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NCAA Football 2005 (PS2) Strategy Guide v0.08
By "Psycho Penguin" Steve McFadden
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
| STAT TRACKER          |
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
| Start Date: 7/15/04   |
| Last Update: 05/17/04 |
| Finish Date: 12/14/04 |
| # of Updates: 8       |
| Current Size: 205.1K  |
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|                             TABLE OF CONTENTS                              |
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1.0      INTRODUCTION
2.0      GAME BASICS
2.1  Playing Offense
2.2  Playing Defense
2.3  Increased Game Challenge
2.4  Home Field Advantage
3.0      GAME MODES
3.1  Exhibition
3.2  Dynasty
3.3  Create A School
3.4  Rivalry Games
3.4  College Classics
4.0      ONLINE GUIDE
4.1  Rankings
4.2  Cheesers
4.3  Quitters
4.4  How To Have Fun Online
4.5  Tournaments
4.6  Online Modes
4.7  Online FAQ
5.0      TEAM BY TEAM RUNDOWN
5.1  Division 1A
5.2  Division 1AA
5.3  Classic Teams
6.0      CAMPUS CHALLENGE
6.1  How to Play
6.2  Scoring
6.3  Pennants
7.0      FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
8.0      OTHER INFORMATION
8.1  Credits
8.2  Other Guides
8.3  Author Information
9.0      CONCLUSION
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| 1.0 |                            INTRODUCTION                              |
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Here I have returned, with another college football guide. This time, it's for
NCAA Football 2005. "But, Steve!", you may say. "You originally planned to do
a NCAA Football 2004 guide! Now you've done guides for 2 NCAA games, but still
no NCAA 2004 guide!" Well, that is because NCAA 2004 will take a long time,
and I need side projects to keep me busy. Plus, it gives me more experience.
Well, I slacked off and didn't get NCAA 2004 done in time. I will eventually
have it done, but for now, enjoy my attempt at the latest game in the series,
and in my opinion, the best one yet!
Finally, I consider myself to be somewhat of a college football expert. While
I am not the greatest player of all time, I know how to read defenses, play
defense, run the option, play special teams, etc. I know the weaknesses and
strengths of  every team, as I spend hours of my own free time researching
each team. I am quite proficient at NCAA games in general, so writing for one
is a logical pick.
I hope you enjoy this second attempt at a NCAA Football guide, and yes, I did
take some stuff from my NCAA 2000 guide and incorporate it into this guide.
The reason for that is simple. The two games are a lot alike, and therefore I
don't need to rewrite large sections that can save me time by just cutting and
pasting. Hope you understand and that it's not too much of a problem. Enjoy
the guide.
- Psycho Penguin
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| 2.0 |                          GAME BASICS                                 |
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Here is just a section for me to ramble about the various things you can do in
NCAA 2005. Mainly, I will discuss how to control the different types of
defenses and offenses you can run in the game, as well as an in-depth look at
audibles. You can find the controls in the manual or in the game itself, so I
won't bother including those. This is simply an in-depth breakdown of stuff
the game provides help on, but only to a certain extent.
---------------------
| 2.1 | OFFENSE     |
---------------------
The key to football may be defense, but if you don't have an offense, then you
really won't get anywhere. Offense will help you score points, and you have to
take advantage of the situations you are presented. The main tip I can offer
for you when it comes to offense is VARIETY, VARIETY, VARIETY. Don't do the
same thing over and over. The computer is a quick learner and will soon start
stopping everything you do.
But, if you use variety, you'll keep your opponent on their heels. Like,
running down the middle, then an option, then a toss, then a short pass, then
another option, then a run down the middle, then a short pass, then a long
pass. How is the defense supposed to react to all these different plays? As
long as you keep varied, the defense will have a tough time stopping you.
That doesn't mean you can't find your favorite plays and master using them. I
don't know every play with every team, as I usually stick with about 13 to 15
per team. Like Mick Foley once said, "It's not how many moves you know, it's
how you use the ones you do know." As long as you know a variety of plays, and
use them consistently, then you won't have to really delve into the playbook
for a new play.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Let's look over each formation real quick, and what the advantages and
disadvantages to each are. If you want to run, make sure to use a formation
with a lot of offensive linemen and tight ends. Wishbone and I-Form work best.
Also, the shotgun offense is good for options and draw plays, but it is mainly
used for passing situations. Using the formations wisely is the key to a
successful offense. Also, again, make sure to run different plays out of each
formation. Don't run in I-Form all the time, or your opponent will catch on.
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| OPTION PLAYS       |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Perhaps the most important offensive play in college football is the option
play. The quarterback takes the ball and sprints to either side of the field,
with a running back (or full back) behind him. You then have the option to
pitch it to the running back, or hold onto it with the quarterback. Learning
the option is very important, as it is a very risky move.
Why is the option so risky? Fumbles are a frequent problem. The quarterback
has to make a snap decision whether he wants to hold onto the ball or not. If
he pitches it, and there's a defender in between the quarterback and the
running back, it will fall to the ground, and then it's anyone's ball. That's
why you have to make sure it's safe to pitch before doing so.
Also, pitching it DOES NOT mean you will automatically get more yards than
holding onto it. A corner could be blitzing, and therefore be right on the
running back. If you pitch it back 3 yards, the cornerback will be right there
to tackle the running back. You would have had 3 more yards if you held onto
the ball with the quarterback. So, make sure to learn when to pitch and when
not to.
Despite the risks, the option play is easiest the most important and valued
play in all of college football, and one I use all the time. I strongly urge
you to practice it a lot to get the hang of the play, as you will soon see the
many advantages it brings to the table.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Playing offense in NCAA Football 2005 is really challenging at first, due to
the fact there's so many different types of offenses out there. You basically
need to find an offense that best suits your playing style. Teams like Air
Force and Nebraska use a power-based, option attack, which features lots of
runs and option plays, but little passing. Meanwhile, a team like Florida has
this spread, fun and gun type offense where passing is the name of the game.
The key is to find a team you like and learn how to use them. West coast
offenses were the big thing in this game, so let me break down how to run the
west coast offense for you real quickly. It may seem somewhat confusing at
first, but once you get the hang of it, you will see why so many coaches
decided to implement it into their systems.
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| WEST COAST OFFENSE |
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I recommend using the west coast offense only if you are a very patient person
that won't mind the fact that every play doesn't have to go for 70 yards. It's
also a risky offense to use, because if you fall behind, it suddenly becomes a
whole lot less effective. It is best used for ball control. If your team has
struggles with turnovers and time of possession, the west coast offense is
definitely the best way to go.
The west coast offense was the big offense introduced to most of college
football around the time NCAA 2003 came out. This is why you will see the game
mention it a lot in those friendly blue boxes that seem to pop up at the
beginning of every game. This offense is based on two things: short passes,
and short runs. Let me explain how to do each one now.
Passing is simple. The key is to avoid blitzes and get off short passes a lot
of the time. Ball control is the name of the game with the west coast offense.
Find passes that rely on quick slants or curls, and get them to your
receivers. 3 or 4 yard pickups is really the best you can ask for with this
type of offense. Why would teams do that? Two reasons. 1, it gives you a time
of possession advantage. Two, it really leads to a decrease of turnovers.
There's also one more reason why the west coast offense works: each time you
do these short passes, the defense starts to creep up a little. That's when
you hit them with a long pass play for a big gain. They'll start to go in
Cover 2, leaving the corners in 1-on-1 situations with your receivers, and
that's a battle you can normally win if your receivers are any good.
Running is just the way you would normally do it. Run the ball a lot, and run
it effectively. Sweeps, Isos, Options, you really have to mix it up with this
style of offense to see the desired effects. Don't expect to get a lot of big
gains, but expect to have a nice, solid ball control offense that moves the
ball downfield.
Advantages: Ball control offense gives you time of possession, big plays
happen more frequently because defense will defend the short field, turnover
rate goes down because of the short and safe passing game.
Disadvantages: It doesn't work if you're behind in the 4th quarter. You really
need to have the lead for this type of offense to work. Also, you have to be
really patient, and your running game won't be too much of a factor.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| WISHBONE OFFENSE   |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
The wishbone offense is a little tricky to explain at first, and its strengths
are simple but effective. This offense is best used only if you want to run
the ball a lot, because you will get no receivers. You only get two tight ends
and fullbacks spread out to the left and the right of the quarterback, and a
running back behind them in the middle. It ends up looking something like
this:
TE OL OL OL OL OL TE
QB
FB         FB
RB
It's a very cool looking offense, and it gives you a lot of run protection,
because the defense doesn't know what side you are going to run on. Also, you
get a lot of cool looking plays to run, like HB Direct, Triple Option, Weak
Pitch, and more. It is almost impossible for the defense to predict what you
will do next when you line up in this formation, and that is a big time
strength.
The big problem, however, is your only pass catching threats are in the tight
end and running back positions. You don't get a single wide receiver, so the
defense will stay at home and let anything go past the line of scrimmage. Big
time runs are hard to come by with this offense simply because the safeties
will NEVER play deep on a wishbone offense. Even if you throw the ball, it's
going on a screen or to the tight end, and safeties don't worry about that too
much.
For teams that like to run the ball a lot (Air Force and Nebraska spring to
mind), this is the logical offense for you to run. They don't have very good
receivers to begin with, so staying in this formation for much of the game and
spreading the ball out to different areas of the field will keep the defense
in a constant guessing game as they have to figure out what run is coming
next.
Advantages: Gives tons of run protection, thanks to the two tight ends and two
fullbacks, and will always keep the defense on its heels because of the
variety of plays that can be run in any direction.
Disadvantages: Safeties won't go deep and will stay at home, usually
preventing a big play. No receivers means the passing game is very limited. If
the defense stops you on 1st or 2nd down, you'll be in trouble.
---------------------
| 2.2 | DEFENSE     |
---------------------
In my opinion, playing defense is a lot harder than playing offense. The
reason I say this is because with offense, you know ahead of time what you
have to do. On defense, you have to guess what your opponent is going to do,
and then react to it. It's a little tougher, but fortunately it only takes a
little bit of practice before it becomes easier to handle.
The key to defenses is to mix your packages up. Know exactly what you're
doing, and recognize the strengths and weaknesses to each coverage. I will
soon give you a rundown of all the different kinds of things you can do to mix
up your defense in an attempt to confuse the offense. Shifting linebackers,
calling audibles, and moving the coverage team back and forth are ways to
confuse the opponent further.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| USER CONTROL       |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
First things first, who should you control on defense? If you suck at pass
defense (like I do), let the computer take care of it, and then switch to the
person nearest the receiver when the ball is in the air. I almost always
control a defensive lineman, unless I KNOW the run is coming, then I move my
defensive line in, spread my linebackers out, and then control a linebacker,
to react to whatever side the runner goes (he probably won't go down the
middle when he sees my defensive line closed in).
There are, of course, some disadvantages to doing this. By controlling a
defensive lineman, you don't get to see down the field as much as you may with
controlling a free safety or linebacker. The computer AI is not that smart and
will often leave receivers open, without your intention. Therefore, if you
feel safe with your pass coverage, and feel you can make more plays by
controlling a free safety or cornerback, then by all means, go for it.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| FORMATIONS         |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Here I am going to give you a rundown on every formation available in the
game, and what the strengths and weaknesses to each one of them are. Choosing
the right formation is critical to your success, and knowing what formation to
use in each situation will prove to be very helpful.
4-4: This formation puts 8 guys in the box, meaning it is used solely to stop
the run and short passes. Long passes in shotgun sets will burn this defense
every time, so only go on this formation if you expect the run coming. Short
passes in Cover 3 are useless as well, so if you expect a screen, use 4-4 as
well. Blitzes also are effective from this formation.
5-2: This is sort of like nickel defense, but it gives you one more defensive
lineman, and one less secondary defender. This is a good defense if you want
to rush the quarterback, because you get 5 defensive linemen to match their 5
offensive linemen (this is the only formation where you get 5 defensive
linemen.) Linebackers are good for pass coverage, as well. This is a very
underrated defense that comes in handy in key running and short yardage
situations.
4-3: This is one of the "base" defenses in the game, along with 3-4. This
formation allows you to get a little bit of pressure on the quarterback, while
still having linebackers to help out in the middle of the field. I only use
this defense on a few plays each game, because 3-4 is a little bit better for
me. 4-3 works better against the run than 3-4, and 3-4 works better against
the pass than 4-3 does.
3-4: The main "base" defense of the game, it is one I recommend you use for a
good portion of the game, as its only main weakness is runs down the middle,
but if you blitz the linebackers to the middle of the field, that won't be as
effective either. It's also good for Zone defenses, and if you expect a pass
on 3rd and 6 or more, 3-4 is sometimes the best way to go, surprisingly
enough.
Nickel: The nickel defense is like the 5-2 in a way, but instead of getting an
extra defensive lineman, you get an extra cover guy instead. This makes the
nickel defense one of the prime choices for pass coverage (I actually prefer
it to dime defense due to the extra linebacker you get in nickel coverage, who
I usually end up controlling.), as it not only stops the pass well, it's also
somewhat effective against the run.
Dime: Surprisingly, I don't see much use with the dime defense in this game.
Even on 3rd and Long, I tend to stick with the Nickel defense. The only time I
use Dime, I usually end up doing a Corner or Safety Blitz, just to try to
confuse my opponent. Otherwise, I almost never use this defense, due to the
weak run defense, and the fact that passes seem to be completed a lot on this
defense even with the 6 defensive backs on the field.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| BLITZES            |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
In order to have a successful defense, you are going to have to blitz
sometimes. There are really two types of blitzes: run blitzes and pass
blitzes, but since the game doesn't really differentiate between the two, I
won't waste your time rambling about that crap. Instead, I will focus on the
kinds of blitzes you can do, why blitzing works, why it doesn't work, when to
blitz, and when not to blitz.
First of all, a blitz is simply a defensive play where a person that's not a
defensive lineman rushes the quarterback. This can be a linebacker, safety, or
corner. You can also find blitzes where multiple people blitz, as you can get
a linebacker/safety or safety/corner blitz going. These prove to be very
effective at times, for a couple of reasons.
Let's say you don't blitz for a while. The quarterback is starting to become
pretty comfortable throwing the ball and finding a wide open receiver. What do
you do? Blitz both corners. He goes back to pass.. and BOOM! He gets sacked.
Because he didn't see the blitz coming. It's always good to surprise your
opponent with a well-timed blitz, and they usually prove to be pretty
effective.
Now, there are downsides to blitzes of course. If the quarterback sees the
blitz coming, he will almost always be able to complete a pass to a wide open
guy. Since someone is blitzing, that means a person he is supposed to be
covering is usually left wide open in the field of play. If the quarterback
sees him and gets the pass off in time, it will almost always end up with a
nice little completion.
There is good news, though. Sometimes, he will throw on one foot, or throw on
the run, and miss the targeted receiver completely. But other times, he will
make a bad decision, and throw a pass that you can easily intercept. BLITZES
CAUSE TURNOVERS. That is the #1 reason to use a blitz sometimes, to give you a
shot of intercepting the ball, or making the quarterback fumble.
When should you blitz? Always find the right times and situations to blitz.
The quarterback may be getting comfortable in the pocket, so if he is, throw a
blitz at him. Even if he completes the pass, the blitz is now in the back of
his mind, and if you go into zone coverage next play, he will be a little
confused and hopefully make a bad decision.
Just make sure not to blitz too much. Don't blitz if you just blitzed, and
don't blitz on 3rd and 4-6, because he will just find a receiver open in the
middle of the field for a first down. Keep the blitzing to a minimum (under 25
percent) and you should be fine. Good luck.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| ZONE VS MAN TO MAN |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
To wrap up this section, I will give a quick wrapup of the difference between
zone coverage and man to man coverage, so you will have an easier time with
pass defense. They are the main two kinds of pass defense, and they are both
quite different. Man defense relies more on tight coverage with one corner on
one receiver. In zone, the receivers are usually left open, but safeties and
corners blanket them, so when the pass is thrown, they run over to tip it.
The problem with zone coverage is that the quarterback can call something like
an out pattern, and the receiver will blow right through the zone defense for
a big game. The problem with man to man is that hooks and similar passes will
cause you problems. You have to recognize the weaknesses in each defense and
try to fix them, because usually your opponent will be able to find the wide
open receiver.
The main problem with man to man is that your corners will end up with one-on-
one situations a lot of the time, so make sure you have good solid corners if
you use this defense a lot. I hate having to defend a long pass with a corner
and having him completely miss the pass, leaving the receiver open for an easy
touchdown. The lack of safety help is a definite concern.
ZONE
Advantage: Safeties stay in middle of the field, so they're able to help out a
cornerback when the ball is in the air.
Disadvantage: Slants will be a nightmare, as the receiver will turn past the
safety and keep going, usually left wide open.
MAN TO MAN
Advantage: Corners play tight coverage, preventing slants and other passes of
the like.
Disadvantage: It's easy to take advantage of weaker corners after a while, and
hooks will work almost every time.
OVERALL
I advise playing zone defense most of the time. Man is too easy to beat by
experienced quarterbacks.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| WRAP UP            |
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Playing defense in NCAA Football 2005, or any other game in the series for
that matter, is a trial and error method that takes time to develop. If you
are patient, learn the different kinds of defenses and blitzes, and use them
effectively, you should be fine. Remember to mix up coverages, and remember
that you won't stop every play, and you will be just fine, I promise.
----------------------------------
| 2.3 | INCREASED GAME CHALLENGE |
----------------------------------
PASSING
-------
The first thing you will notice about the game when you first play is that
yes, it's really challenging. The defense reacts a lot quicker now, making
passing plays especially difficult. The key to beating the computer is
throwing a variety of passes, mainly short, and never throwing into coverage.
The computer reacts great, as cornerbacks will now tip balls a lot more.
Scramble a lot until you see someone surely open, then throw softly into their
hands.
RECEIVING
---------
Receivers also drop more balls than ever, if you computer control them. When
the ball is in the air, control them by pushing X, and then pushing the catch
button when the ball goes into their hands. This makes drops less frequent,
although they do still occur from time to time. This is college football,
after all.
RUNNING
-------
Running the ball is also a tad harder. Now, you have to hit the hole properly.
No more running to the inside on counters, or doing 9 draw plays in a row.
Draw plays almost never work because the defensive tackles will react much
more quicker now, so running plays to the outside actually work best, as long
as the defense isn't blitzing. I like to run down the middle about 50 percent
of the time, running option 30 percent, and run a counter 20 percent.
The key now is mixing up your plays. Since the defense is much smarter, they
will react quicker to anything you do. If you run counters consistently, the
defensive linemen will start to shoot to the running back quicker, as will the
linebackers. If you run down the middle a lot, then run a counter, the
linebacker will still play the middle, but you will be on the outside, leading
to a big gain.
Also, make sure to run plays to the weak side as well as the strong side. You
may think there's less blockers, but there will always be blockers helping you
(fullback will run to weak side when ball is snapped), and the defense may
think you are running to the strong side, leading to a big gain. It works a
lot, I assure you.
DEFENSE
-------
Playing defense is actually not so hard, however, as the added computer
awareness actually helps you a lot. Running plays are easy to stop as your
defensive linemen are much better now, even if you're playing with a bad team.
Playing zone defenses a lot helps vs. passing attacks, as man defense suddenly
sucks.. the receivers will always zoom by the corners, leading to huge pass
plays.
I always recommend playing a 4-3 or 3-4 Cover 2 Zone for the majority of the
game, as there's really no better defense in the game. Mix in a few blitzes,
mainly of the corner variety, but don't do this too often, as the quarterback
will pick up on this quickly, and it will lead to huge holes in your defense.
For instance, if a corner blitzes, no one's covering the guy, so the QB can
get it to him quickly. So, only blitz about 30 percent of the time for the
most success.
-------------------------------
| 2.4  | HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE |
-------------------------------
Another big time addition is home field advantage. Now, it is much harder to
win on the road than it normally is. This is because the crowd now factors
directly into your team's performance. The louder they are, the lousier your
team tends to play. Keeping your cool and making smart decisions is the key to
victory in these situations.
An important addition is the matchup stick. Push the right analog button to
the right before a play to trigger the matchup stick. This shows who is a good
player, who is a bad player, who is composed, and who is rattled by the
pressure. Works well in road situations.
There are some important things to remember when playing on the road. The
tougher the place you are playing, the louder it is, and the harder it is to
control plays. It is much harder to play in Florida than, say, Idaho. If
you're playing in a tough venue, there are some certain tips that will benefit
you greatly:
- Run the ball a lot. Ball control offense is key to success as well as
keeping the crowd quiet, as it keeps the other offense off the field, and
bores the crowd with your persistent running. If you can run the ball
successfully, you have a good chance of winning, or at least not letting the
crowd factor in your loss as much as they normally would.
- Don't make silly mistakes. Turnovers are the #1 killer of teams on the road.
Play it safe on 3rd and long. Don't make bad passes. Don't do a lot of spin
and juke moves. Remember KSU vs Oklahoma last year? KSU played it safe early,
then opened it up later once they had their confidence going. There's no
reason to play dangerous on the road, unless you're behind and running out of
time.
- However, this doesn't mean you can't spring a big play on the defense. This
will shut the crowd up quickly. Mix in play action passes with your short
range running attack, and watch the defense bite on it eventually. Nothing
says "shut up" like a 20 play, 70 yard drive that takes 4 minutes, then a 80
yard TD bomb on the next drive.
- Stick with the gameplan. You know what kind of team you are. If you're Air
Force, use the Triple Option. If you're Florida, do the spread offense. You're
still the same team, just harder to use now.
- Don't audible and hot route a lot at the line. It's very hard to do so, and
your players will sometimes mess up and then you'll be in trouble. Live with
the playbook for the most part. Motioning is okay, though.
- On defense, be aggressive but not overly aggressive. Blitz a lot, but not
too much. I know I'm contradicting myself, but basically play some zone
defense, then blitz out of nowhere. The QB will make mistakes and the crowd
will get frustrated.
If you're playing at home, it's way easier. Remember you can hush the crowd at
the line by pushing R2, as well as pumping them up while on defense. Again,
the tougher the crowd, the louder the bar goes, and the harder it is for the
opponent to call plays. Two things to remember at home:
- No ball control offense usually. It bores the crowd. Run it sometimes, but
make sure to keep the offense varied and open to keep the crowd into it. Only
do ball control when you're winning in 4th quarter.. crowd won't mind then.
- Audible and hot route away! Remember to push R2 to shut the crowd up, then
have fun.
Here are the toughest venues to play in NCAA Football 2005:
1.  Florida          10. Georgia            19. Auburn
2.  Tennessee        11. Iowa               20. Syracuse
3.  Ohio State       12. Michigan           21. Alabama
4.  LSU              13. Virginia Tech      22. Kansas State
5.  Oregon           14. Florida State      23. West Virginia
6.  Washington       15. Notre Dame         24. Washington State
7.  Texas A+M        16. Clemson            25. Miami (FL)
8.  Wisconsin        17. Penn State
9.  Nebraska         18. Oklahoma
I don't necessarily agree with all of these, but there's the list.
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| 3.0 |                           GAME MODES                                 |
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| 3.1 | EXHIBITION |
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This is not the hardest thing in the world to figure out. Exhibition mode is
basically a game where you select one team and you face off against another
team. No strings attached, just one on one game. Nothing too fancy, so let's
move onto something else far more complicated.
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| 3.2 | DYNASTY |
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This is pretty much the main draw of the game, and for good reason. In dynasty
mode, you select a team and try to build them into a national powerhouse. You
become the coach basically, and you sign new players, make a schedule, become
a disciplinarian, recruit, raise team prestige, redshirt players, create off
season plans, and oh yeah, play the games.
The number one question people often wonder when they select dynasty mode is,
what team should they be? It depends really. While it is easier to be USC or
Miami, they are already well established programs and the challenge of taking
a team and making them good is virtually erased. It is more interesting to
take a USC or Miami and to try to KEEP them good, but it's still not as
challenging.
Therefore, it's more fun to select a team that's mediocre or crappy and to try
to build them up. I selected Northwestern, as I like them, they play in a
tough conference, have trouble recruiting, and aren't that good (but not awful
either). With 176 or so teams to select from, the possibilities are virtually
endless.
Once you select a team, you first have to decide what players to redshirt for
the upcoming year. This means, you sit them down for a year, so they can't
play, and can learn the system. It also means they get an additional year of
eligibility, so they can play a year after they graduate. It means you don't
get to use them now, but you get a smart player who knows the system for an
extra year down the line. However, it's not crucial to do so now, so just
select a player or two for loaded positions and move on.
Here are the options you get for a dynasty mode. Note there are tons of
different ones, and each one is fairly useful.
PLAY WEEK
---------
This is to play your next game. You get two options here.. one is for weekly
schedule, one is for team schedule. Useful to track your previous games, or to
check out scores of games played that week that may impact your team's
ranking.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
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BOWL RANKINGS: The top 25 rankings as determined by the BCS system. Only
implemented after a certain amount of weeks have gone by.
TOP 25 POLLS: The top 25 teams as voted by the coaches and writers.
HEISMAN WATCH: Keep an eye out on the Heisman Trophy frontrunners.
AWARD SEMIFINALISTS: Track who's on pace to be in the final runnings of
prestigious trophies.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Offensive and defensive national players of the week are
listed here.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS: Check out how your team is doing in the conference, or
check out other conferences.
ARCHIVED COVERS: Previous covers of SI issues in your dynasty. Each week has a
new cover.
STAT BOOK
---------
Tracks how your team is doing.. nationally and player wise. Check season
stats, career stats, team stats, and stat rankings.
COACH OPTIONS
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STRATEGY: Choose the playbook you want to use, the type of offense your team
will employ, the type of defense used, what your coaching strategy will be,
and how conservative/aggressive your team will be.
POSITIONS: See who else is interested in hiring you.
REPORT CARD: Track how you are doing. Includes career record, coach prestige,
last game played, news from AD, fan base, average attendance, job security,
season record, and a multitude of useful career statistics.
FEATURES/MY NCAA
----------------
Change the settings, fix rosters, or create your own playbook!
Now that you know all of this, time to play your first game. You can either
use the current schedule or modify your existing one, by going to the schedule
section. Once you play your 1st game, you can no longer fix the schedule the
way you like it.
During the year, you will encounter players who do stupid things, and you must
punish them. Before a game, a box will come up stating that a player broke a
rule, and you can choose to punish him. Each time you punish a player, a
certain amount of points are taken away. Once down to zero, NCAA will
investigate. Fortunately, you should be able to run a clean program and not
have to worry about that.
As you play through games, you can track your team's progress. Once done a
year, you have to recruit players, and that's when the fun begins. First,
check the school budgets. You can fix the points up to your liking.. for
instance, remove points from discipline and add them onto recruiting. The
choice is yours.
After doing so, check out your players leaving, and then focus on replacing
them with new recruits. This is the most fun of dynasty mode, and I almost
gave it its own section, but I decided to just place it here. Recruiting is
when you check America and get players to commit to your program. It's the
only way to maintain the program.
Check your interested prospects list and focus most of your attention on them.
The better the player, the more recruiting points you should use. Recruiting
points are points you get to recruit players.. you only get a certain amount
each week, but they refresh each week so feel free to use them all up each
week. Like I said, focus first on top players and holes in your team.
There are several different pitches. Playing time, coaching style, coach
prestige, program prestige, and location. Focus mostly on playing time and
coaching style if you're a rebuilding program, as coaching and team prestige
hasn't been great yet. Players do like playing time and the chance to be part
of a magical rebuilding team, so make sure to pitch playing time to a lot of
players. Some are interested in other things though, so keep that in mind.
Once you offer all the available scholarships and run out of recruiting
points, advance to the next week. Now, you very rarely will have signed a
player. That's okay. Keep focusing on the ones that are interested in your
program. Some players have already signed elsewhere, or with you. So, focus on
other players.
By week 3, you should start to see some recruits coming in. Remember to focus
on holes in your team. Once recruiting is done, you should have a solid roster
of players. The rest can be filled via walk ons if need be. Now, the final
three steps before moving onto the next season.
TRAINING RESULTS: Put the players through training camp to improve good ones
and see which ones don't have what it takes to be in your program.
CUT PLAYERS: Cut loose the mediocre players, only do this if your roster is
above 70, otherwise don't worry about it as it's better to have a mediocre
player as emergency than no player at all.
SET DEPTH CHART: Find space for your new recruits and pick your starters for
the upcoming season. Higher rated players should go first of course, but
remember that sometimes you should focus on individual things, like speed over
power, or whatnot, if your program fits a certain style.
Now you're onto season 2, where the cycle will continue. Eventually, you can
sign with new programs who want you to help rebuild them. It never ends! Have
fun.
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| 3.3 | CREATE A SCHOOL |
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Creating a school is one of the most fun things to do in NCAA 2005. You start
from the ground up, designing a school's stadium, naming them, giving them
uniforms, the whole 9-yards. Here is a quick rundown of all the things you can
do in this mode.
1st Page: You can design their colors, give them a nickname, and more. Picking
a cool fight song is easy because they give you a ton of options, mascot may
be a little tough though because you can't design your own. :( Abbreviation is
the name that shows when you're playing the game.
2nd Page: Here is where you design the stadium your team will kick ass in. You
can do anything from placing the location of the video screen, to what kind of
art you want in the end zone. It's really great.
3rd Page: Here is the final stop. You can create your school's uniforms. I
have a lot of fun doing this and I am sure you will too! I especially like
giving them crazy alternate uniforms and pulling them out for special games.
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| 3.4 | RIVALRY GAMES |
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Rivalry games are pretty simple stuff. You select a rivalry game in the play
now screen, or play one during a dynasty, and if you win, you get a trophy. As
you can see, some trophies are given in a series of games over the season,
like the Commander in Chief Trophy.
Here are the trophies you can earn in NCAA 2005:
Administaff Bayou Bucket - Houston vs Rice
Apple Cup - Washington vs Washington State
Beehive Boot - BYU vs Utah vs Utah State vs Weber State
Black Diamond Trophy - Virginia Tech vs West Virginia
Bronze Boot - Colorado State vs Wyoming
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy - Air Force vs Army vs Navy
Commonwealth Cup - Virginia vs Virginia Tech
Cy-Hawk Trophy - Iowa vs Iowa State
Floyd of Rosedale - Iowa vs Minnesota
Fremont Cannon - Nevada vs UNLV
Golden Boot - Arkansas vs LSU
Golden Egg Trophy - Mississippi State vs Ole Miss
Golden Hat - Oklahoma vs Texas
Governor's Cup - Kansas vs Kansas State
Governor's Cup - Kentucky vs Louisville
Governor's Victory Bell - Minnesota vs Penn State
Illibuck - Illinois vs Ohio State
Ireland Trophy - Boston College vs Notre Dame
Iron Skillet - Southern Methodist vs Texas Christian
Jeweled Shillelagh - Notre Dame vs USC
Keg of Nails - Cincinnati vs Louisville
Land Grant Trophy - Michigan State vs Penn State
Little Brown Jug - Michigan vs Minnesota
Maloof Trophy - New Mexico vs New Mexico State
Marching Drum - Kansas vs Missouri
Megaphone - Michigan State vs Notre Dame
Missouri-Nebraska Bell - Missouri vs Nebraska
ODK- Foy Sportsmanship Trophy - Alabama vs Auburn
Old Brass Spittoon - Indiana vs Michigan State
Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana vs Purdue
Paul Bunyan Trophy - Michigan vs Michigan State
Paul Bunyan's Axe - Minnesota vs Wisconsin
Peace Pipe - Bowling Green vs Toledo
Purdue Cannon - Illinois vs Purdue
Semninole War Cannon - Florida vs Miami
Shillelagh Trophy - Notre Dame vs Purdue
Silver Spade - New Mexico State vs UTEP
Stanford Axe - California vs Stanford
Sweet Sioux Tomahawk - Illinois vs Northwestern
Telephone Trophy - Iowa State vs Missouri
Territorial Cup - Arizona vs Arizona State
Textile Bowl Trophy - Clemson vs NC State
The Bell - Marshall vs Ohio
Tiger Rag - LSU vs Tulane
Victory Bell - Cincinatti vs Miami (Ohio)
Victory Bell - Duke vs North Carolina
Victory Bell - UCLA vs USC
Wagon Wheel - Akron vs Kent State
Williams Trophy - Rice vs Tulsa
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| 3.5 | COLLEGE CLASSICS |
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This is another SUPER fun mode, one of many to be found in this incredible
game. You get to choose a classic game from years past, and start from a
certain situation in the game, and try to rewrite history, or keep history the
way it is in some instances. Here is a quick rundown of all the college
classics you will get to play through:
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1980 SMU at 1980 BYU: December 19, 1980
-> BYU 46, SMU 45  California 25, Stanford 20  Miami 31, Nebraska 30  Boston College 47,
Miami 45  Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16  Virginia 33, Florida State 28  Nebraska 45,
Missouri 38  Florida 32, Florida State 29