Best playbooks in College Football 26: Ranking the top NCAA offensive and defensive plays to use in 2025 game

CFB 26 has mercifully arrived, accompanied by a cadre of video game players unwilling to relinquish their grip on their weapon of choice: a controller.

As trash talk spills from one side of the country to another, there are a host of players hoping to experiment with their in-game setups in 2025. There are a host of customizable features in the game, from appearance to passing styles.

Yet, you'll be hard pressed to find a tool more necessary to achieving success in the college football (virtual) world than playbooks. They are the flint and stone for those hoping to vanquish their opponents, the building blocks by which players embrace the sport for all of its tactical flourish.

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So, which systems are better than the rest? Here's a look at the best offensive and defensive playbooks in EA College Football 26.

Best offensive playbooks in College Football 26

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.

Air Raid

The air game still reigns supreme in college football. Its banner video game is no exception. You can't go wrong with the classics, and the Don Coryell-inspired passing game remains a winner in the metaverse. Fly patterns and quick passing proved hard to stop in last year's version of the game. We expect it to be similar in this version.

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas offered a platform for dual-threat quarterbacks to wreak havoc on opposing defenses in last year's game. With 194 new plays in the game, more than any other team, the Jayhawks should prove a popular choice for those hoping to embrace the run game in 2025.

Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers' playlist looks slated to be a part of the game's meta in its opening few months. It has proven a steady option for those who first got their hands on the game. The even-handed approach Oregon State employs on the offensive side of the ball is reflected in its playbook, with both the run and pass getting some shine.

Rice Owls

The Rebels boast a strong offensive playbook for quarterbacks who 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.

Texas Longhorns

Texas' playbook was a favorite in 2024. It should remain popular in 2025, as well, with its use of tight ends and tailbacks proving especially alluring. The question remains, though: is the system effective with quarterbacks who aren't as highly regarded as Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning? If so, you've found yourself quite a useful play script.

Best defensive playbooks in College Football 26

The old adage suggests defense wins championships, but what defense in particular? Well, that's a bit more complicated of a question to answer. Here's what you need to know.

Multiple

The classics are there for a reason, and no formation is more essential to CFB 26 than multiple, which gives players flexibility to craft a setup to their own liking. It's hard to succeed without giving offenses new looks. Multiple does that better than any other preset.

3-3-5 Tite

The 3-3-5 Tite playbook sees three D-linemen, three linebackers, and three defensive backs populate the field at a given moment. It has served as a successful deterrent for run plays in recent seasons and looks slated to take on a similar dynamic in 2025. EA updated the feature to include a few new wrinkles this time around.

3-2-6

The Air Raid offense has shown little signs of slowing down in the year since CFB was brought back. So, why not employ a defense noted for its ability to shut down such a setup: the 3-2-6?

Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock crafted the scheme, which sees six players drop into the secondary to defend the pass. Perhaps it leaves defenses a bit exposed in terms of stopping the run, but with linebacker-safety hybrids offering speed and strength, it could prove a favorite among players hoping to quell passing scores.

College Football 26 team ratings

The team ratings for this year's iteration of EA College Football are quite a bit different from its predecessor. EA looks to have nerfed ratings across the board, with top-ranked Alabama sporting an 89 overall team rating, a mark that would've been good for ninth highest on launch day last year.

That's not to say that it's impossible to down the Crimson Tide with Georgia Southern, but it won't be easy, either.

With that, here are the top 25 teams in College Football 26.

Which teams have best offenses to use?

Texas claims the top spot among CFB 26 offenses on launch day. It seems EA's stat gurus don't expect much of a decline when Arch Manning steps into the starting QB role this season.

Which teams have best defenses to use?

Unsurprisingly, Alabama takes the prize as CFB 26's highest-ranked defense. Tim Keenan III and LT Overton spearhead the monstrosity of a unit, which figures to rank among the country's best in 2025.