With news of the NCAA approving player compensation for likeness, hope lives again that a new NCAA Football game by EA is possible for the first time since 2013.
I’ll preface this article simply with this; college athletes, no matter the sport, deserve to be paid for their likeness. From the insane money that coaches such as Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban make, to tv deals, merchandise and advertising, there is more than enough money to adequately compensate athletes. There’s more to the argument but that’s for another article another time.
With the NCAA voting to approve student-athlete compensation, the biggest impact this has on fans, specifically football, lies with the future of EA’s NCAA Football series. The game was/is perhaps bigger than the Madden series even is for EA at this time. NCAA 14 was the last edition of the game which came out summer of 2013, but is still updated by loyal fans who create downloadable rosters for the game each year. Due to lawsuits over player likeness and lack of compensation, EA shut the game series down.
And 2013 to current day 2019, saw a lot of great football teams and players pass through the collegiate ranks, and yet many fans of the game were left wanting. As a fan, I myself never got play with some of the best teams in my favorite schools history. I know I am not the only person who feels that way.
But just who were the best teams in that six year span without NCAA Football that we missed?
Teams will be picked on a combination of how they finished in the playoff/poll in those seasons, as well as by individual players on those teams as well.