Some Observations On EA Sports College Football 26 Release Day

Welcome back, college football!

Though the actual season doesn't begin in earnest until August 23, today is the day every college football fanatic has been anticipating for months now: the release of EA Sports College Football 26.

To quote Rudy's dad, "this is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen."

Some of the younger fans may not be aware, but before the series was discontinued more than a decade ago, the annual release of what was then called NCAA Football was something of a national holiday for college football freaks such as myself.

Now that we have a college football video game back on a yearly release schedule, we can't take it for granted.

I haven't played the game yet, but I have seen plenty of videos and takes being posted all over social media, so I thought I would share them with you to get everyone in the spirit of the holiday.

Virginia Tech's "Enter Sandman" Entrance Is GOATED

This one was leaked earlier in the summer, but I still had to share it because of how epic it was (and still is) to watch.

The Virginia Tech Hokies' tradition of entering Lane Stadium to the dulcet tones of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" is one of the best sights and sounds of college football.

Unfortunately, EA couldn't secure the rights to the song for their last game, so fans had to do without one of the best traditions in college sports.

Luckily for us, "Enter Sandman" is alive and well in College Football 26, and it is glorious.

I have watched that clip half a dozen times and I still get chills every time.

College football, man.

Jeremiyah Love Is A Cheat Code

From the early days of Tecmo Bowl (Bo Jackson), to Madden 2004 (Michael Vick), and even in last year's edition of College Football 25 (Quinshon Judkins), it seems like every football game has their "human cheat code," an unstoppable force that is quite simply better than everyone else on the field.

Based on (very) early returns, it looks like that player this year is none other than Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

In this clip, Love takes a simple hand off against an eight-man pressure straight to the house, featuring a couple of disgusting jukes and enough speed to pull away from a pair of defensive backs in pursuit.

It makes sense, since Love is rated 95 overall with 95 speed and 93 agility, so get ready to add Notre Dame to the list of banned teams when playing against your buddies this summer.

It's Not A "Perfect" Game…

Okay, they can't all be rock-solid tens, right?

It's day one of the game's release, so, of course, there will be some bugs.

Part of the charm and fun of these games is to see the hilarious glitches that get triggered from time to time.

That is, until these glitches happen to you, then you're perfectly within your rights to send your controller hurtling through your mounted TV.

I don't make the rules, I just write about them.

… But It Is Hyper-Realistic

Sometimes, when a team has a bad game or a bad year, their fans hop on their Xbox or Playstation to "blow off a little steam."

This would include things like replaying the game or season that didn't go their way and changing the outcome.

For Florida State fans, it looks like College Football 26 went for the "hyper realism" route.

That's quarterback Thomas Castellanos getting his bell rung and fumbling the ball on the first play from scrimmage.

The Seminoles went 2-10 last year, so it makes sense fans are being subjected to more of the same in the latest edition of the game.

Hang in there, Noles fans! There's always College Football 27.

Some People Will Never Be Satisfied

In today's day and age of internet cynicism, there is no such thing as universal consensus.

Someone of something beloved by almost everyone is still going to have their fair share of haters. It's just the nature of the beast with social media.

We are blessed to have a college football video game in our midst once again, but it seems some people just can't be pleased.

Remember what I said about not taking these times of prosperity for granted?

Looks like these guys missed the memo!

The Good Old Days May Not Return

Let's end things on a bit of a melancholy note, shall we?

Though I am psyched that we have College Football 26 to keep us occupied for the remainder of the offseason, I agree with Mike here that going to your local game store and buying a physical copy of the game is something of a lost art form.

I will never forget getting off for the day at my summer job as a camp counselor on the second Tuesday in July every year, picking my best friend up, and then speeding to our local GameStop to cop the newest release of NCAA Football.

I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them…

Have any cool stories from your first day with College Football 26? Email me at austin.perry@outkick.com and feel free to share them.