NCAA 2007 Preview: Is NCAA 2007 Better Than Madden?
If you have been a fan of the NCAA football franchise then you would remember that in the early ’90s this game was called Bill Walsh, named after the legendary 49er and Stanford football coach. Now in 2006 there are some gamers who play both NCAA and Madden. EA sports allows you to save your players that are seniors or early entries into the NFL draft from the NCAAA game and export them to the Madden game.
Many people enjoy the realism of at least being able to play five Madden franchise seasons with the real players from NCAA instead of opting for the computer generated generic names that is also an option. NCAA plays different than Madden. The stadiums are much more lively. It brings a chill to my body when I play a game at the Swamp. The USC Trojan fight song gets my adrenaline going.
My palms get sweaty when I’m holding the controller in a Michigan vs. Ohio State game. When you play a rivalry game throw the records out of the window your opponent will give you your toughest game of the season. The most important thing is to recruit players that fit your program. The recruiting process begins during the season coaches all over the country are looking for early commitments. At the end of the season you can see where you rank nationally in recruiting.
Game Play
This year the game controls are a little different from previous versions of this game. For example, last season when scrambling with the QB you would have to bring the passing icons back up before you threw the ball. In this years version the passing icons stay up making your QB a true dual threat to run or pass when rolling out of the pocket. When you get that chance to break away in the open field it just wouldn’t be right unless you celebrated your big play!
Hold the L2 button and move the right analog stick in different directions for various celebrations. On defense intimidate your opponent by utilizing the hit stick for punishing tackles. You can also get the jump on your opponent by anticipating the snap count and jumping the snap by pressing the x button. This allows your defensive lineman top blow up plays in the offensive backfield. Don’t forget a third of the game is Special teams.
Players now have the ability to abort field goals, punts and extra points by having the option to run or pass with the holder or kicker. Onside kicks have become more exciting by having the option to place a cursor on different parts of the football before you kick it that will allow you to get different bounces of the ball.
Simulated Franchise Results Year 1
The beauty about NCAA football is every team has a shot at a BCS game as long as they run the table. It is possible for different teams to compete for the top tier bowls. Dynasties do not come along that often and when they do its hard to sustain a high level of excellence for more than two to three years.
The National Championship game featured a 12-0 Iowa team against 12-1 Auburn. In the Fiesta Bowl it was apparent that it didn’t take Coach Hawkins a long time to turn around the Colorado program as he brought his 12-1 Buffaloes to Arizona to play the 10-2 Hurricanes. The Sugar Bowl featured 12-1 Florida against 10-2 Louisville.
The Rose Bowl featured the traditional Big Ten vs. Pac Ten match-up as 11-1 Penn State battled 11-1 USC. What would the BCS be without controversy? Rich Rodriguez and his West Virginia Mountaineers cried foul because they were left out of the National Championship game after finishing the season 12-0. Coach Rodriguez couldn’t believe that a one loss Auburn team was more deserving than West Virginia.
The experts from coast to coast pointed to West Virginia’s schedule as the reason why the got passed up to compete for the Sears trophy. 12-0 West Virginia was forced to play 12-1 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. West Virginia QB# 5 was voted the best QB in the nation after passing for 1,670 yards, rushing for 1,167 yards and finishing with 36 TD’s. The best WR award went to Notre Dame WR #83. #83 caught 97 passes for 1,243 yards and finished with 15 TD’s.
BCS RESULTS YEAR 1
Auburn 34 Iowa 28
Miami 23 Colorado 21
Florida 21 Louisville 16
Va Tech 38 West Virginia 14
USC 36 Penn State 24
Simulated Franchise Results Year 2
The one thing that fans enjoy most about video games is the realism and in this department EA Sports does not disappoint. One of the best things you can do in NCAAA Football 2007 is take a Mid Major school and build them up to the point where they can participate in a BCS Bowl game. When you play with a Mid Major it is important that the BCS selection process is accurate.
According to the revamped BCS rules a Mid Major team that finishes in the top 16 will get an automatic over a higher ranked team from a Major conference if that team did not win its conference and is ranked lower than fourth in the final BCS standings. In Year 2 of my franchise this rule was put to the test. In the Big Ten conference 10-2 Iowa qualified for the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten champion. 9-3 Ohio State qualified for the Sugar Bowl with an at large berth.
Number 10 Penn State did not qualify for a BCS birth because Utah was ranked #13 (top sixteen finish) and was the highest ranked Mid Major team in the country. Utah went on to play in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma.
BCS RESULTS YEAR 2
USC 59 TEXAS 31
OKLAHOMA45 UTAH 0
LSU 29 OHIO STATE 33
VA TECH 34 WEST VIRGINIA 41
IOWA 36 MIAMI 22
Heisman Trophy
USC QB # 10 3,401 passing yards and 38TD’s
Best WR #85 Miami 85 catches 931 yards and 14 TD’s
Thorpe Award #30 LSU 35 Tackles 11 INTS
Maxwell #34 Va Tech 2,017 yards and 22TD’s
