College Football 26: How to get the most out of TCU’s roster in new video game
EA Sports released College Football 26 earlier this month, giving college football fans a small taste of the action before the regular season begins in August.
CFB 26 is a follow up to the extremely popular College Football 25, which was EA’s first college football game since 2013. The company was forced to stop making the game due to a lack of compensation for the athletes, but new name, image and likeness legislation allowed for the game’s return.
TCU is one of the 136 teams in the game and despite being a Tier 3 team, the Horned Frogs can pack a serious punch when playing head-to-head online or even when creating a dynasty.
I’ve logged over 60 hours on the game and have a 15-1 record in online games with an 8-0 record with TCU. Here’s what you should know if you want to maximize playing with the Horned Frogs:
Online mode
CFB 26’s online mode is called ‘Road to the College Football Playoff’ and users play 12 games in a division with two goals in mind; reach the playoff and win the title for that division and also receive promotion to the next division where the competition will become more difficult.
In order to use TCU, the first thing you need to do when playing online is making sure to search for an opponent in the same tier as TCU. Common tier three opponents include South Carolina, Florida State and Auburn. Not selecting a tier to search could lead to a matchup with Alabama or LSU, two of the most overpowered teams on the game.
Once you find a matchup, you’ll need to make a few substitutions as the game’s default TCU depth chart is out of sorts online.
The first thing you want do is ensure sophomore running back Jeremy Payne is starting at 3DRB, third down running back, which will ensure Payne is on the field most of the game. Payne is one of the most dynamic running backs in the game with 94 speed and the gold shifty badge, arguably the most impactful ability on the game that allows Payne to move and cut through holes with ease.
Many TCU fans are hopeful its a sign of what’s to come during the season and Sonny Dykes also said Payne was the most productive running back last season. It seems EA Sports agrees with him.
When you’re not running the ball, quarterback Josh Hoover is a top notch quarterback with a 87 overall rating, putting him just outside the top-20. It still feels low for Hoover, who threw for nearly 4,000 yards last season, but an 87 rating still makes him one of the best players in the game.
He has the gold dot ability, which enhances his accuracy with a clean pocket and his feet set, while also having the silver on time ability. That gives a moderate accuracy boost when throwing the ball before the receivers make the cut. Hoover also has 92 throw power, which is more than enough arm strength to make most of the throws you need.
At receiver Eric McAlister is an 87, while Idaho transfer Jordan Dwyer is a 81. The substitution you want make at receiver is inserting Major Everhart in at slot for Joseph Manjack. While Manjack will likely have a bigger role in real life, in the game speed is everything, and Everhart has 96 speed compared to Manjack’s 87. Redshirt freshman Gekyle Baker is another intriguing player with 93 speed and the silver shifty badge.
TCU’s offensive line isn’t great with only Coltin Deery and Carson Bruno earning ratings above 80, but if you’re matched up with Tier 3 teams the offensive line can hold its own.
Defensively, the Horned Frogs are led by safety Bud Clark, who has a 92 overall rating and is one of the best safeties on the game. With purple ballhawk, silver house call and silver knockout Clark is a monster in coverage and can generate turnover worthy plays with the right schemes.
To maximize TCU’s defense make sure to sub Devean Deal in at the one the EDGE rusher positions. In the default rosters Deal is used as a SUBLB, meaning he’s dropping back into coverage instead of rushing the passer. Deal’s rating rises to an 86 when subbed at EDGE and he’s TCU best pass rusher.
After moving Deal make sure to slide Namdi Obiazor and Kaleb Elarms-Orr back to SUBLB. The two are both hard hitting linebackers with good, but not great speed on the game. If they’re not getting the job done freshman safety Micah Strickland and Cal transfer Ryan Yaites are two more good options.
Once you have the lineups set, it’s all about finding the right play style. The Horned Frogs don’t have an overpowered roster like Alabama or Ohio State, but there’s enough talent to be able to play how you want. You can feed Payne, throw the ball all over with Hoover or use the different looks on defense to force turnovers.
It’s not real football, but CFB 26 is an improvement on last year’s game and should hold fans over until TCU’s season opener at North Carolina on Sept. 1.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 9:14 AM.
