• Gamezone: NCAA Football 14 Will Not Have the College Football Playoff


    Fans of the EASPORTS NCAA Football series have long asked for some sort of a playoff system in the Dynasty mode, if nothing else than to spice up the postseason play that is run by a pseudo BCS system. Ultimately that decision most likely comes down to the NCAA rather than EASPORTS itself. With the recent announcement of the College Football Playoff, some were hoping that NCAA Football 14 would have a playoff system implemented. Today we find out that it will not.

    GameZone.com received word from an EA Representative that said NCAA Football 14 will continue to use the BCS as post-season play.


    "The BCS will continue as the post-season format for all years of Dynasty," an EA representative told me on behalf of NCAA Football 14 producer Ben Haumiller.

    "We don’t yet have all the info about how the playoff system will work, including who will make up the selection committee and what their criteria will be for picking the playoff teams, and it’s our policy to not include anything in-game that hasn’t been approved and finalized by the NCAA," he explained.



    With the real-life details still to be ironed out, it comes as little suprirse at this point seeing as how in order to implement something like this, EA would have to have had details in place months ago and even then, would have to have the BCS system for use as the first season while the playoffs took over after that.

    The article considers that a playoff system could be patched in but don't expect it considering that it would essentially require double-duty for EA to implement that... implement it in NCAA 14 with what little details are known, then correct the changes that are needed for NCAA 15. Instead, they could just implement it once, correctly, in NCAA 15.

    ***

    Keep up on all the latest NCAA Football 14 news & media heading into the July 9 release date with our NCAA 14 News & Info Central page. We'll provide all the best & latest information regarding improvements to Gameplay & Infinity Engine 2, Dynasty Mode, Presentation, and new features such as NCAA Football Ultimate Team & Play a Season.

    NCAA Football 14 News & Information Central: http://tgt.pw/ncaa14info
    Comments 58 Comments
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Not a surprise.
    1. onikuno's Avatar
      onikuno -
      Would have been interesting if they could have used the old bowl system as an alternative?
    1. SmoothPancakes's Avatar
      SmoothPancakes -
      Quote Originally Posted by JBHuskers View Post
      Not a surprise.
      This. Thank god, we can finally end all the playoffs talk for NCAA '14, as myself and others have been pretty much saying there was no way in hell it would be in this year for weeks now. There, dagger officially through the heart on that for '14. Now we can move on.
    1. Jayrah's Avatar
      Jayrah -
      ... And really not a big deal. At least to me
    1. Noles94's Avatar
      Noles94 -
      My thoughts, originally posted elsewhere. I think it would have been nice to at least have the option to select playoffs. At least in the 2014 season. Here is what I said:

      I feel what you are saying and I'm not usually the guy who complains a lot. However, on this I have to disagree. If EA had spent the entirety of this console generation focusing on getting everything exactly right and as realistic as possible I'd say yeah they shouldn't have things just thrown in and reworked the next year. But they do that with other aspects of the game every year. There are camera angles that don't exist in real life broadcasts. You can add and subtract teams, build up to a conference championship game, etc. via custom conferences without following the exact way it is done in real life. (I've yet to vote on any grant of rights or relinquished my tier 3 TV rights yet,

      Recruiting, a huge part of dynasty, is nothing like real life. EA simply came up with their own method that tries to incorporate some real life aspects. In Dynasty we don't get a vote in the coaches poll if we are the HC of a team. How they come up with the poll results, as well as the media poll is unknown. Their BCS formula is not the same as the one used in the real world.

      I could go on, but the point is that wanting them to implement an algorithm to select four teams based on ranking, SOS, and three or four other criteria, then tweaking it next year for NCAA 15 so that it perfectly represents the way it will be next season doesn't seem so far fetched. We (the buying public) still won't know for sure how the algorithm and criteria analysis will work under the hood next year to mimic the real life selection. So adding it this year and creating what they think would go into it wouldn't have bothered people as much as moving into the 2014 season in Dynasty and still being locked into the BCS format will.

      Not a deal-breaker for me, but I did hope they would have added it into this year's game.
    1. countryboy's Avatar
      countryboy -
      Not surprised.

      I don't view it as a big deal to be honest. Would it be nice as an option??? Of course the more options the better.

      However, I could see where this would be difficult to program where one year the game is supposed to use the old format and then the following years it needs to choose the playoff contenders using an entirely different code.

      My feeling is that had they tried to do that, we would be left with potentially buggy results.

      .02
    1. CLW's Avatar
      CLW -
      Not surprised but disappointed as it wouldn't be "hard" to give the option for a 4 team tourny to end the season.
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Quote Originally Posted by Noles94 View Post
      My thoughts, originally posted elsewhere. I think it would have been nice to at least have the option to select playoffs. At least in the 2014 season. Here is what I said:

      I feel what you are saying and I'm not usually the guy who complains a lot. However, on this I have to disagree. If EA had spent the entirety of this console generation focusing on getting everything exactly right and as realistic as possible I'd say yeah they shouldn't have things just thrown in and reworked the next year. But they do that with other aspects of the game every year. There are camera angles that don't exist in real life broadcasts. You can add and subtract teams, build up to a conference championship game, etc. via custom conferences without following the exact way it is done in real life. (I've yet to vote on any grant of rights or relinquished my tier 3 TV rights yet,

      Recruiting, a huge part of dynasty, is nothing like real life. EA simply came up with their own method that tries to incorporate some real life aspects. In Dynasty we don't get a vote in the coaches poll if we are the HC of a team. How they come up with the poll results, as well as the media poll is unknown. Their BCS formula is not the same as the one used in the real world.

      I could go on, but the point is that wanting them to implement an algorithm to select four teams based on ranking, SOS, and three or four other criteria, then tweaking it next year for NCAA 15 so that it perfectly represents the way it will be next season doesn't seem so far fetched. We (the buying public) still won't know for sure how the algorithm and criteria analysis will work under the hood next year to mimic the real life selection. So adding it this year and creating what they think would go into it wouldn't have bothered people as much as moving into the 2014 season in Dynasty and still being locked into the BCS format will.

      Not a deal-breaker for me, but I did hope they would have added it into this year's game.
      Here's the deal. The NCAA wouldn't allow it to go in until it's finalized. It's not even finalized yet.
    1. MC1's Avatar
      MC1 -
      I'm mostly a head 2 head online player, I won't miss it. As a matter of fact, I had forgotten all about it(the playoffs). I'm just looking forward to the new gameplay features, I can wait to see it(the playoff system) when the real thing unfolds this season, then when NC15 hits, I'll have an idea of how it will work.
    1. dhook27's Avatar
      dhook27 -
      Well not that suprised but this game will still be good by the looks of things.
    1. countryboy's Avatar
      countryboy -
      Quote Originally Posted by CLW View Post
      Not surprised but disappointed as it wouldn't be "hard" to give the option for a 4 team tourny to end the season.
      4 team playoffs plus bowls?

      If so, I think that would be difficult to program. You would have to re-write the logic on how bowl games are selected plus how the playoff teams are chosen.
    1. steelerfan's Avatar
      steelerfan -
      Quote Originally Posted by MC1 View Post
      I'm mostly a head 2 head online player, I won't miss it. As a matter of fact, I had forgotten all about it(the playoffs). I'm just looking forward to the new gameplay features, I can wait to see it(the playoff system) when the real thing unfolds this season, then when NC15 hits, I'll have an idea of how it will work.
      Real thing unfolds in the 2014-15 season. Not this year.

      Enviado de meu SAMSUNG SGH I997 usando o Tapatalk 2
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Quote Originally Posted by countryboy View Post
      4 team playoffs plus bowls?

      If so, I think that would be difficult to program. You would have to re-write the logic on how bowl games are selected plus how the playoff teams are chosen.
      Exactly. What people perceive as easy to put in are exactly the opposite.

      Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
    1. CLW's Avatar
      CLW -
      Quote Originally Posted by countryboy View Post
      4 team playoffs plus bowls?

      If so, I think that would be difficult to program. You would have to re-write the logic on how bowl games are selected plus how the playoff teams are chosen.
      No simply code the top 4 in the BCS standings into a 4 team playoff played at some neutral bowl game site.
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Quote Originally Posted by CLW View Post
      No simply code the top 4 in the BCS standings into a 4 team playoff played at some neutral bowl game site.
      That's not how it will be done; hence the NCAA wouldn't allow it.

      Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
    1. countryboy's Avatar
      countryboy -
      Quote Originally Posted by CLW View Post
      No simply code the top 4 in the BCS standings into a 4 team playoff played at some neutral bowl game site.
      I get that, but you would still have to re-write the code for how the BCS bowl games are chosen, which in turn effects the other bowl games.

      I understand what you're saying, I truly do, but I don't think its a simple addition to the game.
    1. joshuahuskers's Avatar
      joshuahuskers -
      The NCAA does not govern the FBS college football post season. So saying the NCAA does not allow it is a farce.
    1. GatorfanStovy's Avatar
      GatorfanStovy -
      It sucks but not a big deal though. Like JB it not even finalized yet to be put into the next game. Next year maybe.
    1. natetcu's Avatar
      natetcu -
      Even once the selection committee is given orders on what criteria to choose on, those criteria will change the first time a consciences #3 in the AP and Coaches polls gets left out of the tournament. They will be "tweaking" the criteria every other year, until about 2018 when they breakdown and expand to eight teams. Then they will have a huge fight over who the gets left out (how can you take a two loss Texas over a undefeated Ball State?) So it will be 16 teams. Then on to 20 teams with auto-bids for every conference. But there is still a fight over how you can take a 8-4 Alabama over a 9-3 Arizona! So it goes to 24 teams.

      The point is the tournament will be extremely dynamic. Conferences were so dynamic that they had to invent custom conferences to try to keep up. They need to invent custom post season, so we can set it up as we see fit.
    1. Jayrah's Avatar
      Jayrah -
      Quote Originally Posted by joshuahuskers View Post
      The NCAA does not govern the FBS college football post season. So saying the NCAA does not allow it is a farce.
      Untrue. The NCAA governs what is allowed in the game because they own the copyright in order for EA to use their teams and stadiums and all that goes into college football. So they pretty much govern EVERYTHING that goes into the game, when it comes to decisions representing their real life representation. They have to approve things like this. Options for more teams is one thing, but misrepresenting how the NCAA College Football Playoff will take place won't happen.