Best playbooks in College Football 25: Ranking the top NCAA offensive and defensive plays to use in 2024 game

Brendan OSullivan

Best playbooks in College Football 25: Ranking the top NCAA offensive and defensive plays to use in 2024 game image

EA Sports College Football 25 has a plethora of customization options, including how users run their offense and defense.

Want to feature a ground-and-pound scheme, or do you prefer an aerial attack? Is a defense focused on ball-hawking or stuffing the line of scrimmage more your style?

The choice is yours in College Football 25. Mix and match schemes to fit your ideal play style. There's no right answer for which playbook is the best, rather it's which one works best for you.

Here's a complete guide on which offensive and defense playbooks to choose for College Football 25.

MORE: When does EA Sports College Football 25 release?

Best offensive playbooks in College Football 25

There isn't an objective answer for best offensive playbook. Rather, it's more important to pick one tailored to your play style. Certain playbooks have better passing schemes, while others feature better running attacks.

Here are some of the top offensive playbooks and how they're best utilized.

MORE: What are the best pipelines in EA Sports College Football 25?

Army Black Knights

Army's playbook is tailored for those who prefer to run the ball. This mirrors Army's real life play style of ground-and-pound rather than airing the football out.

Charlotte 49ers

It's not a popular school in college football world, but the 49ers have a solid playbook optimized for pistol plays and tailored to tight ends. The biggest draw for this scheme is the Tight Doubles shotgun formation.

Multiple

Using the multiple playbook is the most beginner-friendly option because it offers a little bit of everything. It's a good place to start when picking up College Football 25 if you're unsure what your style is.

UNLV Rebels

The Rebels boast a strong offensive playbook for quarterbacks that can run and pass the ball effectively. Because of the plethora of RPO plays, the user can choose on the fly whether they'd like to run or pass against a specific set defense.

Utah State Aggies

For those that like to get their tight ends involved on offense, the Utah State playbook is the way to go.

MORE: How to access EA Sports College Football 25 early?

Best defensive playbooks in College Football 25

As with offense, there isn't one superior playbook on defense. It's all about preference and how the user can best maximize the formations at their disposal.

Here are some of the top defensive playbooks and how they're best utilized.

Multiple

For those just picking up College Football 25, multiple is the best option. It provides a handful of different formations which allows for the user to switch mid-game based on the offense they're facing.

3-3-5 Tite

The 3-3-5 Tite playbook is a popular choice for defensive playbooks thanks to its ability to slow down spread offenses.

The scheme includes three defensive linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs.

It's best equipped to stop the run, but it has its strengths defending the pass as well. If the team is primarily passing the ball, consider switching to a different formation for more coverage.

MORE: Who are the highest-rated players in EA Sports College Football 25?

4-2-5

The 4-2-5 playbook is another flexible option for defenses going against a balanced offensive attack. It features four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs.

Four defensive linemen is enough to regularly generate pressure in the pocket or to stuff the run game. It's also strong in the secondary with five backs. The two linebackers can either blitz or drop back into coverage, offering the user a potential audible.

College Football 25 team ratings

Contrary to offensive and defensive playbooks, team ratings are objective. This doesn't mean you can't beat Georgia with Old Dominion, but it'll be much harder.

Here are the top 25 teams in College Football 25:

RankTeamOverall rating
1.Georgia95
2.Ohio State93
3.Oregon93
4.Alabama92
5.Texas02
6.Clemson90
7.Notre Dame90
8.LSU90
9.Penn State88
10.Utah88
11.Michigan88
12.Florida State88
13. Miami88
14.Texas A&M88
15.Ole Miss88
16.Colorado87
17.Oklahoma87
18.Wisconsin87
19.USC87
20.Virginia Tech87
21.NC State87
22.Kansas87
23.Arizona87
24.Oklahoma State87
25.Iowa87

Which teams have best offenses to use?

RankTeamOffensive rating
1.Georgia94
2.Oregon94
3.Alabama91
4.Texas91
5.Ohio State89
6.LSU89
7.Miami89
8.Colorado89
9.Missouri89
10.Clemson97
11.Utah87
12.Penn State87
13.Ole Miss87
14.Kansas87
15.Arizona87
16.NC State87
17.Notre Dame85
18.Texas A&M85
19.Memphis85
20.SMU85
21.UCF85
22.Florida State83
23.Oklahoma83
24.Virginia Tech83
25.USC83

Which teams have best defenses to use?

RankTeamDefensive rating
1.Ohio State96
2.Georgia94
3.Oregon90
4.Alabama90
5.Clemson90
6.Notre Dame90
7.Michigan90
8.Texas88
9.Penn State88
10.Utah88
11.Florida State88
12.Oklahoma88
13.Iowa88
14.Virginia Tech86
15.Wisconsin86
16.USC86
17.Auburn86
18.LSU84
19.Texas A&M84
20.Colorado84
21.Oklahoma State84
22.Louisville84
23.North Carolina84
24.Kansas State84
25.Florida84

Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.