TXST FOOTBALL
The new College Football 26 video game is finally here coming off the release of College Football 25, marking the first time a college football game was made available to play.
After buying the game this past weekend, I made a deep dive into CFB 26, trying to figure out the good, the bad and the ugly all from the Texas State perspective.
From a visual standpoint, CFB 26 is by far the best Texas State has looked in the video game series.
Everything feels like you are at UFCU Stadium on a Fall Saturday watching the Bobcats play. The Pride of the Hill Country marching band performs their traditional routine before kickoff. The Bobcat football players touch the famous Bill Miller statue before taking the field. For night games, the stadium lights flash maroon, giving a spectacular light show every time the Bobcats score.
The new endzone complex also makes its debut in the game, marking the first time the south endzone is not an empty space.
While there are a few minor gripes, the addition of some random skyscrapers behind the endzone complex, the look and feel of a Texas State football game is near perfect in CFB 26.
Gameplay wise, CFB 26 makes some small changes from last year’s counterpart.
One thing I noticed was the difference in call playing from the no-huddle offense. In CFB 25, if you wanted to run no-huddle, you were limited with the amount of plays you could call with a maximum of eight.
However in CFB 26, the no-huddle offensive playbook has been expanded immensely. No longer bound by a certain number of calls you could make, the playbook is opened up to where you can run as many plays as possible.
Being in a no-huddle offense like Texas State’s, it works in your favor. You can run two running plays before hitting your opponent with a play action pass to potentially rip off a huge touchdown to swing the momentum in your favor, all while being in no-huddle.
If there was an MVP to give out for Texas State in CFB, that award would be awarded to Lincoln Pare. The senior running back is one of my favorite players in the game who can give you those extra needed downs to either make a first down or score a critical touchdown late in a game. Credit also goes to the offensive line who open up massive holes for the running game to make those explosive plays and keep the drive going.
If you are a Texas State fan, CFB 26 is a must get. It gives you an authentic Texas State experience Bobcat fans have been dreaming of for some time while pushing the gameplay forward in development.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
