EA Sports College Football 25: Exclusive footage, previews of game's top teams from the experts who played it

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With just a few days to go before the July 19 release of EA SPORTS College Football 25 -- July 16 for deluxe edition pre-orders -- 247Sports was granted exclusive, early access to the highly anticipated comeback.

The team at 247Sports took advantage of that opportunity and test drove the game with full autonomy, diving deep with the top teams in the game. Today, we're focusing on team previews of EA's top 25 teams.

Having played the game and utilizing advice from 247Sports' experts across the country, we hope our tip sheets enhance your gameplay so you can make the most out of College Football 25 with our expert analysis and tips. Stay tuned in the next few days for more team previews!

Below, we have gameplay footage of every top team, along with the best way to utilize them while playing College Football 25 with tips and tricks from the 247Sports experts who know the team best.

Best offensive and defensive scheme for top 25 teams

No. 1 Georgia

"I would go with a shotgun, 3-receiver, 1-back set with this Georgia offense. The Bulldogs are deep at tight end again, but I think they'll be at their most dangerous with wideouts Dominic Lovett, Colbie Young and Dillon Bell all on the field together. Let quarterback Carson Beck cook airing the ball out while also getting running back Trevor Etienne going on the ground.

I'd go with a nickel look with this Georgia defense. I'd get Mykel Williams going off the edge, let linebackers Smael Mondon and CJ Allen patrol the middle of the defense, and count on star safety Malaki Starks to track down balls in the back of the defense." — Jordan D. Hill, Dawgs247

No. 2 Ohio State

"Definitely 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back) for OSU's offense. Get three wide receivers on the field -- Emeka Egbuka, freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith and either Carnell Tate or Brandon Iniss -- and then rotate TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins at tailback.

"Defensively? Mix things up, but the base 4-2-5 is your best bet. Ohio State is loaded on the D-line and especially in the secondary. Linebacker? We shall see." — Dave Biddle, Bucknuts247

No. 3 Oregon

"I'd choose an offensive playbook built around a lot of RPO action with Dillon Gabriel as the quarterback. You'll want to use his threat of running the football to your advantage, and you've got a nice safety net if he gets hurt, starting with last year's starting quarterback at UCLA, Dante Moore, as his backup. Use Gabriel's legs and the speed and playmaking ability at receiver to open up the middle of the field for your running game to unleash fury.

"On the defensive side of the football, Oregon's secondary has elite cornerbacks and ball-hawking safeties on the roster, so take advantage of your ability to cover 1-on-1 and attack the QB with pressures from the edges or up the middle." — Matt Prehm, DuckTerritory

No. 4 Alabama

"With the hire of Kalen DeBoer, Alabama's offensive playbook should be a lot of fun to play with. DeBoer runs a pro-style offense with spread concepts. He gets his playmakers in space, gets them the ball, and lets them go to work. Jalen Milroe will be a central focus as the quarterback, but a tandem of rising stars at running back and receiver should make the Tide's offense one of the more fun teams to play with in the new game.

"Defensively, Alabama is switching to Kane Wommack's 4-2-5 swarm defense in 2024, which has subtle differences from Nick Saban's traditional 3-4, pressure-first, man-coverage defense. A lot of the Tide's personnel is still built to run Saban's defense and is talented enough that any playbook should be available to you. In that sense, it could be fun to experiment with different schemes and coverages." — Cody Goodwin, Bama247

No. 5 Texas

"Go Air Raid: With having one of the higher-rated quarterbacks in the game with Quinn Ewers on your team, I'd be looking to air it out and get the ball to the Longhorns' receiver room that resembles a track team. Although Texas has running back talent to more than make an impact, you have to take advantage of a veteran quarterback with a dangerous receiver room playing behind one of the top offensive lines in the nation.

"On defense I'll likely be rolling with the 4-2-5. In Anthony Hill Jr. you'll have should have one of the top linebackers in the game to make an impact against the run, even with the Longhorns not having any standouts on the interior defensive line. A season after its secondary perhaps cost it a national championship, Texas is rich at defensive back, so feel confident in safeties Andrew Mukuba and Derek Williams Jr., with Malik Muhammad and Gavin Holmes at cornerback and Jahdae Barron at nickel." — Jordan Scruggs, Horns247

No. 6 Clemson

"I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the coaching staff here. As EA Sports, put in real-life playbooks, you'll have a run-balanced version of the Air Raid with Garrett Riley, while Wes Goodwin will have you set up in a traditional 4-3 defense. It will turn more into a 4-2-5 when the Tigers are in nickel. My keys to focus in on are as follows: Offensively, I'm starting with running back Phil Mafah. Have that truck stick ready, folks. Tyler Brown and Antonio Williams are speedy options on the outside. Defensively, Barrett Carter is a do-it-all player -- I'm locking onto him and defending the middle of the field." — Austin Hannon, Clemson247

No. 7 Notre Dame

"An air raid playbook offensively makes sense with OC-Mike Denbrock favoring 11 personnel and three-/four-wideouts. He has the loose-armed Riley Leonard to throw it to a multitude of receivers. A healthy Mitchell Evans at tight end will wear out defenses over the middle. He's a seam-play dream. The Irish still possess the ability to grind out yards with their physical background pre-Denbrock. Definitely a 4-3 front with Notre Dame possessing one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by interior linemen Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills with Duke defensive end transfer RJ Oben primed to explode. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has an array of zone blitz concepts." — Tim Prister, IrishIllustrated

No. 8 LSU

"The kicker here is that there's a unique playbook for each offense. If that's the case, I'm rolling with what Joe Sloan draws up. The strength of this offense is the line, so we will run a balanced attack that could lean more toward the pass as Garrett Nussmeier grows more comfortable in his first full year of starting. Defensively, things get interesting. Honestly, I'd run a multiple fronts and then key in on whichever set allows for Harold Perkins to be the most impactful." — Glen West, Geaux247

No. 9 Penn State

"The real-life counterparts for Penn State, with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and new defensive coordinator Tom Allen in the mix, should cater to the virtual Nittany Lions. The defensive playbook is going to put some an extra defensive back on the field in the 4-2-5, which can give some flexibility against opposing offenses that can both run and pass, while Kotelnicki had a ton of success with lesser talent at Kansas and Buffalo using a system that's predicated on getting players into space and catering to their strengths. That should be fun to dial up. But if you are feeling nostalgic for the 2022 and 2023 Penn State defenses, you can always select the Duke defensive playbook and reconnect with Manny Diaz." — Tyler Donohue, Lions247

No. 10 Utah

"This is as deep an offensive unit as Utah has ever had, with the talent and depth they have at running back, receiver, and tight end. The versatility of the tight ends gives Utah some flexibility in their personnel packages and offensive scheme. This year looks to be a pretty balanced pro-style offense under offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, which will give Rising and the Utah offense plenty of options from a personnel and formation standpoint.

"On defense, Utah has made a living with its 4-2-5 defense under defensive coordinator (and head coach in waiting) Morgan Scalley. The Utes have a four-man front with two linebackers, and five defensive backs, which includes a nickel. There is some personnel flexibility that gives Utah the ability to play three safeties or three linebackers instead of a nickel as well. Priority No. 1 for Utah is to takeaway the run and then make plays against the passing attack." — Steve Bartle, UteZone

No. 11 Michigan

"If we're talking scheme, Michigan is a pro-style offense. They run a lot of 12-personnel. They have a potent zone rushing attack (Inside zone, split zone, bluff zone, insert zone), and a punishing gap scheme arsenal (duo, counter, power, pin & pull – with reads can be attached to each). Both of which set the table for their play-action passing game.

"If we're talking about other team's playbooks, some that could unlock some hidden effectiveness are Virginia Tech, UCF, and West Virginia. All three offenses feature quarterbacks that are integral parts of their running games. I led with the Hokies because I had a coordinator from another Big Ten school tell me he wouldn't be surprised if Michigan borrowed from Virginia Tech's usage of Kyron Drones as part of its usage plan for Orji due their physical similarities. That speaks more to the compatibility of the playbook for use for game play than it does the likelihood of Michigan using it on Saturdays. That said, if you find yourself getting bogged down with Michigan's playbook, try one of these.

"On defense Michigan is a base 4-2-5 unit that twist and stunts up front as much as any in the country, deploys an array of nickel and dog pressures, and is mostly zone on the back end but with a healthy amount of man to man mixed in (maybe more now with Wink Martindale at the help of the defense). " — Sam Webb, TheMichiganInsider

No. 12 Florida State

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what Mike Norvell's offense looks like here, because the NCAA Revamped version was a nice blend of option offense with the eye candy Norvell loves to incorporate.

"That being said, the playbook I'm most looking forward to trying out is Jamey Chadwell's modern triple option, which means you should try and use the Liberty playbook. FSU rosters three QBs with decent mobility and has a stable of diverse running backs with some limitations at wide receiver. So using a horizontal passing attack to spread the field some would make sense, and it's an offense that would allow you to place RBs at receiver to take advantage of skill sets provided by the likes of Lucas and Lawrance Toafili.

"On defense, just stick with the 4-2-5. Coordinator Adam Fuller has it working at a pretty high level these days. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The even front with speedy edge defenders Patrick Payton (90 overall grade, he's FSU's highest-rated player) and Marvin Jones Jr. is a good place to start building your defense." — Brendan Sonnone, Noles247

No. 13 Miami

"Miami runs an Air Raid offense, but I would shift those settings to make sure the pass/run ratio is close to 50-50. The Hurricanes want to pound the rock with Damien Martinez (91 overall player rating) and Mark Fletcher, so I would make sure to fine tune those Air Raid sliders and tendencies.

"On defense, I would roll with a 4-3 look. Miami runs more 4-2-5 and has the personnel to even switch over to a 3-4, but if I'm in the game mode, I want the best players on the field and that means playing Kiko Mauigoa, Wesley Bissainthe, and Jaylin Alderman at the same time. The Hurricanes are thin at nickel, so I'd just play to the strengths of the team." — Gaby Urrutia, InsideTheU

No. 14 Texas A&M

"Offensively, it is up to your preference and doesn't really matter with one exception: a lot of people like to run the option, and this offense should not be used that way. While Conner Weigman has the mobility to extend plays, avoid sacks and run for first downs, he is not a run-first guy. Also, the Aggies have a nice group of running backs but do not have a cemented star in the backfield. Defensively, you will want to stick with a 4-2-5 so that the scheme matches the personnel that A&M has." — Carter Karels, Gigem247

No. 15 Ole Miss

"The best offensive playbook to use with Ole Miss' offense would be the spread option. Weapons everywhere at your disposal and leaves the user the ability to read the field before making a run/pass decision.

"On the defensive side of the ball, the base formation that may just work best with Ole Miss' currently star-studded unit would be the 4-2-5. Your front four will feature DE Jared Ivey, DT JJ Pegues, DT Walter Nolen and DE Princely Umanmielen. Behind those two, you likely have Chris Paul joined alongside the speedy and rangy Khari Coleman. The secondary would shake out with CB Trey Amos, FS Trey Washington, SS Key Lawrence, NB John Saunders Jr., CB Isaiah Hamilton." — Tyler Komis, InsideTheRebels

No. 16 Colorado

"The strength of Colorado's offense is Shedeur Sanders' arm talent and the Buffs receiving corps, so you will want to utilize a playbook that is heavy in 10 personnel (one running back and four receivers on the field). You will likely only want a tight end on the field in short yardage situations.

"Defensively, a base nickel package will allow you to get your best 11 on the field, given Colorado's top end talent in the secondary. You should also be able to get aggressive with blitz packages with Colorado's re-tooled front seven." — Adam Munsterteiger, Buff Stampede

No. 17 Oklahoma

"On offense, You can never go wrong with the spread offense and that's what you should use if you're playing with the Sooners. The spread includes pre-snap motions, RPO's and gives your QB the option to run or pass on nearly every play. Given that Arnold is a natural dual-threat quarterback, the wide receiver room is arguably the best position group on the offense, and a consistent 100-yard rusher in Gavin Sawchuk, the spread offense will play right into the strengths of the Sooners.

"Defensively, Brent Venables and his staff have recruited in a way that allows the Sooners to play 'multiple', which users should take advantage of in the game. So, however, you usually play defense, the Sooners' should be able to adapt to any scheme given their personnel." — James Jackson, SoonersIllustrated

No. 18 Wisconsin

"Wisconsin has an exciting influx of talent on the roster coming into year two of the Luke Fickell era in Madison, so there are plenty of options for impact players for the fans to choose. Offensively, running back Chez Mellusi and star wideout Will Pauling would be two great options.

"On defense, you've got to go with a couple of stars in the secondary, in Hunter Wohler (90 overall player rating) and Ricardo Hallman (91 overall player rating). Both had major seasons last year, and will play at the next level with their abilities to read defenses and help force turnovers." — Nick Osen, Badger247

No. 19 USC

"The Trojans run a fast-paced Air Raid attack that likes to get up the field and score at will. Lincoln Riley's offense uses a lot of RPO (Run-Pass Option) to put defenses under duress and attack multiple levels. While USC is primarily a passing team, Riley's Air Raid can be dangerous as a run team as well, utilizing lots of pulls on the offensive line. USC will run a multiple 3-4 defense that is very aggressive and relies on linebackers to make plays. The scheme has NFL roots and requires a massive nose tackle in the middle to work." — Chris Trevino, USCFootball.com

No. 20 Virginia Tech

"On offense, Kyron Drones is built for a QB power offense with triple option tendencies. While he is a big-armed QB, Drones is built for the power run game. On defense, a base 4-3 defense or a nickel if playing against a pass-heavy offense." – Evan Watkins, VTScoop

No. 21 NC State

"Offensively, the obvious ones are wide receiver Kevin Concepcion -- a True Freshman All-American in 2023 -- along with quarterback Grayson McCall and running back Jordan Waters. On defense, Davin Vann should be a force at the EDGE position for NC State while Aydan White is an All-ACC cornerback for the Wolfpack." — Cory Smith, PackPride

No. 22 Kansas

"I'd suggest using the Kansas playbook for both the offense and defense. Even under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, the KU offense will continue to have the same principles. The playbook will give fans the opportunity to lean on star players like quarterback Jalon Daniels, running Devin Neal and KU's trio of stellar wide receivers.

"On defense, KU's playbook will allow fans to maximize the ability of star cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson. There won't be a ton of blitz packages, as KU typically rushes with four and the occasional fifth rusher coming from a blitz but it's a defense that will keep the opponent from making big plays."

— Michael Swain, Phog247

No. 23 Arizona

"Arizona's offense is going to be balanced this season under coach Brent Brennan. You don't want to focus too much on the run with an All-American wideout like Tetairoa McMillan out there, but players like Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Quail Conley, and more should help you establish the run. Arizona has a ton of offensive weapons and is one of the best offensive teams in the game, so a balanced offense with quarterback Noah Fifita at the helm makes the most sense.

"On defense, Arizona's biggest strength is with cornerback Tacario Davis and the safeties. Like real life, you want to get those guys on the field at once and the best way to do that is to run the 4-2-5." — Jason Scheer, WildcatAuthority

No. 24 Oklahoma State

"I think what would be most fun and successful for the Cowboys is to set this offense up with a no-huddle, spread offense. There's Doak Walker-winning running back Ollie Gordon II in the backfield and then a really talented and deep receivers room; this could be an enjoyable offense along the lines of 2010 and 2011, when Mike Gundy's Cowboys threw the ball 50 times a game and moved quickly.

"Defensively, getting pressure on the opposing quarterbacks is critical, but so is holding down the secondary, which struggled in 2023. If you could run a 4-2-5, I think the defense could look really good with veteran players in the middle of the defense." — McClain Baxley, GoPokes

No. 25 Iowa

"Definitely get in 12 personnel: You are going to have talented tight ends and won't be deep at receiver, so you'll want to use two tight ends. Iowa is going to run a pro-style type offense under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester with an emphasis on RPOs with pre-snap and mid-snap motion. Iowa is going to look to establish the run to set up the pass, while also being aggressive with playcalling. It's going to look the same but also have different intricacies than Iowa has had in the past.

"On defense, Iowa has made a living with its 4-2-5 defense. The Hawkeyes have a four-man front with two linebackers, and five defensive backs, with one of them being a hybrid, which is where Sebastian Castro fits. He has "next" among the ranks of Iowa's decorated lineage of defensive backs. Castro will get you a lot of user picks in this game." — Sean Bock, HawkeyeInsider

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