A beginner's guide to Road to CFP
What's up newbies? I wanted to take a minute to give you some tips on the road to college football playoff mode in College Football 26
Many of you just got the game for Christmas and are finding it frustrating. Trust me when I say you are not alone.
After playing both College Football 25 and 26 exclusively in this mode, I figured a couple of tips to help you get started to reach your goal, which is winning in national championship in this mode.
1.Road to CFP is hard. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's just a fact. Winning a Natty is much harder this year than it was last year.
2. Before you even get started playing this mode, practice. Practice with the team you want to use in a national championship game. Some guys like to use multiple teams throughout the season and then run to their favorite tier one team once they reach the playoffs. Others want to take one team and grind through an entire season. Either way, it's fine. Just make sure you practice with a team you want to win a natty with on heisman level.
3. When practicing, take some time to understand your team. your players, their strengths and their witnesses. This will save you much frustration as you grind through this mode.
4. Once you're confident, you're ready to play a few games. Just know this, the first four games in your season are a set up. Those four games matchmaking seems to give you someone that you should win against, even if you have a lower tier team play again say Alabama, Georgia or Ohio State. In my opinion, this is EA way of one, allowing guys to win the minimum number of games to either stay in that division or get promoted or 2 keep you at an even when lost record. Just know...the storm is coming.
5. Once you get past games 4, all hell breaks loose. This is when the toughest match making seems to kicks in and you'd up against more quality players. Games 4,5,6 and seven are hard. I would suggest once you're comfortable use any tier for games 1 through 4 and then for games 4,5,6,7, and 8, be more selective and pick your tiers sleection. Example select tier 2 3,4 or tier 5 when seaching for a opponent. It will take you some time to find games in those teirs, but be patient. You'll have much more fun this way versus banging your head against Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Florida, or Indiana during these games. I've had season that a play Miami 4 times in the first 6 games.
6. Once you have grinded games 3 - 7 and you are in a comfortable position to make the CFP continue to be very selective on the teams you play. The reason I say this is because if you are lucky enough to make the CFP don't expect to see any mid to lower rank teams. In the three games of the playoffs you will probably only play against Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama , Texas , and you will probably have to beat any of those teams multiple times. I have literally had playoffs in which I had to play ohio state three games in a row. Last year, we saw so many different teams in the playoffs, now we only see maybe 4-6 different teams.
7. Once you make it to the CFP , just know the games in the college football playoffs are slower, meaning that your players actually run slower than they normally would doing the regular season. Certain routes, you may have to wait a tick longer for them to develop. This is why practice is important.
8. If at any time, you find yourself down ten or fourteen points in the game, be patient, don't back out and quit the game. EA thinks they are slick but if someone jumps mo out to a quick lead the logic shifts and the losing team becomes almost unstoppable. You can ask around but unless a miracle happens if someone is up 10-0 or 14-0, I'd bet my lifesaving that within 5 plays the losing team will score.
9. The 4th quarter is pure madness. Again EA thinks they are smart, but in the fourth quarter all kinds of craziness will happen(especially in a tight game). I've seen 28-35 points scored in the 4th quarter alone in the CFP. EA is creating manufactured drama to try to make the game feel more exciting but we all see it and know its trash. If WE were creating the excitement vs the logic of the game dictating it, this would be different.
10. Lastly, when you need to, just put the controller down walk away. Like I said, winning a Natty is crazy hard now. Even the top player have said so. This game/mode is rage inducing and well...sucks compared to what we had in 25. Sorry but just being honest. Try to have fun if you decide to play. I hope the above helps someone. Oh and cover 4 shaded down helps against crossing routes ✌️
