Wolverine Digest

EA Sports Got It Wrong With Michigan Football

The reigning National Champions are severely underrated in the upcoming EA College Football 2025 video game.

Chris Breiler

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Mason Graham (55) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Mason Graham (55) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It's unquestionably one of the most anticipated video game releases of all-time, and it's set to become available to the public in less than a month. After a hiatus of nearly a decade, EA Sports College Football 25 will be making its return on July 19, and millions of college football fans will certainly be making the purchase.

As fans continue to count down the days until its release, EA has spent several weeks revealing various details and critical information about the game itself - including ratings and rankings. Although Michigan football fans were overjoyed to see another Wolverine grace the cover (Donovan Edwards), the ratings surrounding the team have been borderline offensive.

Let's take a look at how EA Sports views the Wolverines in 2024:

Toughest Places to Play

It's wild to me that Michigan Stadium didn't crack the top 10 most difficult places to play in College Football 25. Not only is the Big House the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, the Wolverines also haven't lost a game in Ann Arbor since the COVID season back in 2020. It's unquestionably one of the most difficult places to play in all of college football, but obviously the folks at EA felt differently - placing Michigan Stadium at No. 16 overall.

  1. Kyle Field - Texas A&M
  2. Bryant-Denny Stadium - Alabama
  3. Tiger Stadium - LSU
  4. Ohio Stadium - Ohio State
  5. Sanford Stadium - Georgia
  6. Beaver Stadium - Penn State
  7. Camp Randall Stadium - Wisconsin
  8. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium - Oklahoma
  9. Doak S. Campbell Stadium - Florida State
  10. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Florida
  11. Autzen Stadium - Oregon
  12. Memorial Stadium - Clemson
  13. Neyland Stadium - Tennessee
  14. Jordan-Hare Stadium - Auburn
  15. Williams-Brice Stadium - South Carolina
  16. Michigan Stadium - Michigan
  17. Lane Stadium - Virginia Tech
  18. Rice-Eccles Stadium - Utah
  19. Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium - Texas
  20. Kinnick Stadium - Iowa
  21. Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame
  22. Spartan Stadium - Michigan State
  23. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium - Arkansas
  24. Albertsons Stadium - Boise State
  25. Davis Wade Stadium - Mississippi State

Top Offenses

Look, I get it. Michigan is not necessarily a football program that is known for fireworks offensively, and the ground-and-pound philosophy doesn't typically make for an explosive highlight reel. At the conclusion of the 2023 National Championship-winning season, the Michigan offense finished No. 67 nationally, averaging 382.7 yards per game. Explosive? Not necessarily. Effective? Absolutely. In fact, it was so effective that the Wolverines finished the 2023 season ranked No. 14 nationally in points per game, averaging 35.9 per contest.

Although Michigan returns just one starter from last year (TE Colston Loveland), there's still plenty of firepower offensively. Donovan Edwards, who's good enough to be on the cover, is back in the mix, along with guys like Alex Orji, Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, and a whole host of other weapons who could have a breakout season. It's hard to say exactly where EA places the Michigan offense heading into 2024, but it's definitely outside of the top 25.

Top Defenses

This is right up there with Michigan Stadium being ranked outside of the top 10. I'm not sure how you place the Michigan defense outside of the top five in college football, but that's exactly what EA Sports did, putting the Wolverine defensive unit at No. 7 overall.

Just as a reminder, the Michigan defense features two potential first-round draft picks in the middle with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. The EDGE position is locked down with veterans Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore, and the linebacker duo of Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham could be one of the best in the nation. The secondary features the top cornerback in the country with Will Johnson (a surefire first-round pick), along with veterans Rod Moore and Makari Paige.

Michigan is returning the best defensive unit in the country in 2024, and a ranking of No. 7 - behind teams like Notre Dame, Clemson, Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, and Ohio State - is egregious.

  1. Ohio State - 96 OVR
  2. Georgia - 94 OVR
  3. Oregon - 90 OVR
  4. Alabama - 90 OVR
  5. Clemson - 90 OVR
  6. Notre Dame - 90 OVR
  7. Michigan - 90 OVR
  8. Texas - 88 OVR
  9. Penn State - 88 OVR
  10. Utah - 88 OVR
  11. Florida State - 88 OVR
  12. Oklahoma - 88 OVR
  13. Iowa - 88 OVR
  14. Virginia Tech - 86 OVR
  15. Wisconsin - 86 OVR
  16. USC - 86 OVR
  17. Auburn - 86 OVR
  18. LSU - 84 OVR
  19. Texas A&M - 84 OVR
  20. Colorado - 84 OVR
  21. Oklahoma State - 84 OVR
  22. Louisville - 84 OVR
  23. North Carolina - 84 OVR
  24. Kansas State - 84 OVR
  25. Florida - 84 OVR

Power Rankings

Once again, EA Sports placed the Wolverines outside of the top 10 in another category - this time in the power rankings. That's right, the defending National Champions and winners of the last three Big Ten Championships are ranked outside of the top 10 in EA's power rankings. I get that Michigan lost a to of talent, but that's not unusual for championship-caliber teams at the collegiate level. Even with the loss of nearly 20 guys to the league, the Wolverines still return enough big-time players to warrant a top 10 ranking here.

  1. Georgia - 95 OVR
  2. Ohio State - 93 OVR
  3. Oregon - 93 OVR
  4. Alabama - 92 OVR
  5. Texas - 92 OVR
  6. Clemson - 90 OVR
  7. Notre Dame - 90 OVR
  8. LSU - 90 OVR
  9. Penn State - 88 OVR
  10. Utah - 88 OVR
  11. Michigan - 88 OVR
  12. Florida State - 88 OVR
  13. Miami - 88 OVR
  14. Texas A&M - 88 OVR
  15. Ole Miss - 88 OVR
  16. Colorado - 87 OVR
  17. Oklahoma - 87 OVR
  18. Wisconsin - 87 OVR
  19. USC - 87 OVR
  20. Virginia Tech - 87 OVR
  21. NC State - 87 OVR
  22. Kansas - 87 OVR
  23. Arizona - 87 OVR
  24. Oklahoma State - 87 OVR
  25. Iowa - 87 OVR
Published |Modified
Chris Breiler

CHRIS BREILER

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