Alright, so College Football 25 is on the horizon, right? And I decided, you know what, this time I’m actually gonna try and get good at it. Not just fiddle around, but really understand the game. It’s been a while since the last NCAA game, so I figured I better start practicing.
Dusting Off the Old Skills
First thing I did was dig out my old console and NCAA 14. Man, talk about muscle memory needing a serious wake-up call. My fingers felt clumsy on the controller. Passing was rough, interceptions everywhere. Running felt like I was just slamming into my own linemen. It was kinda humbling, gotta be honest. Spent a good few hours just getting the feel back, messing around in practice mode, trying basic plays.
It reminded me of when I tried learning guitar years back. You know the theory, you know what you want to do, but your fingers just won’t cooperate at first. Same thing here. Brain knew the routes, fingers sent the ball sailing into the stands.
Focusing on the Fundamentals
After that initial shock, I decided to break it down. Can’t be good if you don’t nail the basics. So, I spent dedicated time on specific things:
- Passing: Really watched the receiver icons, tried leading them, hitting different routes – slants, outs, go routes. Focused on timing, avoiding those panic throws. Still threw picks, but fewer. Progress!
- Running: Learned to be patient. Waited for blocks to develop instead of just hitting turbo instantly. Started using the different jukes and spins, even if I looked silly half the time. Found a couple of bread-and-butter run plays that seemed to work okay.
- Defense: This was tough. User control on defense always felt tricky. Started by just controlling a lineman, trying to get pressure. Then moved to linebacker, trying to read the offense, plug gaps. Still a work in progress, honestly. Defense wins championships, they say, but man, it’s hard work.
Playbook Deep Dive (Sort Of)
Since we don’t have the CFB 25 playbooks yet, I started looking at general football concepts online. Watched some videos, looked at diagrams of common offensive and defensive schemes. Tried implementing some basic ideas in NCAA 14. Stuff like understanding coverages (Cover 2, Cover 3) and how to attack them. Or learning basic route combinations that work well together. It’s not perfect, ’cause the new game will be different, but it helps build that football IQ.
Finding time for this stuff isn’t always easy, you know? Got work, family stuff. Sometimes I only get like 30 minutes late at night. But even that little bit helps keep things fresh. Had a weird situation last week where I was trying to practice reading defenses, and my kid came in asking why I was yelling “nickel package!” at the TV. Had to explain it wasn’t that kind of nickel.
Getting Ready for the Modes
I’m thinking ahead too, about modes like Dynasty or Road to Glory (or whatever they call them now). That means not just playing the game, but understanding recruiting, team building, player progression. Can’t really practice that yet, but I’m mentally prepping for the strategy side of things. Thinking about what kind of team I wanna build, what kind of coach I wanna be. It’s part of the fun, right?
Where I’m At Now
So yeah, that’s been my process. Started rough, focused on the basics, trying to learn the strategy side. I feel way more comfortable with the controls now than when I first started. Still got a long way to go, especially on defense. But I feel like when CFB 25 actually drops, I won’t be starting from absolute zero. I’ll have a foundation. The real learning will start then, figuring out the new game’s specific quirks and features. But this prep work? It feels good. Feels like I’m actually putting in the effort to enjoy the game more when it finally gets here. We’ll see how it goes!
