in the game,� Brennan said at Big 12 Media Days. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I think it’s cool the game is back in play because it was such a big game in my early career and late college years.

“To see it come back with excitement and enthusiasm, is pretty cool. It’s cool for our players and it’s cool for college football.�

The Star ran 10 simulations of ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s season last summer and the video game projected the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ to have around nine wins and finish in the top half of the Big 12; that didn’t happen in real life.

Let’s see how the latest rendition of EA Sports’ college football video game views ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ entering the 2025 season.

Simulation 1

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ finished the season 8-5 and ended the season with a 32-25 win over Florida Atlantic in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ placed ninth in their second season in the Big 12. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ started the season with a 2-1 record in nonconference play, with wins over Hawaii and Weber State — err, “FCS Westâ€� since FCS schools aren’t in the game.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ started Big 12 play 2-0, including a win over Iowa State in Ames. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ quarterback Noah Fifita, who is the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™ highest-rated player in College Football 26, passed for 2,889 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. Fifita was the only quarterback to attempt a pass during the season.

Texas State transfer running back Ismail Mahdi led ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in rushing with 1,306 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with 531 yards after contact. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s leading receivers were Washington State transfer Kris Hutson (621), redshirt junior Chris Hunter III (616) and senior tight end Keyan Burnett (554).

Simulation 2

If the second simulation has anything to say about it, the Brennan era at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ will likely be short-lived. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ went 2-10 overall and 0-10 in Big 12 play, finishing last in the conference; BYU won the league. That would be ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s worst record since it went 1-11 in 2021. After beating Hawaii and (air quotes) FCS West, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lost 10 straight, including a 41-0 loss to BYU and a 47-7 drubbing from Colorado.

Fifita passed for 2,563 yards, 20 touchdowns and one interception. Third-year linebacker Taye Brown led the team with 99 tackles. Kicker Michael Salgado-Medina made 13 of 15 field goals and all 27 of his PATs. Salgado-Medina kicked a career-long 51-yard field goal.

Simulation 3

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ was steadier in this simulation, ending the season with a 7-6 record — 5-5 in Big 12 play (the game is counting ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s nonconference game against Kansas State as a Big 12 game). The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lost to Hawaii to begin the season, which would be the second straight loss to the Rainbow Warriors. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ bounced back with a win over Big 12 foe Kansas State.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ returned to San Antonio for the Valero Alamo Bowl, the bowl the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ won in 2023 to cap the program’s fourth-ever 10-win season and first postseason victory since 2015.

This time, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ didn’t face the Big 12-departing Oklahoma Sooners, it went up against former Pac-12 foe Washington State. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ defeated the Cougars, 28-14, behind running Mahdi’s 160 rushing yards and touchdown. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ had a 15-minute advantage in in time of possession. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ didn’t have six turnovers like the ‘23 Alamo Bowl, but linebacker Max Harris had two fumble recoveries.

Simulation 4

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ went 6-6, but didn’t qualify for a bowl game in this simulation. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ posted a 4-6 record in Big 12 play and finished 13th in the league. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ ended the season with a 45-7 loss to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ State in the Territorial Cup.

Despite hiring rising offensive coordinator Seth Doege, the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ had the worst offense in the Big 12, averaging 321 yards per game. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ also had the lowest scoring offense in the Big 12, albeit had the best red-zone touchdown percentage (71%) with 30 touchdowns and five field goals.

Running backs Kedrick Reescano and Mahdi each had 9 touchdowns. New Mexico transfer slot receiver Luke Wysong, Hutson, Burnett and Hunter were ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s top four receivers. Strong safety Dalton Johnson, once again, led the team in tackles (85) and two interceptions.

Simulation 5

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ barely missed out on the postseason with a 5-7 overall record. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ was 15th in the Big 12 with a 3-7 conference record. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ got off to a hot start with four straight wins to begin the season, but lost last the last five contests, including a 29-28 loss to Cincinnati on the road. ASU and Texas Tech represented the Big 12 in the College Football Playoff, but lost in first round. Texas Tech’s Behren Morton was named a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Simulation 6

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ began its season with losses to Hawaii and Kansas State and started with a 2-6 record, before wins over Kansas and Cincinnati. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ ended the season with a 41-7 blowout loss to ASU in Tempe — and a 4-8 overall record, a duplicate of the 2024 season.

Duke, the quote-unquote basketball school, won the national championship over ACC rival Clemson. Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton, who played for Doege at Marshall and was the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, won the Heisman Trophy after following former Marshall head coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss.

Simulation 7

Once again, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ started out the season strong, with a 3-0 record in nonconference play, but the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ dropped the last seven games to finish 4-8 and 15th in the Big 12. 4-8, 2-8, 15th in the Big 12.

In the Territorial Cup, Fifita had 314 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and was sacked four times, while ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt had 457 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions and was sacked once. ASU receivers Jordyn Tyson and Jalen Moss combined for 321 yards and four touchdowns, while Army transfer running back Kanye Udoh had 134 yards and two touchdowns. The Sun Devils repeated as Big 12 champions.

Simulation 8

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ got off to a hot start with a 6-1 record through the first seven games. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ blanked Weber State — sorry, FCS West — 62-0 and beat Iowa State and BYU, the first win over the Cougars since the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s only loss in the seven-game span to begin the season was against Kansas State.

The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ stumbled and lost four straight to end the season. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lost its Holiday Bowl rematch to Nebraska, 29-27, in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Fifita completed 18 of 37 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Citrus Bowl. Nebraska quarterback and Patrick MaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ doppelgänger Dylan Raiola passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the win over ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥.

Simulation 9

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lost to Hawaii, but bounced the next two games. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ trailed Kansas State 24-13 entering the fourth quarter, but rallied to beat KSU in Tucson. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lost to top-ranked BYU 49-6, then lost four of the last five games of the season.

Fifita got injured eight games into the season and the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ relied on — not Wisconsin transfer Braedyn Locke or freshmen Sawyer Anderson and Luke Haugo — Tommy Trout, a made-up character installed by EA Sports, which is also an

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ went 5-7 overall and 4-6 in Big 12 play. The College Football Playoff had an all-Big 12 national title with BYU and ASU, with the Cougars winning 31-28.

Simulation 10

Another 4-8 season for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, along with with a 2-8 conference record and a 15th-place finish. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s four wins were against Hawaii, FCS West, Houston and Colorado.

Fifita passed for 2,599 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions. The turnover sword was seldomly used. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ had five total takeaways, but had seven turnovers offensively. They were the only team in the Big 12 with a negative turnover differential.

Summary

As expected, College Football 26 doesn’t view the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ as world-beaters and had the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in the postseason thrice, but had the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ beating FAU in the Frisco Bowl and Washington State in the Alamo Bowl.

A common theme was ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ getting off to a hot start, but plateauing in the second half of the season during Big 12 play, which is conceivable this season, because the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ have five home games in the first half of a 12-game schedule.

College Football 26’s win average for the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ this season: 5.2 wins. The floor is two wins and the ceiling is eight wins, according to the game.