How Composure Works in College Football 25

One of the biggest challenges facing the team designing EA Sports College Football 25 was differentiating it from Madden NFL. The athletes themselves are one of the differences. With 134 teams in the game, the talent gap between Alabama and the University of Louisiana-Monroe is a chasm. Acknowledging that college football players aren't fully formed yet, in CFB they will make more mistakes than their professional counterparts. That's especially true when the composure mechanic comes into play.

Each player on the field has a composure meter that lets the coach know how well they're keeping it together. Making successful plays at their position will steadily increase the meter. Once it fills, you'll see the universal sports game symbol for good play, a fire icon, under the player. They get a ratings increase as well as a bonus determined by their player archetype.

For example, those frequent mistakes I mentioned? A QB with the Scrambler designation will be less likely to fumble when on fire. When a player's composure meter is full, by all means, let him cook. Players can use Coach Vision (LT+RS) to check the entire's composure.

Of course, things don't always go according to plan, even for big-time coaches such as Nick Saban or Steve Spurrier. A runner whose fumble led to an opposing TD might lose all his composure, represented by a big snowflake under them. To get them functioning again, they will need a string of successful plays or one really big one. I've found a good time to farm composure is at the end of the first half. The opponent will often give you a bunch of five-yard passes while defending against the big play. Or if it's late in the game and you don't have time for that, you might need to bench the player.

Not all players are created equal though. A senior in his third conference championship game will be more seasoned than a freshman stepping into the game for his first-ever snap. Several player abilities work with composure as well. The Fan Favorite ability gives players increased composure gains when playing at home. The Best Friend ability is a boon for receivers and QBs. It increases composure gains for the QB if the receiver makes a successful catch on 3rd or 4th down.

Confidence and composure are one of the many ways EA Sports College Football captures the Saturday magic.