I get asked all the time about my opinion on all of the NCAA Football games, especially from the Playstation 2 and Xbox era. I'll gladly give my them, but these usually get lost in the comments section of one of my videos. So I thought it best to collect all of my thoughts in one place.

This is not a review on every game per se, just highlights on the good and bad of them all from my point of view in hopes that you can decide which game is worth your time. I'm not going to try and cover every little facet of each game so forgive me if I don't mention something.

I have plenty to say about some games and not much about others. I have played all 10 games that came out for the ps2. I have put in what feels like thousands of hours in some and not many in others.

Maybe over time I can spend more time in those that didn't get enough attention. I will update this post if and when my opinions change.

NCAA Football 2002 & 2003

I will group 2002 and 2003 together as these are the two I've played the least. I didn't get my first ps2 until 2004 came out so timing was the issue here. However, every time I tinker with 2004, I tend to pop in 2003 some to get a feel of it. I have dabbled with both ever since I started Playbook Gamer.

I haven't played enough of either to have a strong opinion of them. For me it takes many weeks to get a good feel for a game. I think it is a good idea to add these to the channel one day so you can see my reaction and thoughts in real time. Then I can perhaps add more to this section.

What alarms me about these games is that nobody talks about them, especially in the forums. This might be due to 2004 being so popular or that neither have much to offer. I need to find out one day why 2002 and 2003 do not get much love.

NCAA Football 2004

Gameplay

2004 is one of the more popular games of the bunch, probably for a two reasons. First, the game leans more to the offensive side of the ball. Who doesn't want to score more points?

The second reason is online play which was introduced in 2004. I never used that feature so I can't tell you if it functioned well, but I can see how it could excite gamers back then.

The biggie here is the gameplay. Players tend to move a little faster and couple that with having more fun options on offense can equal a fun experience. A game that let's you do a little more schematically, especially on offense, is my preference. This is what keeps me playing these games all these years. Even on Heisman, one can score plenty of points if they know what they are doing.

The running game feels pretty solid. The only issue I have with it is you can't flip the run pre-snap. This is perhaps the biggest reason I don't play this game more. It makes a big difference being able to decide to run left or right.

Yes, you can flip the play but the defense will do the same. So if you call a run play to the right and the defense shifts their defensive line or linebackers right, you're in a tough spot. Being able to flip the run wasn't introduced until NCAA 2005.

The passing game feels good with its own highs and lows. As far as I know, 2004 is the only one that let's you attack zone coverage to the strong side of the field 10 yards in with a dropback passing game. This is a big breath of fresh air compared to the opposite situation 2005-11 has.

Yes, there are certain pass plays I can attack zone to the far side in the later games, but 2004 seems to let me do more things in that situation.

However, 2004 struggles when attacking deep zone coverage. To me, a good passing system in a football game means that you are able to attack all areas of the field regardless of coverage. When on offense, you will notice how the defense keeps backpedaling way too far back for you to attack deep against zone.

You can attack the short field all day against zone but unless the defense blitzes heavily leaving holes, it's very hard to attack deep when needed against zone. Even against Cover 2 zone, it's a real struggle attacking the safeties.

Thankfully this isn't an issue against man coverage. There are plenty of routes in this game to can attack man coverage, deep routes too.

Another issue I have with the passing game is not being able to run full speed and throw on the run as a QB. You have to toggle off passing icons in order to run with your QB. It's cumbersome going back and forth. Either you have a slow QB which hinders your movement in the pocket or you can't take full advantage of a speedy QB back there. This issue wasn't fixed until NCAA 06.

Defense feels fine for the game being a little more offensive-minded. Oddly enough, 2004 is one of the few games where playing man coverage can work very well against the pass. I tend to use zone against passing attacks and man against run, but it seems 2004 lets you to the opposite in a sense.

A big factor in good gameplay for me is player movement. Do players move on the field well? Unlike the Playstation 3 games, 2004 feels good in this department. Turning certain players on a dime may feel a little cheap, but players feel solid in this game.

Graphics & Sound

Graphics is usually the least important aspect of a football game for me, but it helps some if the game looks good. I like the bulkier player models. One can argue that the skinnier player models from 06-11 aren't as realistic. This doesn't mean much to me in the grand scheme of things, but I appreciate the aesthetic the game had.

2004 (and 2005) also had the best pre-game entrances.

Since I turn down the most of the sound so I can talk during my videos, the sound doesn't mean that much to me so expect me to say this about most of these games. In general though, I've never had any big sound issues in any of these games.

Game Modes & Features

Dynasty mode is solid, but its biggest problem is that it's so bare bones. Adding little dynasty features is easy to do and the later games are filled with tiny additions that make the mode great. Unfortunately, Dynasty Mode in 2004 was the last one that felt incomplete. It is not the game's fault, EA didn't have the ideas yet to add to the mode. Because of this, I don't complain too much about it.

The biggest issue I have with Dynasty Mode is scheduling. There is no conference rotation. If you play as a team in a conference with divisions, you will play the same eight teams every year. A simple oversight by EA. As a Tennessee fan, I got tired of seeing Ole Miss on my schedule every season.

I believe 2004 was the last to feature slower recruits. What I mean is that the fastest dual-threat QB recruit you will see will run a 4.65. This is actually the same for all positions. The game doesn't produce true speedsters. I guess it's a wash that other teams won't be able to recruit them either but still, seeing special speedy athletes on the field are few and far between.

I love the classic college game scenarios. They took these away in 06. These can act as a nice break from Dynasty Mode. Being able to relive some iconic moments in college football and rewriting history is a blast. There are plenty of scenarios to keep you busy.

2004 was the last game to not let you create your own playbook. You have to use one of the team playbooks instead. This forces you to get to know the team playbooks which can be fun though. This isn't a dealbreaker by any means, but I will always love creating my own schemes.

Overall

2/21/25: I tried getting into this game and realized how slow its gameplay really is. Yes, 2004 is more offensive oriented than say 2005, but you will need to play 0n 6+ minute quaters to get anything going offensively. If you are okay with an older game not having the little things then 2004 may be your cup of tea. This video covers more of my thoughts on the game.

NCAA Football 2005

Gameplay

I call NCAA Football 2005 the Dark Souls of NCAA Football games due to its difficulty. I believe this is when EA Sports started the trend of going to the extremes from one game to the next, both in gameplay and in features.

2004 favored more to the offensive side of the ball. 2005 is the exact opposite. On Heisman especially, 2005 can be really hard to play. I consider myself an advanced player, and I have to play on Heisman. Most of my games on that level in this game are all low-scoring affairs. I don't like playing super long games so I keep my quarter length at 5 minutes. It's just not fun seeing every game result in 14-10.

Outside of that, the gameplay feels pretty good. I think the players feel a tad slower than in 2004, I could be wrong though.

Home Field Advantage was introduced that also included player composure so you feel like you can have the upper hand at home while younger, more inexperienced players can get rattled on the road. I've always liked this feature throughout the remaining games.

However, in today's world, this feature doesn't carry as much weight because players and coaches use other types of signals to change things pre-snap so the feature isn't as realistic in a sense.

2005 introduced the matchup stick which was a great addition. Being able to see where you best match up helps a ton and adds a great layer of strategy. It also shows player composure which relates to Home Field Advantage.

The running game received a big boost by finally letting you flip the direction of the run pre-snap. This open up your run options in so many ways. 2005 is the only one of the bunch where I can make HB Draw from shotgun formations work, if that means anything.

Ask any average gamer about 2005 and the first thing they will mention is the pass drop issue.

Players drop the ball a ton in this game so the only way to help this is with sliders and even then, it won't completely fix it. I honestly don't see this issue as much, but I see enough of it to understand why people complain about it. I don't expect players to make every single catch though. User catching helps with this issue.

2005 was the last game to still feature the quarterback having to toggle the passing icons on and off. It's is cumbersome not being able to just use the speed button to get away from pressure. You have to turn the icons off, then use the speed button. Thankfully this was streamlined in 06.

Like I mentioned earlier, defense gets the most love with this game. If you like low scoring games, 2005 is for you.

Perhaps the best thing 2005 has going for it is that it was the last one to not introduce a major feature that wasn't overdone or broken altogether. 06 started the trend of gameplay features that weren't implemented perfectly (more on that later). This results 2005 in having solid gameplay, outside of the bugaboos I just mentioned.

Graphics & Sound

2005 was the last game to keep bulkier player models which I've always liked. I feel like the colors in the game are a little more faded out than 2004. I don't see as many sharp colors.

2005 was the last one to have pre-game entrances featuring the teams coming from the tunnel which I've always liked.

See my previous thoughts on sound.

Game Modes & Features

Dynasty Mode introduced player discipline which was a nice addition.

The conference schedule rotation was fixed as well.

Perhaps a small but great addition was adding player models/images on the roster, depth chart, and recruiting screens. It's a small thing but it goes a long way with immersion.

Speaking of rosters, you can now have 70 players on your team compared to 55 in prior games.

The only thing in Dynasty Mode I remember not liking is the occasional Group of 5 school getting a high recruiting class which is unrealistic. I'll admit, I haven't tested enough of 2005's Dynasty Mode to know if it has any other issues. Hopefully it doesn't.

2005 introduced the Create-A-Playbook feature which is near and dear to my heart. Being able to put your preferred nine formations together to create whatever offense you want is a godsend.

Overall

I would probably play 2005 more if it wasn't so defensive-minded. Maybe I have to humble myself and play on All American or severely drop sliders on Heisman to enjoy it. Otherwise, the game feels solid, mainly due to not have any goofy features to bring it down.

However, I always ask myself what 2005 has that the later games do not to convince me to play it more. I can't find anything yet.

For those who can't stand certain features added in later games and don't mind a defensive-oriented experience while also having a Dynasty Mode with enough features to keep you entertained, then 2005 might be the one for you. Check out this video for more thoughts on the game.

NCAA Football 06

Everyone knows 06 is my favorite of the bunch, but I will be as unbiased as I can.

Gameplay

Keeping with the trend of EA going the opposite direction, 06 is more offensive oriented and the players seem to move faster compared to 2005.

My longevity with these games stems from having enough schematic freedom to be able to run any type of offense I want. 06 was the first to truly let me do that. In the end, most gamers want to score points and 06-11 stuck with that trend. Thankfully, you can field top-10 defenses in this game as well.

Perhaps the biggest addition to 06 is Impact Players. Each team has three impact players that when used correctly, can really make some big plays for you. Like I mentioned before, new features tend to get overdone and impact players can feel the same. Some games you will see impact players look like hall-of-famers, break six tackles in one play and other crazy situations.

However, both you and the CPU can do an equally good job of emphasizing these players so I think it's a wash. Besides, having impact players lets me gameplan around these players adding more strategy to the game. I like having the option of having a bell-cow offense to maximize an impact player's talent.

The running game feels as strong as ever up to this point. Yes, some run concepts don't work well (every game has them) like certain counters, HB draw from Shotgun sets, zone blocking plays, and tosses, but what does work is simply great. Slam, Dive, and all the various option concepts are a blast to use.

The passing game is the best it has ever been too. I can attack any coverage, and there are plenty of routes that work well against man and zone coverage.

EA finally fixed the QB running when passing by letting you use the speed button while being able to throw on the run. Once you use it, it's hard to play any other game without it. I can write for days about the passing game (I have plenty of blog posts that cover it), but you get the point.

The deep ball gets the most hate as it can be easier to complete. I have no arguments here although it's not an automatic play. I consider it a wash when the CPU can throw deep on me just as well. One thing to remember is the deep ball feels just as potent to me in 06-11.

As offensive-oriented as 06 may seem, defense feels great as well. Like I just mentioned, I can field great defenses. I'm not going to lie though, those impact players I mentioned? You will want to throw your controller at times when you go up against an impact halfback who will break every tackle and run for 250 yards without any issues. I try not to get upset about it as I can have great HBs do the same, but it is frustrating.

Special teams is fine, but it has two issues. The first is the three-button kick meter. On Heisman, the kick meter is a nightmare. Many gamers stay away from Heisman difficulty for this reason alone. I tell everyone that practice is needed to be good at it, but it's still very hard.

The other issue is punt returns close to your endzone. Hardly any of of the safe punt return plays work at times as some players are programmed to go for the ball even when you try to tell everyone to get away from it. The Middle Fan play has been my go-to for this, just to avoid a bad play.

Other than that, special teams is fine 😆. Kick and punt returns feel realistic even though I wish I can run up the middle more, especially on kickoffs, but that's not a big deal. You may want to turn down CPU special teams in general. CPU kickers & punters are incredible, regardless of the ratings.

Graphics & Sound

06 is when slimmer player models were introduced so there's that. They brought back sharper colors to the overall palette.

The only issue I have with graphics is the created school uniform glitch where the border around the numbers always ends up a dark grey. It's goofy-looking, but you can work around it to a degree.

See my previous thoughts on sound.

Game Modes & Features

In-Season recruiting was introduced in 06 which adds a little more depth to Dynasty Mode. This was the first game to include this which means it wasn't fully implemented yet as you can only recruit 3-star players and above along with being able to snag commits from players that don't really belong in your program. It's a nice addition though that let's you recruit year-round which never gets old.

Race for the Heisman was added, but I never played it much as the gameplay is exactly the same as Dynasty Mode so I rarely bothered with it.

Create-A-Playbook is still in the game, but 06 is the last one to feature basic playbooks (all teams with the same formation share the same 18 plays). I am a playbook & scheme guy and 07-11 featured some amazing playbook additions that make 06 look inferior. I try to remind myself though that gameplay matters more.

Overall

The biggest thing you need to know about 06 is I think it's the best game with the most fun gameplay and features with the least amount of flaws.

It has it problems like any other game, but none of those issues have ever stopped me from playing it.

One of the reasons 06 is so popular is due to later games having more issues that aren't worth dealing with. This doesn't mean that 06 is great by default, it's just that EA Sports messed up a few things in the later games which I will cover.

I have hundreds of hours of 06 gameplay footage on the channel, and have been playing this game consistently since it was released if that tells you anything.

NCAA Football 07

Gameplay

EA Sports introduced several gameplay features and as the theme with that company, most new features are overdone or don't work well at all.

The first one is Jump the Snap (JTS). This feature lets you time the snap just right on the line to shove an offensive linemen down and make a big play. JTS isn't realistic. How may offensive linemen get shoved to the ground in a game? Unless Aaron Donald is on the other team, not many defensive linemen should be able to blast offensive linemen so frequently.

The biggest issue I have with it is that the CPU defense can time it much better compared to your own CPU players. So unless you can time it yourself, you will always be at a disadvantage. Thankfully you can mitigate this some with using various snap counts to draw the defense offsides and by turning off Auto Throw which was added in 07.

With Auto Throw off, you let the CPU drop your QB back perfectly without throwing the ball for you which can lead to less JTS issues. If you control your QB's drop back then your linemen may be suspect to JTS or just missing blocks altogether.

The next feature is the Momentum Meter. The more good plays one team has, the better chance more good plays will follow. This is the main feature that keeps me from playing 07-11. There are too many games where I can blow out a good team due to controlling the Momentum Meter. The CPU really struggles to overcome it. The same thing can happen to you as well.

This is perhaps the game's biggest problem as after playing several seasons on Heisman difficulty, the CPU offense can't seem to produce yards and points. Regardless of who I play, the other team struggles to move the ball. I think impact players being toned down have an effect on this.

The Momentum Meter can also impact turnovers, especially fumbles. You will have some games where 5+ turnovers are the norm. Turnover driven games are no fun.

For those who aren't fans of impact players can rest easy as this feature seems a little toned down compared to 06. In 06 you can feel who the best players are. In 07, not so much.

The running game feels the same as 06 but with JTS making it a little harder but with some concepts working better than before. Counters and toss plays are actually doable in 07. They can still get stuffed, but they are vastly improved over 06. 07 features more run concepts which add more depth to a scheme, especially form the shotgun, that are fun to use.

Speaking of, the passing game is even more potent 07. More concepts and plays with a combination of some routes working better than before lead to a great passing system.

The biggest difference is the curl route. This was a tough route to throw to in 06 but is now almost automatic in 07. When timed right and thrown well, the curl is amazing against man coverage, even if double-teamed. It can still get picked off if not executed well though. This route alone, among other things, makes the short passing game in 07 feel very strong which I love as it simply adds more schematic fun to the game.

There are some routes that don't work as well like whip routes which is fine. The deep ball feels strong as well although it might be a tad harder than 06. Perhaps the best thing about the passing game in 07 is the sheer amount of new plays and routes. I'm like a kid in a candy store. It's like playing 06 but with brand new playbooks.

Special teams took what seems like one step forward and one step back. Gone is the three-button kick meter as the new kicking system is joystick related and infinitely easier to control. They added more special team trick plays which is nice although I can't say if they work or not.

The Third Person Camera is unique. I used to not like it but I notice I can get more touchdown returns with it than without although I still prefer to see where every player is at during the play.

Graphics & Sound

07 looks the same as 06 to me although I'm sure some things were improved.

The created uniform border glitch is gone which is a plus and some uniforms in general look better. Other than that, it looks the same to me.

See my previous thoughts on sound.

Game Modes & Features

For Dynasty Mode, the Spring Game is the biggest addition. Beyond just having a spring game, this feature actually has a purpose. You can name MVPs of the spring which results in you selecting your own impact players which is huge.

In 06, sometimes the game will make a kicker an impact player which can be annoying. Being able to decide who your impact players are can help your scheme so much. The rest of the mode seems to be exactly like 06.

Campus Legend replaced Race for the Heisman and what little I have played of it, it's more fleshed out. However, I haven't played enough of it to give a real opinion on it. I can see this being a good series for the channel though.

My favorite addition to 07 is how well the playbooks were updated. You can have 12 formations in your playbook instead of nine. Each team playbook feels unique. There are some plays that are exclusive to a specific playbook so you have to really study the playbooks to see what's in there.

More formations and concepts never hurt. The defense got some love in this department as well with various 4-3 and 3-4 sets among other new formations. I can talk about the playbook side of things forever, but well done by EA Sports for giving the playbooks some attention.

Overall

The biggest problems I have with 07 are the Momentum Meter and the lack of challenge I get. Unless I am turning the ball over a ton, there's a good chance I will win, even against more talented teams. Jump the Snap still bugs me though not as bad at it used to be.

I've tried to enjoy this game, but some of the additions mentioned keep me from doing so. Even if I love the playbook additions, gameplay matters more. Here is an older video giving my thoughts on the game.

NCAA Football 08 & 09

Here is where I will not be as detailed about games and get to the point of what I mostly don't like as EA stopped caring about the ps2/xbox games and focused more on the ps3/360 versions. I will lump 08 and 09 together as they are similar when it comes to the major issues.

There are two big issues with 08 and 09 that keep me from ever playing them ever again. The first one is the infamous pursuit angle issue. This is where defenders don't know how to take proper angles to make tackles. It ruins the game for me as it's way to easy to score touchdowns. This video explains this further. This seems toned down a little in 09 but' it's still there.

The second biggest issue is the discipline and probation glitch. I discovered this while playing 09, but 08 has the same issue. It involved teams not having enough points to discipline players during the season which results in having many programs suspended over time.

The biggest problem is that by year three, at least 30 teams are put on probation which screws up everything in Dynasty Mode. It's a royal mess and since most of us play this mode, having any fun long-term with it goes down the drain, for me at least.

Most features from previous games carry over into 08 and 09 like the Momentum Meter and Jump the Snap which is obviously a bad thing. JTS is even worse in these games. And no, sliders can't fix any of this stuff on Heisman which is weird, but I have to play on Heisman to get a challenge. Others have tried to make these games work with sliders but to no avail.

The sad part with 08 and 09 are how some of the positive additions to these games get ignored due to how bad the other issues are. Expanded playbooks, auto-motion, the option to turn off the special teams third person camera, getting to read corners against zone coverage as actual hi-lo reads, jersey number selection, and spring drills in Dynasty Mode just to name a few.

Overall, I choose to ignore 08 and 09. Below is a video I made giving a rough overview of the game, but my latest opinions are what you just read.

NCAA Football 10 & 11

At this point EA completely focused on the latest generation of gaming and it shows with 10 and 11. I lump 10 and 11 together as they are literally the same game with 11 having updated rosters.

As usual, everything carries over from the previous games, but the biggest blunder is how lazy EA got with prospects. The majority of 5 star players are either quarterbacks or wide receivers. This makes other positions inferior in talent.

EA didn't even bother to generate new players every season with in-season recruiting. The exact same prospects are there for every first season of a dynasty.

The only cool thing about recruiting is you can now go after 1 and 2-star kids during the season. None of this matters though since these games are riddled with issues.

And like previous games, the big issues from 07-09 carry over to these games.

I would skip 10 and 11 altogether. I'm not the biggest fan of the ps3 games, but NCAA Football 11 was my favorite of the bunch.

Conclusion

I still recommend 06 first then 2004 and 05 after that. Hopefully my 5,000+ words helped you make a decision as to which games to sink your teeth into.

Like I said in the beginning, my thoughts may change on some of these games in time and if so, I will update this post. And I'm sure I forgot to mention one point or another, but hopefully you have enough info here to make up your mind.