So, I finally got my hands on CFB 25, like many folks, and one thing I was really curious about was this whole ‘alma mater’ thing for the coaches. Does it actually do anything in the game? Or is it just some flavor text they added?
I decided to dive right into Dynasty mode to check this out. First thing I did was create a new coach. I spent a good bit of time just messing with the appearance, you know how it is. Then I got to the background stuff, and there it was: Alma Mater. I picked my own old school, just for kicks. Thought maybe it’d give me some kind of secret boost, right?
My Little Experiment
Okay, so I started my coaching career. Not at my alma mater, though. I picked a smaller school, trying to work my way up. I specifically kept an eye on a few things:
- Recruiting: Did players from my coach’s alma mater give me any extra attention? Did recruits mention it? Honestly? I didn’t see much difference. Pitches felt the same. Maybe there’s a tiny background calculation, but nothing jumped out at me. I tried recruiting against my alma mater too, thinking maybe there’d be some extra rivalry spice. Nah. Seemed pretty standard.
- Job Offers: I wondered if my alma mater would be more likely to offer me a job later on. Hard to tell in the first season or two, obviously. I didn’t get deep enough yet to see if that offer pops up more frequently down the line. Seems like performance is still king, which makes sense.
- Game Atmosphere: When I eventually played against my designated alma mater, I was watching closely. Any special commentary? Different crowd reactions? Maybe a slight mention here and there from the commentators, but it didn’t feel like a major game dynamic.
Then I tried starting a different Dynasty, this time taking over at my coach’s listed alma mater right from the beginning. I figured this had to be where it mattered most. Maybe unlock special goals from the AD? Boosted fan support?
Well, the goals seemed pretty typical – win games, make a bowl, beat rivals. The fan happiness meter didn’t seem unusually high just because I was an alum. It still dropped like a rock if I lost a game I shouldn’t have. Performance, performance, performance. That seems to be the main driver, which, you know, is fair.
It kinda reminded me of my first job out of college. I went to a state school, nothing fancy. My boss went to some big-name private university. He mentioned it, like, all the time. Did it make him better at his job? Nope. Did it make me worse at mine? Definitely not. After a while, nobody really cared where you went to school; they just cared if you could do the work. Seems like CFB 25 kinda mirrors that, in a way.
So, does alma mater matter in CFB 25? From what I’ve messed around with so far, it feels mostly like window dressing. It’s a neat touch, adds a bit of personalization for your coach’s story. But does it fundamentally change how you recruit, manage your team, or win games? Doesn’t seem like it, not in a big way. Maybe there are subtle things I missed, or maybe it plays a bigger role many seasons down the line. But for now, I’m focusing more on my play calling than where my digital coach got his degree.
