Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The return of a beloved video game has the college football world in a stir.
For the first time since 2013, fans can soon play as their favorite team when EA Sports releases NCAA 25 on July 19 (who doesn't want football back already, even if just in video game form?).
As such, the video game platform has slowly released various details of the game play and how various teams will be viewed in terms of others recently as it prepares for the game to officially drop.
Utah football has taken a top spot in the game's return with the latest release of its offensive and defensive power rankings. On Thursday, EA Sports ranked the Utes No. 11 on offense, with a rating of 87 overall, and No. 10 on defense, with a rating of 88 overall.
That ranks Utah at or near the top of its new conference in both categories.
Other teams ranked from the Big 12 include Colorado (8th offense, 20th defense), Kansas (14th offense), Arizona (15th offense), UCF (21st offense), Oklahoma State (21st defense), Kansas State (24th defense)
Georgia received the highest rating on offense with a 94 overall rating, followed by Oregon (94), Alabama (91), Texas (91), and Ohio State (89). Ohio State received the highest rating on defense with a 96 overall rating, followed by Georgia (94), Oregon (90), Alabama (90), and Clemson (90).
Though the ratings give fans something to debate about (or celebrate) in the middle of summer, some ratings have been called into question based on actual results on the field from last season (and projections for the 2024 season).
Colorado, for example, was ranked the eighth best offense coming off a year in which the team ranked dead last in rushing yards and finished No. 82 in total offense. And don't look at last season's stats when considering the defense — the team finished No. 130 out of 133 teams in total defense — because a No. 20 ranking for the upcoming season is a bit too generous.
But with the transfer portal churning in Boulder, the expectation is the Buffs under Deion Sanders will be significantly improved — something EA Sports has supposedly bought into.
Bring Glory Home.
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On the defensive side, Iowa was not ranked inside the top 10, which is beyond understanding given that the Hawkeyes have consistently been one of the best defenses in the country year in and year out. Last season, Iowa ranked No. 4 in scoring defense and No. 7 in total defense (a common landing spot for the Hawkeyes).
Utah, too, is a projection based on what the team returns on paper for the 2024 season. Any consideration of the 2024 offense, in particular, does not likely take into account last season's lackluster production with its inconsistency at the quarterback position as starter Cam Rising recovered from a knee injury sustained in the Rose Bowl.
The ratings come days after the video game maker ranked Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium as the 18th toughest place to play in the country — a ranking that some national pundits believe is too low given Utah's record and generally raucous atmosphere at home.
On Friday, EA Sports will release its final ratings, overall team power rankings, before the game's release in July. NCAA 25 can be played on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.
