NCAA Football series
Encyclopedia
NCAA Football is a football
video game series in which you play as (and against) any current Division I FBS college
team. This game is developed by EA Sports
. Because of NCAA rules, current college players are not permitted to be used as the cover athletes. Instead, the cover features a player whose college eligibility ended the season before the game's release, wearing his former college uniform. The only two exceptions to date have been the Wii version of NCAA Football 09, which featured Sparty
, the mascot of Michigan State University
, on the cover, and NCAA Football 06 when Desmond Howard was featured on the cover striking the Heisman pose during his career at Michigan, despite not playing for Michigan for more than 15 years.
was released on July 18, 2006, and was the series' first release on both the Xbox 360
and PSP
. University of Southern California
running back and Heisman Trophy
winner Reggie Bush
is featured on the game's cover.
This version of the game utilized a feature called Turn the Tide, which consisted of a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top or bottom of the screen. A boost in momentum for a team would increase the performance of all players and boost their attributes by a varying amount.
This version also included spring drills, an update to the Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden), ESPN
integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes.
has features that include the Dynasty mode, wherein the player act as a team's head coach, both on and off the field. Aside from weekly games, the player also controls recruiting freshman for the next year's season; new to the 2006 version is in-season recruiting.
Another new feature in the 2006 game is the Race for the Heisman mode, in which the player takes on the role of a single player attempting to win the Heisman trophy
. Race for the Heisman begins with the user selecting which position they want their character to be. The player then completes a workout for college scouts and you are offered scholarships to three different schools. The quality of football programs that offer scholarships depends on how well the player did in the workout. The player can either choose to accept one of the scholarships or walk on at any Division I school. After selecting what school to play for the player is automatically placed in the starting line up. Year after year the player's attributes increase depending on the previous seasons performance with the ultimate goal of winning the Heisman trophy
.
Desmond Howard
, a Heisman-winning player from the University of Michigan
, is on the cover. This is a slight break in tradition as the NCAA Football series traditionally featured an NFL rookie on the cover of the game, with an action shot of him wearing his college jersey from the previous year. The game was released for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
.
, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube
, and Xbox, featured University of Pittsburgh
wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
on the cover.
This version introduced more fan interaction in the game. The home team's defense can incite the crowd to make noise, making it difficult for the offense to hear the quarterback's audibles. This feature, dubbed "home field advantage", allowed stadium influence and energy to swing a game's momentum if strong enough. The game ranked the "Top 25 Toughest Places to Play," which included famous stadiums such as Florida's "Swamp
" and LSU's "Death Valley
," where this feature would be felt more strongly.
The new "Match-Up Stick" feature allowed players to match up more experienced and skilled players on younger, less-talented ones to exploit matchup problems.
All Division l-A schools were included in the game along with more than 70 l-AA schools. Signature fan celebrations, such as the "Gator Chomp" or "Texas Hook 'Em Horns" were included.
, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Southern California
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
winner Carson Palmer
on the cover.
This edition featured the return of gameplay modes seen in previous versions such as Dynasty Mode.
The College Classics mode was introduced in this version and allowed players to replay classic games in college football history. New tackling animations and more realistic zone defenses were also included.
quarterback Joey Harrington
on the cover.
New features in this version included over 200 licensed fight songs, 3D cheerleaders and 144 different schools.
Dynasty mode was enhanced with the ability to redshirt a player and schedule non-conference games before each season. Trophies and awards, modeled after real-life college football awards, was another feature new to this version. Players could win trophies by playing games and could add them to a personal collection which is shown off in a trophy room. These awards include the Heisman, Coach of the Year and Bowl-specific trophies. The game featured 23 different rivalry trophies that were created to represent their real-life counterparts.
Create-A-School mode returned in this edition of the game after being absent from the previous year.
The game also featured a customizable interface for the first time. A player could choose his or her favorite team and the game interface would be based around that team's fight song, mascot, logos and school colors.
, featured Florida State
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
winner Chris Weinke
on the cover.
This was the first version released for PlayStation 2, it lacked features (such as Custom League, Custom Tournament, and Create-a-school) that were present in the previous PlayStation edition (2001).
The game featured a new "Campus Cards" rewards system, which allowed players to unlock special features in the game such as historical teams or special stadiums.
running back Shaun Alexander
on the cover.
This version included Create-a-player, Create-a-school, Custom League (up to eight teams, double round-robin, plus playoff), Custom Tournament (up to 16 teams, double elimination), and fully customizable Season/Dynasty schedules (which allowed players to violate conference obligations in rescheduling opponents). This was also the final installment which allowed a playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode (24 teams).
winner Ricky Williams
being tackled by a Texas A&M University
defense on the cover.
The game included all 114 Division I-A schools and 26 from Division I-AA and also featured 3D, polygon-rendered players for the first time in the franchise's history.
Other notable new additions included coaching tips, 23 bowls (up from four), the ability to edit new plays, and the official Heisman Trophy award.
cornerback and Heisman Trophy
winner Charles Woodson
on the cover. Its tagline read Desire+Pride=Victory!.
The game featured all 112 Division I-A teams and the ability to create or edit players and names, sixty fight songs and crowd chants. Over eighty historical teams were added to the game as well. The Heisman Memorial Trophy is replaced by the 'EA Sports MVP" trophy and other awards are given out. Recruiting is simple and done in a serpentine draft system. The Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl are playable, the other Bowls played have EA Sports as the sponsor. Created players from this game can be imported to the title Madden NFL 99
. It featured no commentary by booth announcers, instead a PA Announcer provides the commentary. Also, unlike the current games in this franchise, NCAA 99 featured an optional 16 team playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode.
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
winner Danny Wuerffel
on the cover.
This was the first game in the series to feature a multi-season Dynasty Mode, allowing players to take control of a team for four seasons and recruit players to fill out roster vacancies at the completion of each season.
on the cover.
The game added a new "create player" feature (up to 28 players) and custom schedules, new animations and all 111 Division I-A teams. Players could also compete in a customized Tournament with support for up to 16 players in a single-elimination or round robin format.
Players were also able to adjust penalties, set weather type, enter user records, perform substitutions, set audibles, toggle injuries, and change game length as well as difficulty level. Authentic playbooks (with plays like the Wishbone), a USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, and the Sears National Championship Trophy were also available.
There were 400 plays from which to choose, and a new passing mode allowed players to select from five receivers on every play. Other new features and options included the following: four-player mode, three different game lengths, substitutions, injuries, audibles, fake snaps, spins, hurdles, dives, blocked kicks, interceptions and laterals.
The game featured 36 Division I-A teams, a windowless passing mode, customizable seasons from one to sixteen weeks, and complete statistical tracking throughout the season. Players could choose either a playoff system or bowl games with fictional names: Maple Bowl, Palm Bowl, Pecan Bowl, and Redwood Bowl.
Bill Walsh College Football 95 also provided 36 new plays and formations including the Wishbone, Veer
, Tee Offense, and 4-4 D.
Bill Walsh College Football featured the top twenty-four college football teams from 1992 and twenty-four of the all-time greatest teams since 1978. While no actual players were named and no official team logos used, colleges were listed by city and players identified by number. Play modes include Exhibition, Playoffs and All-Time Playoffs. Sixty-eight classic college plays were available, including the triple option, student body, and wishbone.
Other options and features include automatic or manual-pass catch mode, audibles, reverse angle replay, onside kicks, four weather conditions (fair, windy, rain and snow), three different quarter lengths (5, 10 and 15 minutes) and a hurry-up offense.
The Bill Walsh
endorsement was meant to parallel John Madden NFL Football.
series uses real player names and likenesses, those players are compensated for the use of their image. Due to NCAA restrictions on the amateur status of athletes, names are not allowed.
Although EA Sports does not claim that the players in the game represent real life players, the jersey number, position, height, weight, home state and ethnicity, are aligned with the real players. Fans of any particular team are sure to recognize their favorite players (for example, in NCAA Football 2007, for the South Carolina Gamecocks, QB #12 would correspond to former QB Blake Mitchell). The game gives the player the option to name them, and roster makers will upload a named roster file to a memory card for just the price of shipping. The same roster makers also allow their rosters to be downloaded free of charge, as selling named files would be a violation of the NCAA's policy regarding amateur student-athletes.
As of the 09 release, EA has put in the EA Locker feature which allows remote roster sharing online through either Xbox Live
or PlayStation Network depending on the console.
of most FBS colleges featured in the game. These would play at random, however the user-selected "favorite team" would always have their fight song played first whenever the game was first started.
NCAA Football 06 was the first and so far only entry in the series to include licensed music to keep the series in uniform with other EA Sports releases such as Madden NFL
and the NHL series
.
NCAA Football 07 returned to the fight song only format. NCAA Football 08 added a cinematic theme song to the main menu, with fight songs playing during Dynasty Mode.
NCAA Football 09 allows a new custom stadium sounds feature allowing users to edit what sounds are heard at specific stadiums during events within the game, such as a touchdown, field goal, or timeout. Fans of the teams can now create an authentic experience in each stadium by using copyrighted songs that EA isn't allowed to put into the game.
NCAA Football 10 plays Tick Tick Boom by The Hives
in the introduction.
NCAA Football 11 uses the music that is used in ESPN College Football
coverage.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game series in which you play as (and against) any current Division I FBS college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team. This game is developed by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. Because of NCAA rules, current college players are not permitted to be used as the cover athletes. Instead, the cover features a player whose college eligibility ended the season before the game's release, wearing his former college uniform. The only two exceptions to date have been the Wii version of NCAA Football 09, which featured Sparty
Sparty
Sparty is the mascot of Michigan State University. Sparty is usually depicted as a muscular male Spartan warrior/athlete dressed in stylized Greek costume. After changing the team name from "Aggies" to "Spartans" in 1925, various incarnations of a Spartan warrior with a prominent chin appeared at...
, the mascot of Michigan State University
Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white...
, on the cover, and NCAA Football 06 when Desmond Howard was featured on the cover striking the Heisman pose during his career at Michigan, despite not playing for Michigan for more than 15 years.
NCAA Football 12
NCAA Football 07NCAA Football 07
NCAA Football 07 is a collegiate football video game published by Electronic Arts. The product features former USC player Reggie Bush on the cover...
was released on July 18, 2006, and was the series' first release on both the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
running back and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
is featured on the game's cover.
This version of the game utilized a feature called Turn the Tide, which consisted of a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top or bottom of the screen. A boost in momentum for a team would increase the performance of all players and boost their attributes by a varying amount.
This version also included spring drills, an update to the Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden), ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes.
NCAA Football 06
NCAA Football 2006NCAA Football 06
NCAA Football '06, known colloquially as College Football 2006 is a collegiate American football video game which was released on July 11, 2005. The product features former Michigan Wolverines standout and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard on the cover...
has features that include the Dynasty mode, wherein the player act as a team's head coach, both on and off the field. Aside from weekly games, the player also controls recruiting freshman for the next year's season; new to the 2006 version is in-season recruiting.
Another new feature in the 2006 game is the Race for the Heisman mode, in which the player takes on the role of a single player attempting to win the Heisman trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
. Race for the Heisman begins with the user selecting which position they want their character to be. The player then completes a workout for college scouts and you are offered scholarships to three different schools. The quality of football programs that offer scholarships depends on how well the player did in the workout. The player can either choose to accept one of the scholarships or walk on at any Division I school. After selecting what school to play for the player is automatically placed in the starting line up. Year after year the player's attributes increase depending on the previous seasons performance with the ultimate goal of winning the Heisman trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991...
, a Heisman-winning player from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, is on the cover. This is a slight break in tradition as the NCAA Football series traditionally featured an NFL rookie on the cover of the game, with an action shot of him wearing his college jersey from the previous year. The game was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
.
NCAA Football 2005
NCAA Football 2005NCAA Football 2005
NCAA Football 2005 is an American college football video game which was released on July 15, 2004. The product features former Pittsburgh Panthers and current Arizona Cardinals standout wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover. The game is the NCAA Football series released by EA...
, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, and Xbox, featured University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
on the cover.
This version introduced more fan interaction in the game. The home team's defense can incite the crowd to make noise, making it difficult for the offense to hear the quarterback's audibles. This feature, dubbed "home field advantage", allowed stadium influence and energy to swing a game's momentum if strong enough. The game ranked the "Top 25 Toughest Places to Play," which included famous stadiums such as Florida's "Swamp
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly...
" and LSU's "Death Valley
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924...
," where this feature would be felt more strongly.
The new "Match-Up Stick" feature allowed players to match up more experienced and skilled players on younger, less-talented ones to exploit matchup problems.
All Division l-A schools were included in the game along with more than 70 l-AA schools. Signature fan celebrations, such as the "Gator Chomp" or "Texas Hook 'Em Horns" were included.
NCAA Football 2004
NCAA Football 2004NCAA Football 2004
NCAA Football 2004 is an American football video game released in 2003 by Tiburon. The player on the cover is former USC quarterback and current Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer. The game is available for play with the N-Gage...
, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
on the cover.
This edition featured the return of gameplay modes seen in previous versions such as Dynasty Mode.
The College Classics mode was introduced in this version and allowed players to replay classic games in college football history. New tackling animations and more realistic zone defenses were also included.
NCAA Football 2003
NCAA Football 2003, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of OregonUniversity of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
quarterback Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington
John Joseph "Joey" Harrington, Jr. is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he played for most of his professional career. He ranks third all-time in Detroit history in pass completions, with 986...
on the cover.
New features in this version included over 200 licensed fight songs, 3D cheerleaders and 144 different schools.
Dynasty mode was enhanced with the ability to redshirt a player and schedule non-conference games before each season. Trophies and awards, modeled after real-life college football awards, was another feature new to this version. Players could win trophies by playing games and could add them to a personal collection which is shown off in a trophy room. These awards include the Heisman, Coach of the Year and Bowl-specific trophies. The game featured 23 different rivalry trophies that were created to represent their real-life counterparts.
Create-A-School mode returned in this edition of the game after being absent from the previous year.
The game also featured a customizable interface for the first time. A player could choose his or her favorite team and the game interface would be based around that team's fight song, mascot, logos and school colors.
NCAA Football 2002
NCAA Football 2002, released only for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, featured Florida State
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Chris Weinke
Chris Weinke
Christopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...
on the cover.
This was the first version released for PlayStation 2, it lacked features (such as Custom League, Custom Tournament, and Create-a-school) that were present in the previous PlayStation edition (2001).
The game featured a new "Campus Cards" rewards system, which allowed players to unlock special features in the game such as historical teams or special stadiums.
NCAA Football 2001
NCAA Football 2001, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
running back Shaun Alexander
Shaun Alexander
Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
on the cover.
This version included Create-a-player, Create-a-school, Custom League (up to eight teams, double round-robin, plus playoff), Custom Tournament (up to 16 teams, double elimination), and fully customizable Season/Dynasty schedules (which allowed players to violate conference obligations in rescheduling opponents). This was also the final installment which allowed a playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode (24 teams).
NCAA Football 2000
NCAA Football 2000, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Texas running back and Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
being tackled by a Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
defense on the cover.
The game included all 114 Division I-A schools and 26 from Division I-AA and also featured 3D, polygon-rendered players for the first time in the franchise's history.
Other notable new additions included coaching tips, 23 bowls (up from four), the ability to edit new plays, and the official Heisman Trophy award.
NCAA Football 99
NCAA Football 99 was the sixth edition of the game. The game featured University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
cornerback and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
on the cover. Its tagline read Desire+Pride=Victory!.
The game featured all 112 Division I-A teams and the ability to create or edit players and names, sixty fight songs and crowd chants. Over eighty historical teams were added to the game as well. The Heisman Memorial Trophy is replaced by the 'EA Sports MVP" trophy and other awards are given out. Recruiting is simple and done in a serpentine draft system. The Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl are playable, the other Bowls played have EA Sports as the sponsor. Created players from this game can be imported to the title Madden NFL 99
Madden NFL 99
Madden NFL 99 is a football video game. It features John Madden on most covers, but the PAL version featured Garrison Hearst on the cover. It was available for both the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation...
. It featured no commentary by booth announcers, instead a PA Announcer provides the commentary. Also, unlike the current games in this franchise, NCAA 99 featured an optional 16 team playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode.
NCAA Football 98
This was the first installment of the franchise known as "NCAA Football". The game featured University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
quarterback and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Danny Wuerffel
Danny Wuerffel
Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...
on the cover.
This was the first game in the series to feature a multi-season Dynasty Mode, allowing players to take control of a team for four seasons and recruit players to fill out roster vacancies at the completion of each season.
College Football USA 97
College Football USA 97 was the fourth installment of the series. The game featured University of Nebraska quarterback Tommie FrazierTommie Frazier
Tommie James Frazier, Jr. is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He played quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers....
on the cover.
The game added a new "create player" feature (up to 28 players) and custom schedules, new animations and all 111 Division I-A teams. Players could also compete in a customized Tournament with support for up to 16 players in a single-elimination or round robin format.
Players were also able to adjust penalties, set weather type, enter user records, perform substitutions, set audibles, toggle injuries, and change game length as well as difficulty level. Authentic playbooks (with plays like the Wishbone), a USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, and the Sears National Championship Trophy were also available.
College Football USA 96
The series was renamed "College Football USA 96", and was the first version to feature all (108 at the time) division l-A teams. It was also the first in the series to feature real bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose). Players could play an entire 11-game season (or shorter if desired) before advancing to one of the bowl games.There were 400 plays from which to choose, and a new passing mode allowed players to select from five receivers on every play. Other new features and options included the following: four-player mode, three different game lengths, substitutions, injuries, audibles, fake snaps, spins, hurdles, dives, blocked kicks, interceptions and laterals.
Bill Walsh College Football 95
"Bill Walsh College Football 95" was the second installment of the college football franchise.The game featured 36 Division I-A teams, a windowless passing mode, customizable seasons from one to sixteen weeks, and complete statistical tracking throughout the season. Players could choose either a playoff system or bowl games with fictional names: Maple Bowl, Palm Bowl, Pecan Bowl, and Redwood Bowl.
Bill Walsh College Football 95 also provided 36 new plays and formations including the Wishbone, Veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...
, Tee Offense, and 4-4 D.
Bill Walsh College Football
NCAA Football was originally known as "Bill Walsh College Football" and was released on 4th generation video game consoles, such as Sega Genesis.Bill Walsh College Football featured the top twenty-four college football teams from 1992 and twenty-four of the all-time greatest teams since 1978. While no actual players were named and no official team logos used, colleges were listed by city and players identified by number. Play modes include Exhibition, Playoffs and All-Time Playoffs. Sixty-eight classic college plays were available, including the triple option, student body, and wishbone.
Other options and features include automatic or manual-pass catch mode, audibles, reverse angle replay, onside kicks, four weather conditions (fair, windy, rain and snow), three different quarter lengths (5, 10 and 15 minutes) and a hurry-up offense.
The Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh (football coach)
William Ernest "Bill" Walsh was a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal football team, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense....
endorsement was meant to parallel John Madden NFL Football.
Player names
Players' real names and exact likenesses are not used in the game. While the Madden NFLMadden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...
series uses real player names and likenesses, those players are compensated for the use of their image. Due to NCAA restrictions on the amateur status of athletes, names are not allowed.
Although EA Sports does not claim that the players in the game represent real life players, the jersey number, position, height, weight, home state and ethnicity, are aligned with the real players. Fans of any particular team are sure to recognize their favorite players (for example, in NCAA Football 2007, for the South Carolina Gamecocks, QB #12 would correspond to former QB Blake Mitchell). The game gives the player the option to name them, and roster makers will upload a named roster file to a memory card for just the price of shipping. The same roster makers also allow their rosters to be downloaded free of charge, as selling named files would be a violation of the NCAA's policy regarding amateur student-athletes.
As of the 09 release, EA has put in the EA Locker feature which allows remote roster sharing online through either Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
or PlayStation Network depending on the console.
Soundtracks
Prior to the release of NCAA Football 06, the only music featured in the game were fight songsFight Songs
Fight Songs is the fourth studio album by American alternative country band Old 97's, first released on April 27, 1999. It features the song "Murder ", which was named one of the top songs of all time by Blender magazine....
of most FBS colleges featured in the game. These would play at random, however the user-selected "favorite team" would always have their fight song played first whenever the game was first started.
NCAA Football 06 was the first and so far only entry in the series to include licensed music to keep the series in uniform with other EA Sports releases such as Madden NFL
Madden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...
and the NHL series
NHL series
NHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
.
NCAA Football 07 returned to the fight song only format. NCAA Football 08 added a cinematic theme song to the main menu, with fight songs playing during Dynasty Mode.
NCAA Football 09 allows a new custom stadium sounds feature allowing users to edit what sounds are heard at specific stadiums during events within the game, such as a touchdown, field goal, or timeout. Fans of the teams can now create an authentic experience in each stadium by using copyrighted songs that EA isn't allowed to put into the game.
NCAA Football 10 plays Tick Tick Boom by The Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
in the introduction.
NCAA Football 11 uses the music that is used in ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football across ESPN properties, including ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, and ESPN Radio...
coverage.