For many, this week’s release of College Football 25 marks the end of long wait for the game to return to our consoles and TVs. Discontinued following NCAA 14 due to issues with name, image and likeness, with that issue now settled EA Sports decided it was time to bring back the popular game. Like others, I too cannot wait to turn on my PS5 and get going on building my dynasty.
But unlike many who will be playing and reading this column, my wait has been longer than 11 years. Mine, it turns out, is closer to 20. I don’t remember what the last college football game I played was, but I know it was on my XBox and I played it in college.
Dating myself with that sentence, I recall struggling to get into the game and ultimately fell back into my usual Madden franchises. I knew the players and, more importantly, cared more about the Arizona Cardinals, who were then my team. Fast forward to now, and I joined the masses in ordering the Deluxe version of College Football 25, which means it will arrive a few days early and also feature a small part of an Arizona helmet on the “cover.
” That last part, actually, is what has me so excited. Not that Arizona is ever-so-slightly featured ( ), although that is a sign of the progress the program has made in such a short amount of time. Instead it’s that now I know the players and care about the Wildcats, who are now my team.
It doesn’t hurt that they are a pretty good team, too. The buzz around the Wildcats in real life has at least.
