CFB26 Dropped Two Covers Today And One Of Them Stinks

It’s officially that time of year again, when EA Sports teases us for two straight months, hyping up how this year’s college football game is going to blow last year’s out of the water. And, of course, it never does. Let’s be real, it ends up being the same recycled piece of shit with a new paint job.

Now, I’m not saying CFB25 was terrible, it wasn’t. It just wasn’t great either. It had its moments. It was fun for a solid two, maybe three weeks. But once the initial excitement wore off, the nostalgic feeling of having a college football game for the first time since 2014, the hype quickly died out. I’d still rank CFB25 above Madden, but let’s not pretend that’s some huge accomplishment. That’s like saying you’re smarter than me, congrats?

As much as I can sit here and rip the game apart, I already know I’m going to buy CFB26. And no, I’m not ashamed. It’s like going back to a hot ex—you know it’s not good for you, you know how it’s going to end, but you still end up right back there. Every damn time.

I’d love to see some actual gameplay improvements this year, fewer glitchy, spammy plays that completely ruin the experience, but honestly, that’s not even why I’m writing this. Let’s talk about the cover.

So CFB26 just dropped its standard edition cover featuring Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith. In my opinion, these two are easily the most electric players in college football right now. Absolute dogs. Must watch TV every Saturday. I’ve got no complaints there, both of them earned their spot, and the cover itself? Clean. Simple. It works.

But then they went and dropped the deluxe edition cover... and it’s just too much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hyped to see my Gator boys DJ Lagway and Tim Tebow on there. I’ll always support my Florida Boys. But if I’m being objective, this thing is a mess. Too many faces, too much noise. I miss the days when the deluxe cover was literally the same thing as the standard, just with a little “Deluxe Edition” banner slapped on the top. No need to get cute with it.

Now we’ve got AI-generated fans, cheerleaders, probably someone’s cousin, and—seriously? A fucking referee on the cover? Who the hell asked for that? A referee?! Come on, man.

Anyway, as much as we’ll all probably end up disappointed again, I’ll be patiently waiting to donate another $80 to EA Sports like the loyal fool I am.