College Football 27 Details on Dynasty Mode, Gameplay, Crossplay, More from Previews

EA Sports officially previewed College Football 27 on Thursday, with some major changes coming to the beloved franchise.

We'll start with most players' favorite mode, Dynasty.

Changes to the mode will include dynamic Athletic Director Expectations unique to each school; distinct school demeanors and priorities (expectations at Ohio State are far more immediate and demanding, for example, than at Temple) which can evolve over time; Dynasty Points you will earn depending on your team's prestige, resources and success that will be spent on hiring your staff, improving team facilities and equipment, NIL payments for recruits and transfers, etc.

NIL won't replace traditional recruiting systems, however, with players still having preferences on "scouting, My School grades, pipelines, pitches, coach abilities, [and] playing time." But NIL payments can be used to supplement your recruiting pitch.

And yes, once you get those 5-star players, you will need to keep them happy with a competitive NIL. The portal beckons, after all.

Road to Glory also saw big changes this year, including starting in high school this time around. The mode will also include a more dynamic progression and archetype system—or the Legend Template, which will allow you to build out a player similar to a tight end like Rob Gronkowski or Vernon Davis, for instance—a deeper Mental Abilities system; a reworked Team Impacts grading system; and deeper weekly agendas, scenarios and dilemmas, among other changes.

Finally, gameplay changes are coming as well and will mirror some of the changes coming to the new Madden, most notably improved zone coverage. EA Sports also added far more depth for alignment, pre-snap adjustments, situational adjustments, control over how your players will react in specific scenarios (think a quarterback scrambling out of the pocket—now you can decide whether that outside zone player will stick in their zone or attach to the player nearest them as the play breaks down) and more.

Defensive playbooks have also been dramatically expanded, with 31 playbooks in total, six Defensive Styles and 16 new defensive formations. Wide receivers and cornerbacks will also battle for jams/releases and mid-route jostling. And that's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the gameplay changes.

NCAA Football 27 will come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on Thursday, July 9 and will support crossplay.