What school should you pick in dynasty mode for EA Sports College Football 25?

Anticipation for EA Sports College Football 25 is sky-high after the debut of the official trailer on May 17. Having to endure an 11-year hiatus, college football fans will finally have their beloved football franchise back and this time it will have actual, current players in the game for the very first time.

For most OG players of the old NCAA Football games, dynasty mode was the centerpiece of the entire experience. The concept was simple: take over as the new head coach of a program, pour hours into building up the roster through recruiting, and see their hard work pay off as their program becomes a juggernaut that would put Nick Saban’s Alabama to shame. So it comes as no surprise that dynasty mode is back for the new game, with new features such as the transfer portal.

So that begs the all-important question… which school should you choose?

All 134 FBS schools will be featured in College Football 25, leaving you with plenty of options depending on the path that you want to take. Some of you will automatically defer to your alma mater/favorite school in an effort to lead them to glory. Some of you will take a lowly Group of Five program like Akron and attempt to build them up into a College Football Playoff powerhouse. But for those undecided at the moment, here are a few ideas.

I’ve picked out four schools for you to consider for your dynasty, each with unique situations heading into the 2024 season. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Louisiana Monroe

Location: Monroe, Louisiana
Conference: Sun Belt
Stadium: Malone Stadium (30,427)
Conference championships in FBS: 1
Major bowls/playoff appearances in FBS: 0
Recruiting average since 2014: 119.4

Louisiana Monroe SP+ History

Collegefootballdata.com

Louisiana Monroe has historically been pointed to as an ideal fixer-upper program to use in dynasty mode and with good reason. The Warhawks have consistently been in the dregs of FBS since making the jump up to the subdivision in 1994, posting just one winning season in 30 years. One of the central things that has hindered them over the years is the lack of money and resources being invested in the program.

According to Sportico data, ULM’s total operating expenses for athletics were just over $21 million for the 2022-23 academic year, the lowest total among all public universities in FBS. For comparison’s sake, in-state juggernaut LSU spent just over $51 million that year on football alone. The Warhawks also lagged behind fellow in-state peers in Louisiana and Louisiana Tech.

So it’s not a surprise that #Funroe has struggled to put together just merely average teams over the years. Since the release of the last NCAA video game in 2013, the Warhawks have not come close to being a Sun Belt contender and have consistently been leapfrogged by newcomers like Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison. The team has finished near the bottom of FBS recruiting rankings on a yearly basis for the last decade as Todd Berry, Matt Viator, and Terry Bowden’s head coaching tenures all flamed out. The team stumbled to a 2-10 campaign where it went winless in Sun Belt play last season, resulting in Bowden’s firing and the hiring of former UAB interim head coach Bryant Vincent.

Why you should choose Louisiana Monroe

If you’re looking to turn around a program that is at the absolute rock bottom of FBS, then Louisiana Monroe is your school. As mentioned before, ULM has always been a good choice for dynasty mode if you want the personal satisfaction of lifting a team up from the dustbin of college football. Being located in northeast Louisiana, you are already in pretty good recruiting territory and can start building a good roster by simply honing in on kids from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. With increasing success, you can work your way up to the point where you’re battling LSU for the most prized recruits in the state. But that will take some time and several hours grinding away.

As far as your initial roster is concerned, there has been tons of turnover this offseason with Bowden’s firing and Vincent’s arrival. Quarterback Hunter Herring is a returning quarterback who could start, but he’ll have some competition with the arrivals of former Liberty QB Reese Mooney and former Oklahoma QB General Booty. That’s right, General Booty could be the gunslinger that kickstarts your Warhawk dynasty. You could also simply feed running back Hunter Smith, who led the team in rushing last season.

Kennesaw State

Location: Kennesaw, Georgia
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Fifth Third Stadium (10,200)
Conference championships in FBS: 0
Major bowls/playoff appearances in FBS: 0
Recruiting average since 2014: 161.9

All 134 FBS schools are in the game and that includes the newest one. Hooty Hoo, Kennesaw State is making the transition up FBS this season and will join a recently reconfigured Conference USA in the process.

Kennesaw’s mere existence as a football program is short, fielding its first team in 2015. It did not take long for the program to find success under head coach Brian Bohannon as within three seasons, the Owls established itself as one of the best teams in all of FCS. They put themselves on the map in 2017 and 2018, winning back-to-back Big South titles and making the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs in both years. You probably first heard about them with the popularity of their Turnover Plank during the 2017 season, seen in the above video. The team made a few more playoff appearances afterward before taking a few steps back as it prepared for its transition up a level.

Why you should choose Kennesaw State

There are two primary reasons why I have Kennesaw State earmarked as a school to fire up within College Football 25:

First, KSU is a blank canvas. It literally has no history at the FBS level and that gives you an opportunity to literally build a juggernaut from scratch. Located just north of Atlanta, you are right in the middle of one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the country and can put together talented rosters quickly.

Second, Kennesaw State runs the flexbone as a result of Brian Bohannon being a Paul Johnson disciple. Triple-option offenses were built for EA Sports College Football players to master and Kennesaw State could join the service academies among the teams that are the most frustrating to play against. In recent years, the NCAA banning cut blocks outside the tackle box has forced option-coaches to adjust and Bohannon began implementing pistol concepts last spring. But this a video game. We don’t have to worry about no stinkin’ cut block rules. Run the OG triple, do it from the pistol, whatever. Just have fun and cook with the Owls.

Texas State

Location: San Marcos, Texas
Conference: Sun Belt
Stadium: Bobcat Stadium (30,000)
Conference championships in FBS: 0
Major bowls/playoff appearances in FBS: 0
Recruiting average since 2014: 113

Texas State SP+ History

Collegefootballdata.com

Texas State joined FBS just in time for the final NCAA Football game to be released in 2013 and its run in the subdivision has been fraught. The artist formerly known as Southwest Texas State has been a Sun Belt cellar dweller for most of the last decade, going on an eight-year run where it failed to win more than four games in a single season. One would think a team located in the heart of a college football-crazy state like Texas would be more successful, but that has not been the case with the Bobcats.

The program cratered during the head coaching tenures of Everett Withers and Jake Spavital, as the two combined for just 20 wins over a seven-year stretch. Spavital in particular prioritized the transfer portal over traditional high school recruiting during his run, a decision that backfired spectacularly and alienated Texas high school football coaches in the process.

But take a look at the SP+ rankings above. Do you see that sharp upward spike at the end? That’s the immediate impact current head coach G.J. Kinne had in his first season last year. The head coach came over from Incarnate Word where in 2022, he devised a fast-tempo offense that led the FCS with a staggering 51.5 points and 581.2 yards per game. The results at Texas State were immediate as he opened the 2023 season by upsetting Baylor, a victory that kickstarted an 8-5 campaign where he’d lead the program to their very first bowl game. Suddenly, a struggling program that was producing similar results as the aforementioned ULM has life.

Why you should choose Texas State

In a way, G.J. Kinne’s first year at Texas State in 2023 replicated exactly how things would go if a user took over the program in the video game. A fun offense that led to instant improvement? Check. Statement win over in-state Power Five opponent? Check. Increasing momentum bearing out with improved recruiting and facilities upgrades? Check.

Choosing Texas State for dynasty this year would be choosing a program on an upward trajectory, boasting the potential to shoot right to the top of the Group of Five and beyond. Kinne’s offense was built to light up the scoreboards in College Football 25 and the amount Texas skill position players at your disposal will be a nightmare for opponents.

Specifically, the three-headed monster of quarterback Jordan McCloud, running back Ismail Mahdi, and wide receiver Joey Hobert should be extremely fun to play with. McCloud in particular is a veteran transfer from James Madison, who won Sun Belt Player of the Year by passing 3,657 yards and 43 total touchdowns in 2023. Letting him cook in the video game could be a preview of what he does for the Bobcats in real life.

Cal

Location: Berkeley, California
Conference: ACC (I know, it’s weird)
Stadium: California Memorial Stadium (63,000)
Conference championships in FBS: 14 (2006 most recent)
Major bowls/playoff appearances in FBS: 8 (1958 most recent)
Recruiting average since 2014: 48.6

Cal SP+ History

Ok, so I had to choose at least one power conference team for this and I wanted to hone in a program that has underachieved in the modern era of college football. A program that finds itself in a very bizarre situation heading into the 2024 season.

Dynasty mode user reading this, get ready to learn California Golden Bears buddy.

The majority of Cal’s success as a program takes place in an ancient era of college football, with its last appearance in a major bowl game being the 1959 Rose Bowl. YouTube creator Empire recently did a comprehensive look at both Cal and Stanford’s histories that I highly recommend. Mediocrity has defined Cal football since as it has produced just two 10-win seasons since 1991. To no surprise, middling results have continued to be the norm since the release of the last NCAA Football video game as the failed Sonny Dykes head coaching tenure gave way to a long Justin Wilcox tenure that has yet to yield a breakthrough season.

And yet, things are about to get even weirder for Cal with it joining the ACC this season. That’s right, a school that is a short drive away from the Pacific Ocean is about to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. All because incompetency doomed the Pac-12 to an untimely death. At least Stanford is coming with them. Between having to now play conference games in Pittsburgh and facing massive debt due to the renovations of Memorial Stadium from a decade ago, there are not many “power” programs with a bleaker outlook on the future than Cal.

Why you should choose Cal

Do you know what will save Cal football? It’s you picking up that controller and bucking over a half-century of mediocrity by leading the Golden Bears to glory. It would be a fascinating and unique challenge to build up a program that’s literally on the opposite side of the country from its conference peers. Of course, you could just customize the conferences from the outset and put the Pac-12 back together, but wouldn’t it be fun to see Cal inexplicably run over Florida State or Clemson in the ACC title game? Perhaps its success in this simulated universe is what saves the ACC!

Choosing Cal would mean you would get to use one of the best running backs in the entire nation in Jaydn Ott. He earned the distinction of being the Pac-12’s final rushing champion in 2023, leading the league with 1,302 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns. Boot up the game, feed him the ball, and watch him win the Heisman Trophy.