CFB 27 makes Florida feel different and fans should know where to start

CFB 27 is now officially out for everyone to purchase and play. It’s the third iteration of the video game franchise since EA Sports brought it back after a decade hiatus due to legal wrangling over whether real-life players could be included in the game.

For Florida fans, this year’s edition will require a bit of a learning curve, given the roster overhaul and the new playbook assigned to Florida. The following isn’t so much a review of the game, given that we haven’t been able to dive into dynasty mode, as it is a set of general observations specific to Florida after a weekend of playing it.

Things to know about Florida in CFB 27

Sub Tramell Jones in for Aaron Philo

As the real-life battle for QB1 is set to ramp up in August when Florida returns for fall camp, EA Sports has made it so that Aaron Philo is the default starting QB for Florida. Both Philo and Tramell Jones are rated 75 overall, which is the lowest-rated player on Florida’s offense. But given the setup of Florida’s playbook and the way the attributes are distributed to get to that 75, Jones fits Florida’s base offense in CFB 27 way better than Philo does.

Give yourself time coming out of the huddle

Personally, I tend to play full 15-minute quarters with an accelerated playclock. In past editions, I would set the clock to about 14 or 15 seconds, which still left plenty of time to make a quick adjustment at the line if needed. 

But as mentioned, Florida’s playbook has been overhauled this year, thanks to new OC Buster Faulkner coming to town, and there are a ton of plays in Florida’s playbook that have a built-in presnap shift, followed by another guy going in motion. If you don’t get to the line of scrimmage with at least 16 seconds left on the play clock, there are some plays you might legit not get off in time because of all the presnap movement.

QB blast is your friend

One of the plays that works really well right now is out of the Gun Bunch Quads Open formation. This has a ton of the above-mentioned presnap shifts, and one that works really well is to call Shift RPO O Screen Draw. This will give you a quad look to the right, and if the opponent doesn’t match the numbers, then it’s an easy completion to the RB that could potentially go for a TD if they really screw up the numbers.

But what makes the play work, at least against the CPU, is that after the shift, the defense loads up on the right side and doesn’t leave an LB in the box, then you can audible to a QB blast, which is just a run up the middle that also has big yard potential.

Don’t sleep on Evan Pryor at RB

One thing that feels better about CFB 27 compared to 26 is that Jadan Baugh actually bounces off tacklers and feels way more powerful compared to last year. But just like the QB1 competition, Florida’s RB2 competition in real life still has a long way to go.

But in the game, Evan Pryor has that role and with a speed of 92 and pass-catching abilities that are better than Baugh’s, there are certain plays, such as RB screens, where Pryor is the better option and has TD potential.

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