Game Over: EA pulls plug on college football video game

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By Kevin McGuireSep 26, 2013, 5:35 PM EDT

Perhaps destined for this decision, Electronic Arts has announced the cancellation of the popular NCAA Football video game franchise for the upcoming year. The video game giant is caught in the middle of an ongoing legal dispute concerning the NCAA and former college players and had already lost the license to use the NCAA brand as well as multiple conferences and a couple of schools. In this case, the writing was on the wall.

The announcement gamers have been dreading was delivered Thursday afternoon vie a press release by Cam Weber, GM of American Football at EA Sports.

“Today I am sad to announce that we will not be publishing a new college football game next year, and we are evaluating our plan for the future of the franchise,” Weber said. “This is as profoundly disappointing to the people who make this game as I expect it will be for the millions who enjoy playing it each year.”

Weber cites the dispute between players and the NCAA over player likenesses, one in which EA has been criticized for using without any form of compensation for players represented in the game aside from the annual cover athlete. In addition, Weber says

“For our part, we are working to settle the lawsuits with the student-athletes,” Weber said. “Meanwhile, the NCAA and a number of conferences have withdrawn their support of our game. The ongoing legal issues combined with increased questions surrounding schools and conferences have left us in a difficult position – one that challenges our ability to deliver an authentic sports experience, which is the very foundation of EA SPORTS games.”

The production team that works on the video game will be placed elsewhere under the EA Sports division of Electronic Arts, but there will be no college football-themed video game released next summer. The college football franchise has been released every year dating back to 1993 on the Super Nintendo and SEGA Genesis. When introduced, the game used Bill Walsh to headline the franchise and was a bit ahead of its time. The game featured only a relatively small number of teams that resembled actual college teams but included a playoff system long before the adoption of the actual College Football Playoff. Walsh’s namesake was used to sell the franchise in similar fashion to John Madden and the NFL franchise, but the franchise was soon named College Football USA before switching to NCAA Football.

EA Sports has long been the only producer of a college football game. 2k Sports had two college football titles released in 2001 and 2002, but the company has slowly been phased out by EA Sports in the sports video game market. Will we eventually see another college football game released on our video game consoles? Probably. This is probably not a long-term or permanent solution, but until the NCAA, conferences, schools and players all start playing under a system that allows for players to be compensated we have probably seen the last college football game for a while. The demand will always be there as well as the target audience, but off-field legalities must be sorted out first.

UPDATE (5:43 p.m.): Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com reports EA Sports and Collegiate Licensing Co. have settled a number of lawsuits with as many as 100,000 current and former players.

Photo credit: EA Sports

Michigan adds future home games vs. Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and Army

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By Kevin McGuireMay 4, 2017, 6:40 PM EDT

Michigan put the finishing touches on the football schedules for 2018 and 2019 with the additions of Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and Army. Both Western Michigan and Middle Tennessee will accept a healthy check for their appearances in Ann Arbor as well.

Michigan will host Western Michigan of the MAC on September 8, 2018 and pay the Broncos $1.2 million for the game. A year later, Michigan will start the season with back-to-back home games against Middle Tennessee (August 31, 2019) and Army (September 7, 2019). Michigan will pay Middle Tennessee $1.6 million, according to a press release from Middle Tennessee. It is unknown how much Army will receive for their trip to Michigan.

Michigan owns a 6-0 all-time record against Western Michigan and trails Army 5-4 in their all-time series history, although Michigan owns a four-game winning streak in the series. Michigan and Army last played each other in 1962. Michigan and Middle Tennessee State have never faced each other before.

The Big Ten scheduling requirement of playing a power conference opponent, or the equivalent of one as determined by the Big Ten office, was already satisfied with Michigan’s future scheduling efforts. The Wolverines play at Notre Dame to open the 2018 season and host the Irish in late October in 2019. Michigan will begin the 2017 season in Arlington, Texas against Florida and has future power conference opponents lined up in 2020 (at Washington, Virgina Tech), 2021 (at Virginia Tech, Washington), 2022 (UCLA), 2023 (at UCLA), 2024 (Texas), 2025 (at Oklahoma), 2026 (Oklahoma), and 2027 (at Texas).

Middle Tennessee State’s non-conference schedule in 2019 is jammed with power conference opponents. The Blue Raiders will also play a game at Iowa and will get a home game against Duke in addition to their trip to Michigan. The program also faces three power conference opponents this fall with games against Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and Minnesota. The same is true in 2019 with a SEC East sampler of games against Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Kentucky (all on the road).

UCF extends contract of Scott Frost after promising debut season

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By Kevin McGuireMay 4, 2017, 4:45 PM EDT

Scott Frost wasted no time getting settled in at UCF. In his debut season with the Knights, Frost coached UCF to a 6-6 regular season and a bowl trip a year after the program had gone 0-12. For that, UCF is already making sure they lock down one of the potentially popular names in the coaching rumor mill in the coming years by working out a contract extension.

UCF announced a contract extension for Frost today, keeping him employed through the 2021 season.

“I couldn’t be more proud to work with Scott Frost as we build a nationally-competitive football program, representing UCF and our community across the country,” UCFDirector of athletics Danny White said in a released statement. “In my view, the turnaround he led has been nothing short of phenomenal. To that end, we remain incredibly excited about the direction of our football program under Coach Frost’s leadership. Successful programs are built around consistency and continuity. As such, I am absolutely thrilled that Scott sees the vast potential of UCF and is committed to our bright future.”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue building a winning culture and a winning football program at UCF,” Frost said in a released statement. “Ashley and I feel like we have found a home in Orlando and with the UCF community.”

Frost was hired by UCF in December 2015 after a season that saw George O’Leary step down in the middle of the year. The former Nebraska Cornhusker and Stanford Cardinal player started his coaching career at Nebraska in 2002 as a graduate assistant. He also served as a graduate assistant at Kansas State and went on to hold positions at Northern Iowa and Oregon.

Though expected to lead an offensive resurgence with UCF, the program saw a significant and much-needed turnaround on defense least season under Frost. This season figures to be another step forward for the program as it works its way back to being a top AAC contender once again.

Attorney: Deebo Samuel wasn’t present for alleged bar assault

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By John TaylorMay 4, 2017, 3:57 PM EDT

Tuesday, Will Muschamp very emphatically stated that one of the players accused in connection to a bar fight, star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, wasn’t present for an incident at a Columbia bar.  Two days later, another individual is coming to the South Carolina receiver’s defense.

Neal Lourie, an attorney representing Samuel, stated in a press release, via the Columbia State, that his client was not present for or a part of an alleged assault at Five Points Saloon very early Saturday morning.  Samuel, along with teammate and linebacker Skai Moore as well as former Gamecock Jalen Dread, had been named in a criminal complaint filed in connection to the alleged assault of a 24-year-old man.

“It’s unfortunate his reputation was tarnished by inaccurate reporting and a rush to publish a story without any independent corroboration,” a portion of the release read. “I hope there will be a retraction with as strong a headline as the initial false report.”

As of Wednesday, the State reports, none of the players connected to the incident have spoken to police.  Video surveillance of the alleged incident is expected to be made available to police at some point, while the newspaper has asked for a copy of it as well.

It’s unclear if Moore has secured legal representation.  Muschamp made no mention of the starting linebacker when he issued a denial on Samuel’s behalf.

Last season, Samuel led USC with 59 receptions for 783 yards.

Boise State lands commitment from Kansas graduate transfer QB Montell Cozart

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By John TaylorMay 4, 2017, 3:03 PM EDT

Less than a month after losing a quarterback, Boise State has filled that signal-calling void.

While the football program has yet to confirm it, the Idaho Statesman, citing an unnamed source, is reporting that Montell Cozart has committed to Boise State.  The player himself confirmed the news via Twitter a short time ago.

Cozart announced in late February that he would be transferring from Kansas.

The fifth-year senior will be coming to the Broncos as a graduate transfer, giving him immediate eligibility for the upcoming season.  This year will be his final season of eligibility.

Cozart started five games as a true sophomore in 2014, then started three of the first four games of the 2015 season before a shoulder injury ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of the year.  After starting seven games this past season, he lost his job just past the midway point and never got it back.

He received a medical hardship waiver for the 2015 season, giving him another year of eligibility that he’ll apparently use with the Broncos.

Junior Brett Rypien is Boise’s unquestioned starter, with Cozart battling with redshirt freshman Jake Constantine for the backup job.  A three-star 2017 signee, Chase Cord, will join that fray when he arrives in the summer.

Junior college transfer Rathen Ricedorff would’ve been a part of the quarterbacking mix, but an unspecified NCAA rules violation rendered him ineligible for the entire 2017 season.  Ricedorff subsequently left the football team and is not expected to return.