On the morning of Feb. 2 EA Sports had a special announcement for its fans.
It was simple enough, sent to 2.1 million followers on Twitter. It simply read “For those who never stopped believing…” and had an image attached.
Twitter erupted. The tweet was shared by many, including Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach.
The thirst for a college football video game has been there since the NCAA Football series was placed on hiatus in Sept. 2013 after the NCAA and multiple conferences withdrew support for the game, per a statement from EA Sports.
Now that the series is making a return in some form, we asked the Indiana Daily Student staff what they would like to see from the new game.
Patrick Felts - Women’s soccer reporter
There are plenty of things I want to see from this new iteration, chief among them honestly being the game not being like the Madden NFL game. Modern Madden is awful, the Frostbite physics engine just does not suit well to football gameplay and it’s riddled with microtransactions (paying smaller amounts of money for in-game benefits). Basically, keep the gameplay from the last NCAA games and add a few new things, maybe actual coaches or custom bowl games, and this game could be perfect.
Ashley Horner - Rowing reporter
I haven’t been too familiar with sports video games but I think it would be amazing to incorporate historic plays as animations such as the two-point conversion at the end of the IU-Penn State game by Micheal Penix Jr.
Griffin Healy - Softball reporter
One of the big things I’d like to see in the new NCAA game is FCS schools. Imagine having a regional school, such as Indiana State University, Marist College and many others that don’t get much national support finally be put into a video game and grow their brand? That would be great. Plus, it would be cool to say you played in the Ivy League and other small conferences, such as the Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference and the Patriot League.
David Wolfe Bender - City reporter
I would like to see EA compensate college football players for using their name and likeness in a video game that will make millions of dollars. And of course, I want real names in the game.
Colin Kulpa - Managing Editor
I’m talking every team. Let’s put Depauw University and Wabash College in so we can play for the Monon Bell in the best D-III rivalry in the country. I want to take Indiana State to the FCS playoffs. I want to work up from a coordinator job at some rural Pennsylvania school in D-II and end up the head coach of our Hoosiers after 15 video game seasons.
And let these teams move up or down a Division if you want, it’s a video game! Let’s put Indiana State in the Big Ten and see what happens, or put Rutgers in the Ohio Valley where they can compete for fifth every year with, like, Austin Peay University.
Let’s think big! That way, if the EA Sports physics suck like they do in the recent Madden games we’ll at least have something to truly love about the game, apart from the fact it’s back in our lives.
Colin Wright - Swimming and Diving reporter
During the early days of quarantine I rediscovered all the glory that was NCAA Football 14. As the world seemed all too ready to crumble, the sight of a Michael Penix Jr.-led 12-0 regular season offline dynasty served as a glimmer of hope. EA could literally make this game look like it was shot on a potato and I wouldn't be mad. The sheer existence of this game serves as a reminder that anything is possible, and a world where Tom Allen's 2020 Hoosiers are Big Ten East champs isn't completely out of reach. Keep dreaming kids.
Related: [Video games sales are up, which might continue for a few years, IU gaming community says]
