NCAA Football 13: Complete Analysis for Team and Heisman Player Ratings

Jay-Z once said: "men and women lie, numbers don't." That statement is never more true than in player ratings on video games, and NCAA Football 13 is no exception.

Obviously, Mr. Carter was referring to monetary numbers, but the reference still fits all the same.

The ratings for the teams in NCAA 13 may draw some "oohs" and ahhs. Possibly even some of these: "What? I can't believe he's only rated a" fill-in the blank.

Either way, these numbers dictate how good the players you control, and compete against will be. This year, EA Sports got all nostalgic on us.

They implemented a new mode of play called Heisman Challenge. It's basically a spin-off of the popular Road to Glory mode.

RTG is great, and it returns this year. But let's say you don't want to exclusively control some snot-nosed cyber high school player through his senior year at Whatever High.

You now get to take control of 10 (three more through pre-orders and DLC) of the greatest Heisman trophy winners in history. You can put them on any team and have them compete against today's teams.

It's a pretty sweet concept.

So what about the ratings? Well the legends have to be rated too right? Of course they do.

EA keeps the ratings for each Heisman player a bit secret. All of them are 99-overall, but the specifics aren't available.

This slideshow will show each of the Heisman-winners, as well as the Top 25 teams in the country.

It's all in the numbers. Click through the slideshow to see the bottom line. 

The Heisman Challenge Players

Here are the legends you can use in the Heisman Challenge, along with their original schools and the years they captured the trophy.

Marcus Allen—1981

Doug Flutie—1984

Eddie George—1995

Robert Griffin III—2011

Desmond Howard—1991

Carson Palmer—2002

Barry Sanders—1988

Charlie Ward—1993

Andre Ware—1989

Herschel Walker—1982 

Available through the NCAA Football 13 demo download:

Tim Brown—1987

Archie Griffin—1974, 1975 

Jim Plunkett—1970 

Available through NCAA Football 13 pre-order from GameStop:

Mark Ingram—2009 

Matt Leinart—2004 

Tim Tebow—2007 

Top 25: Fringe Teams

21. Boise State - Offense: B+, Defense: B-, Overall: B+

22. Texas Longhorns - Offense: B+, Defense: A+, Overall: A+

23. Oklahoma State Cowboys - Offense: A-, Defense B+, Overall A

No Brandon Weeden and no Justin Blackmon equal a bit of a fall for the Cowboys.

24. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Offense: A, Defense: A, Overall A+

Is this finally going to be the year the Irish return to national relevancy?

25. Florida Gators - Offense: B, Defense: A-, Overall: B+

This season will be a rough one for the Gators in the SEC. 

Top 25: Strong, but Not Contenders

16. Wisconsin Badgers - Offense: A+, Defense: A, Overall: A+

Everyone is talking about Ohio State and Michigan, but the Badgers have a solid team lead by last year's Heisman finalist, Montee Ball.

17. TCU Horned Frogs - Offense: A, Defense: B, Overall: A-

18. Ohio State Buckeyes - Offense: B+, Defense: A, Overall: A

Urban Meyer's crew will perform well. Watch for Donovan McNabb-clone Braxton Miller to shine.

19. Nebraska Cornhuskers - Offense: B+, Defense: B, Overall: B+

20. Stanford Cardinal - Offense: B+, Defense: B+, Overall: A-

Even without Andrew Luck, the Cardinal's program will be respectable.

Top 25: Teams to Watch Closely

11. South Carolina Gamecocks: Offense: A-, Defense: B+, Overall: A

My sleeper pick for the Heisman is Marcus Lattimore. He's the best running back in the country if he stays healthy.

12. Michigan State Spartans - Offense: B+, Defense: B+, Overall: A-

13. Kansas State Wildcats - Offense: A-, Defense: B, Overall: B+

Collin Klein could be a dark horse for the Heisman as he tries to lead the Wildcats into a BCS bowl game.

14. Clemson Tigers - Offense: A, Defense: B+, Overall: A+

If this team is respectable on defense they could be as good as anyone. Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are one of the best QB-WR combinations in the country.

15. Virginia Tech Hokies - Offense: B+, Defense: A+, Overall: A

Top 25: Knocking on the Door of the Elite

6. Georgia Bulldogs - Offense: A, Defense: B+, Overall: A+

This is a great team. They will push LSU and Alabama for top spot in the SEC.

7. Arkansas Razorbacks - Offense: A, Defense: B, Overall: A

8. Florida State Seminoles - Offense: A-, Defense: A, Overall: A+

If you think they're good now, wait until 2014 when this recruiting class grows up. The Noles are back.

9. Michigan Wolverines - Offense: A, Defense: B+, Overall: A+

Can Denard Robinson continue his maturation into a complete QB?

10. West Virginia Mountaineers - Offense: B+, Defense: C+, Overall: B

Top 25: The Elite

1. Alabama Crimson Tide - Offense: A-, Defense: A, Overall: A+

The Tide are a young defense, but that O-Line and rushing attack should be nasty.

2. USC Trojans - Offense: A+, Defense: B+, Overall: A+

This is what Matt Barkley came back to school for. He is the Heisman favorite and the Trojans look pretty solid.

3. LSU Tigers - Offense: A+, Defense: A+, Overall: A+

4. Oregon Ducks - Offense: A, Defense: A, Overall: A+

5. Oklahoma Sooners - Offense: A, Defense: A-, Overall: A+

I don't believe in Landry Jones as a clutch performer, but apparently EA does.