Simulating the season using EA Sports College Foot...
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- EA Sports College Football 27 simulated the 2026 season 26 times with no roster or settings adjustments, producing 42 different programs that earned at least one College Football Playoff bid, including 35 from Power 4 leagues
- Ohio State emerged as the dominant champion, winning six national titles and reaching the title game nine times behind QB Julian Sayin (who threw 48 TDs with two interceptions in one 16-0 season) and pass rusher Beau Atkinson (18.5 sacks)
- The simulations revealed unusual SEC parity, with 13 different SEC teams earning at least one CFP bid while Georgia, Texas and LSU each earned just three bids and Alabama earned four; no team won more than six SEC titles across 26 attempts
- Ole Miss shut out Lane Kiffin's LSU 20-0 in one championship simulation, holding the Tigers to 102 total yards and recording six sacks after LSU lost starting QB Sam Leavitt to a broken thumb and his backup to injury as well
- Boise State completed a Cinderella run as a No. 10 seed, winning a national title behind an FBS-leading 4,550 passing yards from QB Maddux Madsen, 1,682 rushing yards from Dylan Riley and 22 sacks from Jayden Virgin-Morgan
- Defending champion Indiana under Curt Cignetti made the CFP 13 times and won one back-to-back title in the sims, beating USC 24-17 in Las Vegas after avenging their lone regular-season loss
- Seven of the 26 simulations had 9-3 teams reaching the national championship game, with three of them winning it all — including underdog title runs from 10th- and 11th-seeded teams
Why it matters: The simulations expose two structural storylines: SEC parity is real in the game's ratings, with 13 different conference programs earning CFP bids while no team won more than six league titles, and the 12-team playoff format enables genuine chaos — seven 9-3 teams reached title games and a No. 10 seed (Boise State) won a national championship, a level of Cinderella access the four-team era rarely permitted.
