It’s unquestionably one of the most anticipated video game releases of all-time, and it’s set to become available to the public in less than a month. After a hiatus of nearly a decade, EA Sports College Football 25 will be making its return on July 19, and millions of college football fans will certainly be making the purchase.
As fans continue to count down the days until its release, EA has spent several weeks revealing various details and critical information about the game itself – including ratings and rankings. Although Michigan football fans were overjoyed to see another Wolverine grace the cover (Donovan Edwards), the ratings surrounding the team have been borderline offensive.
Let’s take a look at how EA Sports views the Wolverines in 2024:
Toughest Places to Play
It’s wild to me that Michigan Stadium didn’t crack the top 10 most difficult places to play in College Football 25. Not only is the Big House the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, the Wolverines also haven’t lost a game in Ann Arbor since the COVID season back in 2020. It’s unquestionably one of the most difficult places to play in all of college football, but obviously the folks at EA felt differently – placing Michigan Stadium at No. 16 overall.
Kyle Field – Texas A&MBryant-Denny Stadium – AlabamaTiger Stadium – LSUOhio Stadium – Ohio StateSanford Stadium – GeorgiaBeaver Stadium – Penn StateCamp Randall Stadium – WisconsinGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – OklahomaDoak S. Campbell Stadium – Florida StateBen Hill Griffin Stadium – FloridaAutzen Stadium – OregonMemorial Stadium – ClemsonNeyland Stadium – TennesseeJordan-Hare Stadium – AuburnWilliams-Brice Stadium – South CarolinaMichigan Stadium – MichiganLane Stadium – Virginia TechRice-Eccles Stadium – UtahDarrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium – TexasKinnick Stadium – IowaNotre Dame Stadium – Notre DameSpartan Stadium – Michigan StateDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium – ArkansasAlbertsons Stadium – Boise StateDavis Wade Stadium – Mississippi State
Kicking off #CFB25 Rankings Week with the Toughest Places to Play
Are we making friends yet?
Top 25 | 🔗 : pic.twitter.com/ZnWbdmJGbI
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) June 25, 2024
Top Offenses
Look, I get it. Michigan is not necessarily a football program that is known for fireworks offensively, and the ground-and-pound philosophy doesn’t typically make for an explosive highlight reel. At the conclusion of the 2023 National Championship-winning season, the Michigan offense finished No. 67 nationally, averaging 382.7 yards per game. Explosive? Not necessarily. Effective? Absolutely. In fact, it was so effective that the Wolverines finished the 2023 season ranked No. 14 nationally in points per game, averaging 35.9 per contest.
Although Michigan returns just one starter from last year (TE Colston Loveland), there’s still plenty of firepower offensively. Donovan Edwards, who’s good enough to be on the cover, is back in the mix, along with guys like Alex Orji, Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, and a whole host of other weapons who could have a breakout season. It’s hard to say exactly where EA places the Michigan offense heading into 2024, but it’s definitely outside of the top 25.
We’re baaaaack! What do you think of the #CFB25 highest rated offenses?
Top 25 | 🔗 : pic.twitter.com/qZ7a0n08dB
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) June 27, 2024
Top Defenses
This is right up there with Michigan Stadium being ranked outside of the top 10. I’m not sure how you place the Michigan defense outside of the top five in college football, but that’s exactly what EA Sports did, putting the Wolverine defensive unit at No. 7 overall.
Just as a reminder, the Michigan defense features two potential first-round draft picks in the middle with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. The EDGE position is locked down with veterans Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore, and the linebacker duo of Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham could be one of the best in the nation. The secondary features the top cornerback in the country with Will Johnson (a surefire first-round pick), along with veterans Rod Moore and Makari Paige.
Michigan is returning the best defensive unit in the country in 2024, and a ranking of No. 7 – behind teams like Notre Dame, Clemson, Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, and Ohio State – is egregious.
Ohio State – 96 OVRGeorgia – 94 OVROregon – 90 OVRAlabama – 90 OVRClemson – 90 OVRNotre Dame – 90 OVRMichigan – 90 OVRTexas – 88 OVRPenn State – 88 OVRUtah – 88 OVRFlorida State – 88 OVROklahoma – 88 OVRIowa – 88 OVRVirginia Tech – 86 OVRWisconsin – 86 OVRUSC – 86 OVRAuburn – 86 OVRLSU – 84 OVRTexas A&M – 84 OVRColorado – 84 OVROklahoma State – 84 OVRLouisville – 84 OVRNorth Carolina – 84 OVRKansas State – 84 OVRFlorida – 84 OVR
The Top 10 Defenses in #CFB25…. Thoughts?
Top 25 | 🔗: pic.twitter.com/bcgprMgGYX
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) June 27, 2024
Power Rankings
Once again, EA Sports placed the Wolverines outside of the top 10 in another category – this time in the power rankings. That’s right, the defending National Champions and winners of the last three Big Ten Championships are ranked outside of the top 10 in EA’s power rankings. I get that Michigan lost a to of talent, but that’s not unusual for championship-caliber teams at the collegiate level. Even with the loss of nearly 20 guys to the league, the Wolverines still return enough big-time players to warrant a top 10 ranking here.
Georgia – 95 OVROhio State – 93 OVROregon – 93 OVRAlabama – 92 OVRTexas – 92 OVRClemson – 90 OVRNotre Dame – 90 OVRLSU – 90 OVRPenn State – 88 OVRUtah – 88 OVRMichigan – 88 OVRFlorida State – 88 OVRMiami – 88 OVRTexas A&M – 88 OVROle Miss – 88 OVRColorado – 87 OVROklahoma – 87 OVRWisconsin – 87 OVRUSC – 87 OVRVirginia Tech – 87 OVRNC State – 87 OVRKansas – 87 OVRArizona – 87 OVROklahoma State – 87 OVRIowa – 87 OVR
The Top 10 Overall Teams in #CFB25 👀
Who are you taking to the National Championship?
Top 25 | 🔗: pic.twitter.com/Irg7hmMURb
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) June 28, 2024
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/michigan/football/ea-sports-got-it-wrong-with-michigan-football-01j1qzxa27qx
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Publish date : 2024-07-01 17:27:39
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