Road to CFP – Major Bugs & Exploits That Need Fixing

Too many issues to spend time on it being “competitive”. 

I hate it when this happens:

"Alabama's quarterback (and several others) can still run directly backwards on an every down basis to avoid a sack, zigzag all over the backfield to make the AI defenders take terrible angles to miss the sack and either throw the ball out of bounds or make a perfect across-the-body pass—even while under pressured."

I agree with this:

"Pick opportunities on wide-open deep balls are missed constantly, but contested catches in tight double coverage happen far too often. "

I beat a 9-3 Ohio State user in playoffs with Florida. While I do agree the game has its  issues, you’re making it sound like it’s impossible to beat those teams. Sounds like a skill issue to me 

This is true and don't forget that players do crossing patterns on repeat and the DB's run into each other every time 

If your playing a 9-3 opponent online then that means you're no where close to Heisman, no offense. When you start running into opponents that are 220- 20 you'll see what I'm talking about. They are still beatable but it can get very hard when certain playbooks have cheese plays. 

There are several glaring issues in College Football 26 that the community has clearly recognized. However, from a development standpoint, if the game is behaving as the code intends, developers often won’t classify these problems as bugs, defects, or broken features. Technically, they may be correct—but the end result is still a frustrating experience for players, leading many in the community to question whether the game is worth their time and money.

With that said, I agree with many of the concerns raised and want to be very clear: College Football 26 is a broken game that somehow made it to General Availability (GA). It’s disappointing that corporate decisions and strict deadlines led to a release of such poor quality.

Here are just a few of the critical issues:

• Defensive AI is unreliable, with blown coverages in nearly every game—often by senior defenders, not freshmen. (Yes, EA, we notice the difference between how underclassmen and upperclassmen play.)
• AI wide receivers routinely fail to even attempt a catch, even when they're wide open.
• Line play is mediocre at best, with stunts that don't function and blocking schemes that feel ineffective. Line adjustments also seem to have minimal impact.
• Stadium Pulse is wildly overpowered. There has never been a quarterback in real football who physically cannot throw to a receiver because of crowd noise. The decision to add the "?" icon for certain receivers in this mechanic shows a clear lack of real football understanding.
• Matchmaking lacks variety. I face the same six or seven teams every season: LSU, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, and Penn State. It’s hard to believe that no one else is using different teams—clearly, matchmaking is restricting team variety, likely to influence player retention.
• Tier selection feels broken. After grinding through mid-season games, I attempt to match with Tier 4 or 5 teams—yet I still get matched with top-tier programs. This appears to be an intentional design choice to keep players “grinding” longer. I wouldn’t be surprised if player retention metrics are directly tied to internal performance bonuses.
• Road to CFP matchmaking is inconsistent, repeatedly placing me (a Sophomore-level player) against All-American opponents. This undermines competitive fairness.

I encourage everyone playing this mode to document these issues—record your games, post on forums and social media, and call attention to what’s happening. Other modes clearly received far more development attention. In fact, College Football 25’s Road to CFP mode plays significantly better. I’ve reverted back to 25 while hoping EA delivers a much-needed update or patch for 26.

Good luck, see yall on back on College Football 25!!!

You can't even see records anymore after the last patch update.  All you get it Run/Pass % pregame. 

The most garbage aspect of this game when playing on line is when I watch a wide receiver go up into triple coverage and come down with the football every G*D D@!m time. This happens a half dozen times per game. 

I have also had about 1 dropped pick per game that ends up deflecting into the wide receiver hands for a catch. 

Another fun glitch is the 4 down and goal glitch, where when you are on offense if you run the ball.  Your player is declared down before anyone touches him and the play is dead on the spot.

They don't give 2 sh!ts about online play.  There is so much fu&#ing wrong in this game its infuriating.   This game is a giant middle finger to fans.