After the years of effort put in on College Football 25 (CFB25), the team at EA Sports was rewarded by becoming the highest-selling sports game of all time. As I said in my review last year, it was well worth the wait and the accolades. From presentation to gameplay and sports fandoms, the team worked hard to make sure CFB25 was going to succeed, and succeed it did. 

The issue comes when you now have to follow that game up. You don’t have as much time, you have even higher expectations, and because of how groundbreaking some of the aspects of CFB25 felt; you’re hoping to grow the game even beyond that. How can you do all of this in less than nine months (including testing, previews, and more)? Well, let’s dig in deep to see if College Football 26 (CFB26) was a false start or a touchdown!

Graphics // Sights and Sounds

After the preview event we had in Orlando, my expectations were extremely high for the graphics, sights + sounds of gameday, and the overall presentation. Scott O’Gallagher, Christian Brandt, and the team focused on this aspect and did a great job of explaining how CFB 26 would FEEL different from CFB25. This included new gameday presentations, new looks for coaches, updated lighting effects, and more.

While playing CFB26, I really do love these updates. They make night games feel so much more realistic to each school, with bigger schools having everything from fireworks to laser light shows and more. Meanwhile, even the smaller schools have moments of perfection as the lights change from day to evening or evening to night. It kept things feeling fresher than they did last year and kept me looking around during the timeouts and in between plays. 

The weather, while being a visual element, impacts everything on the field. The accuracy can be worse, drops are more frequent, and fumbles happen more often. I really love weather-related games as they bring something fresh to the table each time. Plus, they just look so dang cool.

The crowd has also been revamped with more variety in the audience we see from game to game. There is a little bit of an uncanny valley feeling with some of these character models with smiles so big you would have thought they had a life-altering Powerball jackpot, not a running back getting a first down. While this doesn’t impact the gameplay, I’ve sat through a game at MTSU where not one student had a smile on their face the entire game, so seeing an entire student section going wild while I’m struggling to get a first down puts a damper on the vibes happening. 

On the other hand, we’ve gotten a lot more from coaches this year, with more than 300 real coaches being added to the game. On top of that, you also have the ability to fully customize your coach in Dynasty Mode. From the intensity to the stance, it’s so much more than CFB25 and lets you make a coach closer to how you’d dream of doing the job yourself. Moreover, you can customize your outfit to fit the kind of coach you’re styling yourself after. I’m a huge fan of the puffy vest and hoodie for colder weather teams. These might feel like small things, but they add up to make the game feel more immersive.

The music has been one of the best updates the team for CFB26 could have made. Last year, the biggest note I had from my partner was, “Please turn the drumline down, it’s a lot.” This year, the drumline still has its moment (as a percussionist myself, it’s much appreciated), but it’s supplemental and allows for the College Football Marching Band to play hits like Blinding Lights, Flowers, and more with their marching band flair. The other headline is songs like Enter Sandman and Mr. Brightside being added into the game for the schools that use them. It’s pretty wild playing against Michigan and all of a sudden you have thousands of fans screaming Mr. Brightside as you’re about to take a snap. The music is a major plus as both a band nerd and as a fan of college marching bands’ importance to the sport. 

Gameplay

This game runs very well overall. I mean that in both a literal and in-game sense. Running the ball feels much more fluid than last year, and passing feels much more alive. 

As you run, you’ll have better blocking from everyone on the field. Linemen and receivers seem to be doing their job much more than last year. No matter the formation, I was able to find success running the ball for much larger gains than in CFB25. The running back animations also help with them sliding past contact much more frequently than last year, especially for more experienced backs.  I haven’t had the same issues with the running back fumbling as much as I’ve seen from others I’ve seen, but that does seem to be giving people fits. 

I found it’s easy to take advantage of the AI being a bit slow in how it handles some situations. After talking to a few different friends who played football and simply watch a lot of tape, sometimes defenses are just simply out of position, and the offense can take advantage of that. However, I did feel like I was able to find many flaws in the defense, which led to huge gains or touchdowns even on the harder settings. This mostly tends to happen when the running back is lined up outside of normal running back locations. If I run a five-wide and the running back is on the outside WR slot, defenses have a rough time figuring it out. 

Passing feels much more streamlined than last year. From a newb like me using the default settings to Kurt Benkert having very specific sliders for the way he likes to pass, you can adjust these things to make them to your liking. Something I really like this year is how height impacts passing. Shorter QBs will have a harder time seeing over linemen and will require you to use passing lanes for better accuracy on throws. Meanwhile, the taller QBs can see the field better as a whole. It’s another aspect of realism in the game that adds to the experience. 

I had small issues with some players creating “mountain glitches” when they score a touchdown. Basically, their character model becomes this huge blob of grey. While it never impacted the gameplay, per se, it did alter the ability to do celebrations with some of the characters. Strangely enough, it wasn’t with all players. The majority of the issues came from deep balls to wide receivers.

**I would also say to be very careful with the content you’re intaking when it comes to gameplay in College Football 26. I’ve seen multiple videos now of people playing the game and getting upset about a glitch or saying “EA is under fire for ____” when, if you play the game yourself, you may never see that glitch. I also confirmed a few of the “rumors” I’ve seen on TikTok and Twitter to find they aren’t issues at all. So before you decide on if you want this game yourself, please double and triple check sources before making the final decision.**

Dynasty

This mode is my bread and butter and where I would say a number of you spend the majority of your time in the College Football franchise. There are some major updates to quality of life for Dynasty and  much needed changes to specific elements.

From a quality of life perspective, things have gotten so much better. The recruitment board is easier to navigate, with a full bar of your team’s needs at the top to help you keep track of which players you should be focusing on, as well as how many you may already be recruiting. Gone are the days when I had a piece of paper next to me with all of the needed positions on it with players I had already talked to from those positions. Be aware, letting the CPU recruit for you will put you in a rough place, as it won’t even try to go after higher-star players. If you want to have better chances at four/five-star players as a smaller school, be sure to recruit for yourself. 

You can now manually upgrade your players. While some players may never want to do this, all you have to do is toggle the way you want to play. The ability to manually upgrade players adds a fun new element to the game, allowing you to upgrade the player to fit the scheme they’re in at your school, even if it’s not their “normal” progression, if you let the CPU handle it. 

Teams also have better control of staff, with staff warning you sooner of their departure, so you know they’ve left and can fill the spot. I really love finding coaches looking for new homes. This is a fun addition since the inclusion of real-life coaches in the game. 

The transfer portal feels more alive, with many more players hitting the portal. This means you’ll have a better chance to fill holes in your roster with good players without losing out to all of the bigger schools just because that’s who is available. While you probably won’t find many five-star recruits here, you’ll find more four and five-stars than last year for sure. Just keep an eye out. 

Rivalry games feel much more alive with the inclusion of the new presentation updates I mentioned earlier. For instance, playing a Washington vs Oregon game at Oregon felt wild. The lights, crowd, mascots, everything felt even more grandiose than last year. 

This year, I used one of the new teams for the game, Missouri State, for my opening team as an OC. Stayed there two seasons to lead them to a pretty decent record. I followed that up with a trip to Rutgers, where I went 2-10 and then 10-2 and a bowl game. Timed it up right because that 2029 offseason I was named the head coach of Tennessee, and I never looked back. Time for the Vols to have a dynasty for the first time in a while. #Vol4Life

While the basics of the game may not have changed as much, the mode feels insanely polished with few issues to talk about. If you enjoy running a team from the OC, DC, or HC positions with full control over recruiting, or if you just like playing the games and winning playoffs, you can change sliders and options to fit your playstyle. 

Road to Glory

From the top to the bottom, I had a lot more fun in Road to Glory this year than in 2025. The addition of playing through high school big moments adds a lot. Not always the games themselves, but the ramifications of those games.

If your goal is to be recruited as a five-star to an SEC or Big10 school, you better make sure you’re succeeding on those gameplay moments. You can redo a gameplay moment in every difficulty except for Heisman. Be aware, trying for five stars on Heisman is VERY hard and will take a few tries to be sure. 

You’ll again have access to the QB, RB, WR, MLB, and CB positions to play through with each one having its own strengths and weaknesses. My advice is to play whatever position you really want to and just allow the story to make itself known. If you have a clear goal in mind for which school you want to play for, I would suggest Quarterback, as it seems the easiest to do well enough to have a pick of schools you’d want the most. 

I loved getting to pick the top 10 schools you want to go to while also getting offers from schools not on your list. My top three schools ended up being Washington (offering me 2nd string), Tennessee (offering me 3rd string), and Auburn (offering me 2nd string). Meanwhile, I did have offers from many schools where I could instantly start. However, I wanted to see how hard it would be to move up from QB3 to QB1. 

The answer is, it wasn’t that hard. If you play the game in a way that says you want to start, you can do it fairly quickly for most schools. I became QB1 after Week 3 after a horrible loss in Week 2. Week 1-2 is when I had the QB3 to QB2 battle, and Week 3 I had the QB2 to QB1 battle. After that, I never let go. If you play the game in funny or different ways, however, it can go from a QB1 joyride to riding the bench for the first two to three years. You’ve probably seen from now you can make some pretty wild choices early on, so just have a general idea of what you want this character to look like and move from there.

Something that helps a lot in keeping things going in the right direction is simply making good choices. Study when you need to, put time into leadership, don’t cheat on your final, and don’t embarrass yourself and the team.

I also love the amount of choices early on in Road to Glory, with everything from Homecoming (which I embarrassed myself) to road trips with team members and even parties. Something I found, though, was that as time went by, those things became less and less frequent. Once I hit my Sophomore season, I really didn’t interact with many people outside the academic advisor and sometimes my coach. I would love to see more side tasks for next year’s Road to Glory. 

The trophy room is a beautiful piece of work showcasing everything you’ve done in your career. You’ll be able to bring your Road to Glory character over to Madden Superstar Mode again this year, so get those players ready for the launch of Madden NFL 26 to see where they go after college!

Road to the CFP

I’ll be transparent here, I understand the desire for an open competition inside of College Football 26, but this is not my game mode. This is where the best of the best will go 1-1 with the best of the best to try and get that Top 100 position and bragging rights. It’s simply not how I enjoy these games, however. 

If you’re looking for a way to prove you’re the best of the best at this franchise, Road to the College Football Playoffs provides the most fair / equal way of playing against opponents while still representing your fandoms.  

Ultimate Team

This mode is as all Ultimate Team feels. You know what you’re getting into with this mode. You’ll need to either grind dailies and get packs through the store or purchase the credits to get the bundles. The Solo Daily grind is not one for the weak-willed, but it provides enough rewards to be worth your time. 

I find myself always put up against people way better than me in one way or another, especially early in the season. Everyone is lower tier as they start, and it’ll take a few weeks for the tiers to truly take shape. If you’re wanting to check out this mode for the first time, I would suggest the deluxe edition since it’ll provide some good rewards to kickstart your team past the opening-game packs. 

Final Thoughts

I’ve sat down with this team and talked about how much it takes to make things happen. I know the passion and desire they have to make this not just the best football game, but the best sports game. The issue lies with the timetable of deliverables to make a yearly release happen. Think about it, if the game comes out in July, you have August-October fixing and polishing the things found after launch, while also putting out content. All the while and for the rest of the life-cycle, new content is constantly being published for modes like Road to CFP and Ultimate Team, as well as new animations and moments added from the current season. Then you have to be ready to show something for the previews during the summer of the next year? That’s basically six to MAYBE nine months to do EVERYTHING you have to do to make this new game happen. I don’t blame the team for the lack of polish on CFB26 compared to CFB25. I blame the timetable. 

College Football 26 is a wildly good time with new quality of life moments making Road to Glory and Dynasty feel much more streamlined. However, many of the new elements, such as the AI tuning, small visual glitches, etc., hold it back from feeling as fresh as CFB25. If you enjoy the vibes of college football and want to have CFB25 but better, I’d suggest going ahead and getting College Football 26. I just wish this team, which has proven it can put out polished content, had more time to fine-tune everything about this year’s iteration. 

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Oh, not all that Wimbledon nonsense that’s going on at the moment.  Emma Raducanu in tears (again). Who’s wearing “what” bling, and how much does it cost?  Arguments about the electronic line-calling system, and the sad exit from the courts of the old style, beautifully dressed, “line judges” in favor of an electronic eye that already seems to have fallen foul (see what I did there) of its reputation far more often than the humans did in any given year.

And, big-footing them all, the figure of eighty-one year old Billie Jean King, who–when she can spare time away from her new BFF, Melinda French Gates–has been making the rounds and urging Wimbledon to get rid of its traditions, for it to allow for the shameless promotion of sports gear and merch, and–most importantly in her eyes–the elimination of the discreet, decent, all-white clothing requirement for the players.  She’d like to replace it with something more along the lines of NFL jerseys–different colors, with names and numbers on the back so that those viewers who are too stupid to distinguish one player from another, when there are, let’s be clear–two, or at most four people on the court at any given time–will have an explicit visual cue:

There’s a match that comes on, you sit down, and you look – let’s say it’s television – who’s who? Tennis people say: ‘Well, the mark is next to their name’ [to indicate who is serving]. I shouldn’t have to look at a mark, I shouldn’t have to look at anything. I should know [who’s who]. My sport drives me nuts,” she sighs, burying her head in her hands.

The above quote comes from a Telegraph article which swiftly and rather bizarrely ties King’s concern to her “lifelong [campaigning] for social justice and equality.”  And goes on from there.

I don’t really know what King’s beef is here.  After all, don’t the American stations who cover NFL games (where the players do have distinct uniforms, with numbers and names imprinted on the back), still indicate with some sort of “mark” at the bottom of the screen, who’s got the ball, how many more downs, and how much further they have to go to get the first down, and what the actual score is?

Beloved sister, who follows Wimbledon far more assiduously than I do these days, finds Billie Jean’s concern trolling to be laughable.  She has no trouble telling the players apart, and said as much:

I love that the players are all in white.  When my husband joins me partway through a match, I love explaining who is who.

“The chap winning is the one who keeps pulling his underpants out of his bottom.”  “The other one is the one who keeps pulling at his crotch.”  “No, that’s the one who wipes his nose on his sleeve.”  “She’s the one who grunts…”

LOL.  Such true little vignettes for those who’ve watched more than a few moments of Nadal, Alcaraz, and almost any woman over the last couple of decades.

Back in the day, things were different.  Players restrained themselves. And those (almost fanatically on my part) are the times I do remember.

Eighty-two years ago today, British tennis player Mark Cox was born.  He made an indelible name for himself among tennis fans everywhere in 1968, when–in the new “open” era of men’s tennis in which amateurs could compete against hardened professionals, he–a rank amateur–beat the American Pancho Gonzales in a tournament at Bournemouth.  He subsequently beat several other professional players, including #1 seed Rod Laver at the 1971 Australian Open, and Ken Rosewall the following year at the US Open.  I watched both of those on television.  Although he never won a grand slam title, he was highly ranked for quite some time, and played on the British Davis Cup team for many years. Dad and I went to Cleveland to see him play in 1969. (It was my 15th birthday.  In the best of British traditions, Cox lost.  I wouldn’t have had it any other way.)

Happy Birthday, Mark Cox.  I can’t believe you’re that old. (Oh, wait…looks in mirror…)

And fifty years ago today, on July 5, 1975, one of tennis’s most gracious and gentlemanly champions, Arthur Ashe, became the first (and so far only) Black man to win Wimbledon. He did so by beating that tiresome man-child and overwhelming favorite Jimmy Connors in a four-set extravaganza.  Four years later, and in the face of what seems to have been hereditary heart disease on both sides of his family, Ashe underwent a quadruple-bypass operation, followed by a second round of surgery a few months later.  Almost a decade after that, Ashe was diagnosed as HIV-positive, a state that was attributed to his numerous blood transfusions at the time of his second surgery.  (Ashe chose to go public with the information, rather than waiting for it to leak out via a prospective USA Today story.)

He died on February 6, 1993, at the age of just 49, from AIDS-related pneumonia.

His legacy is defined by his unique victories at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.  And also by the fact that his acquisition of HIV through blood transfusions led to educational foundations begun in his name, and much closer scrutiny of the nation’s blood supplies going forward.

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr., Rest in Peace.

And Wimbledon:  Whatever you do, do not screw with the strawberries and cream.  That is a bridge too far and a hill to die on. Please let Billie Jean know, and suggest that it might be time for her to zip it.

**The photo at the top of this post is of Fred Perry.  The last Englishman to win Wimbledon.  In 1936. Truly a legacy of which to be proud. (The last English woman to win the title was Virginia Wade, in 1977, 48 years ago.  Ditto.)

After all, as those of us who are British-born understand, it just wouldn’t do to show off, year after year.  So we don’t.

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Rose Lavelle’s triumphant return to the United States Women’s National Team continues when the Americans host the Republic of Ireland in an international friendly on Sunday, June 29 (6/29/2025) at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Fans can watch the match via a free trial to DirecTV or a subscription to Sling.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: Women’s international friendly

Who: USA vs. Republic of Ireland

When: Sunday, June 29, 2025

Start time: 3 p.m. ET

Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

TV: TNT, Universo (Spanish Language)

Live stream: DirecTV (free trial), Sling, Hulu + Live TV, Spanish language on fuboTV (free trial), Peacock

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Here’s a recent USA Women’s Soccer story, via The Associated Press:

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Rose Lavelle scored in her first national team match of the year after ankle surgery and the United States defeated Ireland 4-0 on Thursday night.

Avery Patterson, Sam Coffey and Alyssa Thompson also scored for the United States. Lavelle last played for the national team in December against the Netherlands.

Patterson, making her third start for the national team, scored on a header off a short corner from Lavelle in the 18th minute. It was her first international goal.

“It’s surreal. I think at halftime someone asked me what was going through my head, and I don’t think I fully came down and realized what had happened until two water breaks afterward,” Patterson laughed. “I need to watch it again because I kind of blacked out.”

Coffey added a goal before halftime, with a shot that cut across to the far post. It was her third national team goal and second in the last three games.

Lavelle made it 3-0 in the 53rd , scoring handily off a well-placed pass from Ally Sentnor. Thompson ran the ball from the center line, danced around a defender and finished with a blast from atop the box in the 63rd.

“I felt that pressure was coming so I took a touch around her, I’ve been in that situation a lot of times in this game, and I was like `I need to score this one,’” Thompson said. “So I did my usual move and then hit it to the far side.”

Coach Emma Hayes gave her Europe-based players — including Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox — time off after their seasons. The exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury.

Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, who plays for the Seattle Reign, and Lilly Reale, a defender for Gotham, started for the United States in their national team debuts. The youngest player on the squad, 18-year-old Jordyn Bugg, made her debut as a second-half substitute. Six of the 11 starters had less than 10 appearances with the national team.

Lavelle, with 111 appearances on the team, was one of the veterans in the lineup, along with defender Emily Sonnett.

The United States has faced Ireland 16 times and never dropped a match. The Irish have scored just one goal against the United States.

The United States plays Ireland again on Sunday in Cincinnati, Lavelle’s hometown. The team plays Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C.

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a subscription streaming service that lets you watch live TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks. Enjoy local and national live sports, breaking news, and must-see shows the moment they air. Included: unlimited cloud DVR storage space so you can record as many shows as you want and stream them from wherever you go. DTV starts at $34.99 per month after a 5-day free trial when you shop their customizable genre packs.

DALLAS, Texas — This is what athletes dream of taking part in: The Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche in a decisive Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs today. Puck drop for the first round marquee matchup is at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and ESPN+.

Several streaming services will broadcast the game live and you can watch on Fubo (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), ESPN+ (free trial) and Sling (promotional offers).

How did we get here?

Colorado had their backs to the wall and responded with a 7-4 win in Game 6. Six players scored, but it was Valeri Nichushkin who led all with two scores.

Dallas couldn’t close it out when it mattered, and enter Game 7 with an 8-9 all-time record in Game 7 matchups. Though, their most recent Game 7 occurrence was last season in the first round, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights.

Colorado on the other hand is 6-10 all-time in Game 7, having lost the last six Game 7 contests.

Whoever wins will play the winner of the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues series in the next round.

Here’s how you can watch:

What: Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche: Game 7 of first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs

When: Saturday, May 3, 2025

Time: 8 p.m. Eastern

Where: American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas

Channel: ABC/ESPN Plus

Best Streaming Options: Fubo (free trial), ESPN Plus (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (promotional offers)

Channel finder if you have cable: You can access the channel by using the channel finders online: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.

The Minnesota Wild host the Vegas Golden Knights in game 4 of the first round of the NHL Playoffs on Saturday, April 26 with a 2-1 lead in the series.

The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. EDT on TBS, TruTV or MAX. Fans looking to watch this NHL game can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial or with SlingTV, which doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available. Max has plans starting at just $9.99/month and includes movies, original series and more.

• WATCH THE GAME FOR FREE HERE

The teams meet on Saturday for the seventh time this season. The Wild won the previous matchup 5-2. Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals in the win.

Minnesota is 45-30-7 overall and 23-17-2 in home games. The Wild have gone 42-3-3 in games they score three or more goals.

Vegas has a 50-22-10 record overall and a 21-14-7 record on the road. The Golden Knights have gone 22-10-1 in games they have fewer penalties than their opponent.

Who: Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights

When: Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m. EDT

Where: Saint Paul, Minnesota

Stream:Sling; DirecTV Stream; MAX

Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.

What is DirecTV Stream?

DirecTV Stream is an internet TV service that offers your favorite entertainment, news and sports channels, as well as local TV stations and regional sports networks. DirecTV Stream can be purchased for $79.98/month for your first two months when you sign up for the ENTERTAINMENT package and add DIRECTV Sports Pack.

What is SlingTV?

Here’s what you can watch on Sling TV, with plans starting at $40: Baseball (MLB), Basketball (NBA, NCAAB), Combat Sports (Boxing, UFC, MMA), Football (NCAAF, NFL), Golf, Hockey, Motorsports, Olympics, Soccer, Tennis and Wrestling.

What is MAX?

MAX offers a wide variety of content from Warner Bros. Discovery, including movies, shows, documentaries, and live sports. Plans start at $9.99 a month.

The Associated Press contributed to this article