EA Sports College Football

Lore & Background

The series began in 1993 as Bill Walsh College Football, named after the Stanford head coach to parallel John Madden's endorsement of Madden NFL. It featured the top 24 college teams from 1992 and 24 all-time greatest teams. The series was renamed College Football USA 96, becoming the first version to include all Division I-A teams and real bowl games. EA acquired licensing rights to the NCAA name and rechristened the series NCAA Football 98. In July 2013, the NCAA announced it would not renew its licensing contract with EA due to an ongoing legal dispute regarding the use of player likenesses. The Collegiate Licensing Company extended its deal with EA through 2017, but three major conferences pulled their trademark licenses, and the series was placed on hiatus in September 2013. In February 2021, EA announced the series would return for next-gen platforms no earlier than summer 2023; an EA Sports executive later revealed a mid-2024 release due to the enormous undertaking of creating the game from scratch.

Reader's Guide

The EA Sports College Football series is significant as the primary college football video game franchise, serving as a counterpart to Madden NFL. It ran annually from 1993 to 2014, then went on hiatus due to legal disputes over player likenesses and the withdrawal of conference licenses. The series returned in 2024 after being rebuilt from scratch. Following the commercial success of the revival, EA Sports announced continued annualization. Industry reports in January 2026 showed a 20 percent increase in active users compared to the previous year. The series' history includes multiple name changes—from Bill Walsh College Football to College Football USA to NCAA Football—reflecting evolving licensing agreements. Key features introduced over time include 3D polygon-rendered players, create-a-player and create-a-school modes, licensed fight songs, and the Heisman Trophy award. The series also faced uncertainty due to lawsuits involving player likenesses, which contributed to its hiatus.

Did You Know?

• NCAA Football 99 was the first in the franchise to feature 3D polygon-rendered players.
• The revival released in mid-2024 was created from scratch, according to an EA Sports executive.