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EA Sports College Football 25: Simulation of the 2024 season says Texas is not back
![EA Sports College Football 25: Simulation of the 2024 season says Texas is not back EA Sports College Football 25: Simulation of the 2024 season says Texas is not back](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/T2D43Z42XFBLU2XT25UM5FECTA.jpg?auth=103c68b2d7267fbc594037a3bec5dda2fa9bea9d8f9f1bd54142486d1a15edde&height=467&width=830&smart=true&quality=40)
EA Sports College Football 25 is finally here, and fans of the temporarily lost franchise have already begun to pour hours and hours into the virtual 2024 season.
If you either haven’t purchased the game yet, or had a chance to crank up “Dynasty Mode,” we’re here to save you some time.
The Dallas Morning News simulated the 2024 season, and have the results of how the upcoming season will play out.
National champion? Alabama.
Heisman winner? Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
Truth be told, outside of Oklahoma State running through the new-look Big 12 without Texas and Oklahoma, there weren’t a lot of major highlights among local universities. (Texas fans intending to keep reading, beware…)
Inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff
Lots of surprises here.
Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Oregon — even Notre Dame and Oklahoma State? Those could be teams many predict to make the inaugural 12-team CFP field.
But the fact names like Rutgers, UNLV, Indiana and NC State survived the simulation gauntlet to reach this stage could be signal that we all are in for a wild ride this college football season.
12-team College Football Playoff results
A great run for Oklahoma State came up just short of the national championship game, running into the wagon that is Alabama — with or without Nick Saban — in the CFP semifinal.
The Cinderella story of NC State was the last piece of the puzzle for the Crimson Tide to again reign as national champions.
Meanwhile, here’s how the 2024 college football season went for all of our area schools in EA Sports College Football 25:
Record: 9-4 (6-4, Big 12) Final ranking: Unranked (received votes)
Bowl result: Baylor def. No. 24 Missouri, 48-34 (Texas Bowl)
Offensive MVP: QB Dequan Finn (4,047 passing yards, 42 TDs, 10 INT; 569 rushing yards, 2 TDs)
Defensive MVP: MLB Matt Jones (73 tackles, 6 passes defended, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, 1 sack)
Postseason awards: WR Ketron Jackson Jr. (1st Team All-Big 12); TE Kelsey Johnson (2nd Team All-Big 12); LOLB Brock Jackson (Freshman All-Big 12)
Summary: The Bears finished fifth in the Big 12 in a bounce back, nine-win season.
Record: 8-5 (5-3, AAC) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: No. 11 Miami def. North Texas, 28-26 (Military Bowl)
Offensive MVP: QB Chandler Morris (3,757 passing yards, 30 TDs, 10 INT; 472 rushing yards, 6 TDs)
Defensive MVP: SS Isheem Young (67 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 INT, 1 INT return TD)
Postseason awards: DT Roderick Brown (1st Team All-AAC); WR Landon Sides, LG Gabe Blair (2nd Team All-AAC); DT Keith Smith, CBs Taylor Starling, Brian Nelson II (Freshman All-AAC)
Summary: The Mean Green made some noise in the new-look AAC, and UNT’s fourth-quarter rally came up just shy of pulling off a massive upset in its bowl game against the Miami Hurricanes.
Record: 7-6 (4-4, SEC) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: Oklahoma def. Northwestern, 42-14 (Reliaquest Bowl)
Co-Offensive MVPs: QB Jackson Arnold (4,238 total yards, 45 total TDs), WR Andrel Anthony (1,234 receiving yards, 22 TDs)
Defensive MVP: MLB Danny Stutsman (83 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack)
Postseason awards: WR Andrel Anthony, LB Danny Stutsman (2nd Team All-American, 1st Team All-SEC); SS Billy Bowman Jr. (1st Team All-SEC); HB Taylor Tatum (Freshman All-SEC)
Summary: The Sooners met a tough road in their SEC debut, but Oklahoma did pick up a bowl win and a Red River Rivalry victory over Texas.
Record: 12-3 (8-1, Big 12) Final ranking: No. 4, CFP semifinalist
Bowl result: Eventual national champion Alabama def. Oklahoma State, 31-10, in CFP semifinal. Oklahoma State defeated Michigan, 35-31, to reach the semifinal after having a bye in the CFP first round as Big 12 champion.
Offensive MVP: RB Ollie Gordon II (1,492 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns; 238 receiving yards, 1 TD)
Defensive MVP: MLB Nick Martin (84 tackles, 7 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 INT)
Postseason awards: RB Ollie Gordon II (Best running back, 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-Big 12); SS Kendal Daniels (Best defensive back); C Joe Michalski, MLB Nick Martin, ROLB Collin Oliver (1st Team All-Big 12); WRs De’Zhaun Stribling, Rashod Owens, RE Kody Walterscheid (2nd Team All-Big 12)
Summary: Oklahoma State thrived in the new-look Big 12, riding a conference championship into the College Football Playoff. Ollie Gordon II was second in the nation in rushing, winning running back of the year. The Cowboys defeated defending national champion Michigan in the CFP’s second round, but fell to eventual champ Alabama in the CFP semifinal.
Record: 6-7 (3-5, ACC) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: Kentucky def. SMU, 40-20 (Citrus Bowl)
Offensive MVP: QB Preston Stone (3,960 passing yards, 35 TDs, 8 INT; 500 rushing yards, 5 TDs)
Defensive MVP: ROLB Ahmad Walker (73 tackles, 2 INT, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, 1.5 sacks)
Postseason awards: QB Preston Stone, LG Logan Parr (1st Team All-ACC)
Summary: SMU lost its last three regular season games by a combined 16 points, putting a sour finish on its first ACC season which was topped off by a bowl loss to Kentucky.
Record: 4-8 (3-6, Big 12) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: Did not make postseason.
Offensive MVP: QB Josh Hoover (3,650 yards, 33 TDs, 6 INT)
Defensive MVP: SS Abe Camara (61 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT)
Postseason awards: DT Markis Deal (Freshman All-American, Freshman All-Big 12); K Ryan Starling (2nd Team All-Big 12); HB Jeremy Payne, WRs Gekyle Becker, Braylon James, RE Avion Carter (Freshman All-Big 12)
Summary: Horned Frogs fans looking for a turnaround in 2024 were left wanting. The highlight of the year game in early November when TCU upset CFP-bound Oklahoma State at home.
Record: 5-7 (3-5, SEC) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: Did not make postseason.
Offensive MVP: QB Quinn Ewers (3,028 yards, 26 TDs, 9 INT)
Defensive MVP: CB Jay’Vion Cole (55 tackles, 3 INT)
Postseason awards: LT Kelvin Banks Jr. (2nd Team All-American, 2nd Team All-SEC); HB C.J. Baxter, ROLB Anthony Hill Jr. (2nd Team All-SEC)
Summary: Worst-case entrance into the SEC? After making the CFP in 2023, the Longhorns failed to make the postseason in a year that included losses to Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and UT-San Antonio.
Record: 8-5 (3-5, SEC) Final ranking: Unranked (received votes)
Bowl result: Texas A&M def. Clemson, 28-22 (Sun Bowl)
Offensive MVP: QB Connor Weigman (4,086 total yards, 38 total TDs)
Defensive MVP: ROLB Scooby Williams (77 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble)
Postseason awards: HB Rueben Owens (Freshman All-American, 1st Team All-SEC, Freshman All-SEC); LE Nic Scourton, DT Shemar Turner (2nd Team All-SEC); P Tyler White (Freshman All-SEC)
Summary: The Aggies suffered a handful of close losses that could have flipped their season for the better. But a bowl win (and beating Texas) still seems like a decent start under a new head coach.
Record: 6-7 (4-5, Big 12) Final ranking: Unranked
Bowl result: USC def. Texas Tech, 21-13 (Independence Bowl)
Offensive MVP: WR Coy Eakin (59 catches, 1,021 receiving yards, 11 TDs; 132 rushing yards, 3 TDs)
Defensive MVP: MLB Ben Roberts (72 tackles, 2 INT, 1 forced fumble, 0.5 sacks)
Postseason awards: LG Vinny Sciury (1st Team All-Big 12); HB Tahj Brooks, WR Coy Eakin, RG Caleb Rogers (2nd Team All-Big 12); WR Micah Hudson, DT Jayden Cofield, ROLB Miquel Dingle (Freshman All-Big 12)
Summary: The Red Raiders rebounded from a midseason skid where they lost five of six games to stay bowl eligible. However, the could not get past the Trojans of Southern California in the Independence Bowl.
Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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