Season 5 National Championship Game (Full Game Video)

LSU Does It; Ends Clemson's Reign As National Champions
Heroics on Game's Final Play Seal Championship for LSU in RUTS 1's Final Game
#1 LSU - 34
#2 Clemson - 28
Player of the Game: Dee Dee Johnson (WR) - Back-to-back KO Returns for TDs

Pre-Game Video


National Championship Game Video
Part 1 (double click to view full screen)


Part 2 (double click to view full screen)


Part 3 (double click to view full screen)


Part 4 (double click to view full screen)


Part 5 (double click to view full screen)


Part 6 (double click to view full screen)


Part 7 (double click to view full screen)

Gators & Noles Wrap Up RUTS 1 Games; Tears Are Shed

#3 Florida State - 87
#7 Michigan - 10

_________

#17 Florida - 72
#13 Wisconsin - 19

Coach utvol27: "It's on like Donkey Kong"

Coach utvol27's statements at media day before the 2013 BCS title game:

"It's on like Donkey Kong!!! Why Donkey Kong you ask? Easy, it's obviously the second best Nintendo game, behind Super Tecmo Bowl. But also Donkey Kong because we some Wild Boyzzz! We are gonna be like rabid gorillas out there Monday, just like Donkey Kong!! Don't ask about the first game vs. the Tiggers this season. Fluke, that's all. We also didn't show our full scheme against them. We've got an ace up our sleeve for this game. They have no idea what's about to come crashing down on them. Let's just say that what we have planned vs. LSU will baffle them more than those sudoku puzzles. The pain's coming, and LSU will leave Miami weeping and smelling like burnt corndogs. I'm going to go ahead and apologize to ABC/ESPN for the blowout this will be. I don't want to intentionally hurt their ratings. It will just be a byproduct of the on-field beatdown. We're gonna get out 5th ring, no doubt about it! The Wild Boyz are rowdy, ready, and rambumcious! It's on like Donkey Kong, let's take it outside!"

Coach utvol27 then stood up, broke the podium with a smashing elbow drop, ripped his shirt off, thus revealing two nipple pasties, and stormed off the stage. His players, shirtless as well, greeted him with raucous monkey-like dancing and yelling in the side room.

National Championship Game Preview....and a Taste of What's To Come In RUTS

January 1, 2013



It all comes down to this...brother vs. brother, Tiger vs. Tiger, purple vs. purple...#1 LSU and #2 Clemson will battle it out for the Season 5 National Title in the final game of RUTS 1. Experts agree that this rematch (LSU defeated Clemson 47-9 in week 2 of this season) was destined to happen.



Clemson enters the game as a 3 1/2 point underdog, but they will not relinquish their grip on the BCS crystal ball without a fight. With confidence and 4 rings on its side, Clemson undoubtably has the poise and confidence to come out victorious in these kinds of games. However, if anyone is fit to knock Goliath off of his throne, its LSU. Clemson has an unrivaled 66-3 record so far in RUTS' 5 seasons, but the Bayou Bengals from Baton Rouge have beaten Clemson two straight times, and the overall series is tied at 2-2 entering this game. If anyone has the skill and roster talent to be confident going into a game against Clemson, its LSU.



This RUTS rivalry's trophy, the 54 Cowbell, which has been on display in Baton Rouge for the past two seasons, is being put into retirement for this game, as bigger and better things are on the line.



All of Hollywood's starlets and Miami's beach celebrities will be on hand for this one. Shaquille O'Neal, an LSU alum, will host a party at his beachfront home for all LSU fans traveling to South Beach. Corndogs are on the menu. Shaq stated that his party will be unrivaled by the "other Tigers in the city" because, as Shaq stated, "no one cool as ever graduated from Clemson, except Horace Grant and Lucas Glover, who got lucky and won the US Open way back in 2009 and was never heard from again." In this battle of Tigers, who other than Tiger Woods would be fitting to toss the coin before the game? Tiger, Tiger Woods, y'all. And People Magazine confirmed today that Jon and Kate Gosselin will be in attendance at Dolphins Stadium, with Jon wearing LSU gold and Kate sporting Clemson orange. As usual, the former couple will pose for cameras as they insist this rivalry is what's best for their 8 kids, who, just like in real life, will be stuck in the middle of their parents' feud. Boom roasted!



Newly elected US President, and former Dundler Mifflin big-wig, Michael Scott who won last November's presidential election in a landslide, will be watching the game from the luxury of Dan Marino's suite at the stadium. Scott insists he's most excited about "receiving a new pair of Isotoners from Dan."



With all the hubbub surrounding RUTS' final showdown, it all comes down to the X's and O's, which team can handle the ups and downs of this kind of stage, and whose big players step up for their team. The winner will walk into the sunset holding RUTS 1's final crystal ball, with Queen's stadium anthem "We Are The Champions" blaring, as confetti pours down from the heavens. Purple Rain, you might call it.

The BCS National Championship game kicks off at 7:45 PM (EST) on Monday, June 29. Television coverage will be announced soon, but the game will be aired either LIVE on Ustream.com or tape-delayed on YouTube (and the RUTS website).

________________

In The Coming Weeks....

After the title game, the RUTS PR Office (with feedback from all RUTS coaches) will be releasing a retrospective of RUTS 1, including:

- RUTS Best Players

- RUTS Top 10 Games

- RUTS Top Plays

In addition, the long awaited unvieling of the RUTS 2 logo will take place in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Conference Champions Crowned, Bowl Games Set

The Curse Is Lifted, Tigers Advance To National Title Game
LSU Overcomes 21-7 Deficit, Has Big Second Half To Defeat Sneaky Gators
#1 LSU - 42
#5 Florida - 31
News story:
Atlanta, GA -- In what can only be described as a 'fight to the finish' the top ranked LSU Tigers overcame 3 seasons of disappointment to outlast the #5 Florida Gators and win the 2012 SEC Championship. The Tigers got off to a rough start from the opening kickoff. The Gators used an 80 yard kickoff return to set up its first score, and eventually built a 21-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter behind the surprisng "French Frye Package," which also gave the Tigers fits in last year's SEC title game. Gator RB Zach Frye lined up behind center about 85% of the game, and kept the LSU defense on its heels with his quick feet, accurate arm, and witty trash talking.

"We came in expecting to see Phillips at QB most of the game, but Coach Stu really caught us off guard," said Coach UTVOL54. "Frye is a great player, and we had to make an adjustment, or this game would not have turned out the way it did."

The Gators built the 21-7 lead before LSU scored a TD and 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 21-15. Florida was driving into field goal range in the final minute of the 1st half, but LSU's defense held the Gators on a 4th and 3. The Tigers had 3 timeouts and just over 40 seconds to try to get another score, but QB Jordan Jefferson threw a bad pass into coverage, and the Gators picked it off, giving them the ball right back. Florida kicked a FG as time expired in the 1st half to take a 24-15 lead into the locker room.

LSU would get the ball first to start the 2nd half and marched down the Georgia Dome field to cut the lead to 24-21. On its next play, Florida ran a WR screen pass and with some great blocking and weaving, raced 70 yards down field for the score. Midway through the 3rd Qtr, Florida held a 31-21 lead, and hope looked gloom for the Tigers. LSU rallied to cut the lead to 31-28, and then the game got frantic. Florida's Zach Frye fumbled on a 4th down try, LSU threw an interception, and Florida threw its own INT...all in the span of a few minutes.

LSU finally took advantage of the turnovers and took its first lead of the game, 35-31 on a Jordan Jefferson QB sneak with 3:30 left in the game. Florida, trying to mount a late game comeback, was intercepted early in its next drive, and LSU was able to chew away valuable minutes off the clock before scoring the game's final TD with 1 minute remaining. LSU held on to win the game 42-31, finally getting the pesky monkey off its back.

"We're going to enjoy this win tonight," said UTVOL54. "But as soon as we get back to Baton Rouge, our focus turns to Clemson. We are confident, talented, and efficient most of the time, and it's going to take a A+ effort to beat them twice in 1 season. We know we're not 37 points better than them, like we beat them the 1st time at their place, but we think we can be at least 1 point better this go-round."


Five Alive? Clemson Drills UVA To Earn 5th Straight BCS Title Game Birth
Rematch Against #1 LSU Will Be Final Game of RUTS I
#2 Clemson - 105
Virginia - 10

__________

2012 Hesiman Trophy Winner - Blake Miller (Clemson, RB)
(Miller becomes the 3rd Clemson RB to win the Heisman Trophy in RUTS)
__________

Bowl Games

BCS National Championship
#1 LSU (13-0) vs. #2 Clemson (12-1)


Sugar Bowl
#3 Florida State (10-2) vs. #7 Michigan (10-2)


Capital One Bowl
#17 Florida (9-4) vs. #13 Wisconsin (9-3)

It All Comes Down To This...

RUTS I is rounding the final turn and heading down the home stretch. It's Conference title week!

The #2 Clemson Tigers look to be all but a lock to wrap up their 5th consecutive ACC title tonight, as they play the Virginia Cavaliers in the conference title game in Tampa. A victory secures the Tigers a birth in the BCS National title game for the 5th consecutive season.

And, for the 10th time in RUTS I history, the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators do battle on the gridiron. #1 LSU enters the game on a roll after navigating through a gauntlet of a schedule. The Tigers have defeated the current #2 team (Clemson), #3 team (FSU), #4 team (Bama), #5 team (FL), #6 team (Texas), and #7 team (Oregon) in the BCS standings, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Bill Walsh invented the game of football in 1993. But all of those big wins will be for naught if the Tigers do the unthinkable, and choke away a 4th consecutive BCS title game birth at the end of the season.

"We're treating this like a regular game," said LSU head coach UTVOL54. "A regular game for all the marbles, the SEC title, all pride and man-hood, against our arch nemesis, for a shot to win a national championship in the final season of RUTS I. No pressure!"

LSU's cool, calm, and collected QB Jordan Jefferson quickly stepped to the mic and soothed his head coach with a hug and said "we will be ready for a battle. We'll have to bring our A game, as always, but this is our time, our destiny, our storybook ending. We will hit them late [and in the balls after the whistle] if necessary. Eye for an eye, groin for a groin!"

The #5 Gators were hoping to be in the national title picture as well. Although they have climbed back into the Top 5, it seems like they are resigned to the role of spoiler, a role which has served Coach Stu and the Florida program very well against LSU for the past 3 seasons. In Season 2, Coach Stu's Miami team ran roughshot over the Tigers in Miami in week 14, Florida defeated LSU by 6 in Coach robtheblob51's final game as head coach at Florida, and then last season, in his first in the Jorts capital of the world, Coach Stu used his mojo to upset the Tigers.

Tonight's showdown will also crown the Ultimate SEC Champion, as both LSU and Florida have 2 SEC titles to their credit. Tonight's game will break that tie.

Coach Stu has given his team the week off in preparations for this game, stating that all of the pressure is on LSU, and his team can relax, enjoy the atmosphere, and come away with a victory. Upon arriving in Atlanta last night, the team went straight to the team hotel and had a movie night, watching the new "Star Trek" movie. Coach Stu tweeted that the movie was "excellent," then headed to the hotel's business center to check on his current Ebay bids.

Although Stu's methods for game preparation may appear questionable to the football gurus of the world, there is no denying that his team will be ready to play.

The Game Behind the Game: How They Impact The BCS Race
As the other 3 RUTS teams take to the field, Coach cjohnchavis and his Seminoles will be on the edge of their seats, and be decked out in blue and orange. A Florida or Virginia victory could send the #3 Seminoles to the BCS title game. If somehow, both Florida and Virgina pull the upsets, the Gators could wind up in the BCA title game as well, but with 3 losses that appears to be a long shot.

Some analysts have speculated that even if LSU (12-0) loses tonight, the Tigers might not fall further than the #2 spot, still assuring them a birth in the BCS title game. No other team in the Top 7 has fewer than 2 losses, so it could be likely that if LSU loses, a 1-loss Tiger team would remain ahead of each of the 2-loss teams that they've already defeated this season, including #3 FSU.

If LSU defeats Florida, then things appear to be pretty settled, but if the Gators come out on top, look for all of the RUTS coaches and teams to be waiting eagerly on the edge of their seats, biting their nails, as the BCS bowl births are announced.

Week 13 Scores; News and Notes

WEEK 13:

Tigers Finish Regular Season Unbeaten
#1 LSU - 90
Arkansas - 21

Clemson Goes Hollywood, Pounds Trojans
#2 Clemson - 66
#9 USC - 17

Seminoles Upset Gators in The Swamp, But Now Become Biggest Gator Fans
#4 FSU - 35
#5 Florida - 21

Major Upsets Mark Final Weeks of Season 5 (These weeks were advanced early this morning)...

Week 14 News:
- #7 Oregon State upsets rival #3 Oregon
- Previously unbeaten #5 Tulane falls to New Mexico State

Week 15 News:
- #4 Oregon State (10-1), falls on the road against Nevada

BCS Standings (heading into Conference Title Week)
1. LSU (12-0)
2. Clemson (11-1)
3. Florida State (10-2)
4. Alabama (10-2)
5. Florida (9-3)
6. Texas (10-2)

Heisman Watch (heading into Conference Title Week)
1. Blake Miller
2. Blake Beck
3. Scott Simmons
4. Andrew Johnson
5. EJ Manuel

NCAA '10 Demo Available

You can download the free NCAA '10 Demo in the PS Store. I haven't checked it out yet, but may try to this weekend.

Week 11 Scores - Looking Ahead to the Final Weeks of the season

Tigers Struggle Early, But Continue March Toward SEC Title Game
#1 LSU - 50
#5 Alabama - 33


Boom Goes The Dynamite, Clemson Wins On Last Second FG
Both Teams Face Stiff Challenges In Final Two Weeks, Still Alive For National Title
#3 Clemson - 27
#4 Florida State - 24


Gators Move Back Into Top 5 With Victory Over Gamecocks
#6 Florida - 49
#9 South Carolina - 7
___________

BCS Standings (and remaining big games):
1. LSU (@ ARK; vs. #4 FL in SEC Championship)
2. USC (vs. #5 Oregon; vs. #3 Clemson)
3. Clemson (@ #13 West VA; @ #2 USC)
4. Florida (vs. #6 FSU; vs. #1 LSU in SEC Championship)
5. Oregon (@ #2 USC)
6. FSU (@ #4 FL)
7. South Florida
8. Michigan (vs. #9 Wisc; vs. OSU)
9. Wisconsin (vs. #8 Mich)
10. Alabama
___________

Who Says There Is No Playoff In College Football??
As we enter the final few weeks of the season, all four RUTS teams remain alive in the national championship race. The team who has the easiest road to the title game is #3 Clemson, who has no user games remaining, although tough road tests against #13 West VA and #2 USC remain. Clemson, who is two final second FGs (against FSU and FL) away from being 0-3 in RUTS head-to-head games this season, looks like a lock to appear in its 5th consecutive national championship game. Who their opponent will be remains unclear.

#1 LSU will almost certainly finish the regular season 12-0, then head to Atlanta to face the #4 Florida Gators in the SEC title game. Here is where the real drama begins...

In a playoff scenario, the likes of which RUTS has never seen, in week 13, #4 Florida hosts #6 FSU in The Swamp. However, we estimate that heading into week 13, Florida will be ranked #4 and FSU, #5 at the very least. So, Florida and Florida State will be playing for the right to enter week 14 ranked #3.

Which means, for the first time in RUTS history, three teams will be ranked 1, 2, and 3 heading into conference title week. Which makes for even more drama...

#1 LSU will be playing Florida in the SEC title game. The Tigers have spent the last 3 seasons pouting at season's end, after choking away national title opportunities in the final week of the regular season (loss @ Miami in week 14 of season 2) and SEC title game (losses to Florida in seasons 3 & 4). Can the Tigers break the curse? If so, it looks to be a lock that LSU and Clemson will rematch in the national title game in Miami.

If Florida can knock off FSU in week 13, a semi-final matchup will pan out with the winner of the Florida/LSU SEC title game surely advancing to the national title game...adding another dramatic chapter to the already storied Tiger/Gator rivalry. If FSU knocks off Florida in the Swamp in week 13, the Seminoles will be rooting like never before for the Gators to knock off LSU in the SEC title game, the exact scenario that played out in season 3 when the Seminoles benefited from tha Gators upsetting LSU. So, as we see it, Florida controls the fate of 3 of the RUTS teams, and the way the Gators play in these final weeks will decide who will battle Clemson for the national championship.

Want to throw a wrench into the situation?

What if Florida beats LSU.....in the final BCS rankings, would a 1 loss LSU fall below a 2 loss Florida team or a 2 loss FSU team...each of which LSU beat in the regular season?

...My head hurts!

Clemson / FSU Battle Highlights Week 11; Paparazzi Targets RUTS Coaches

Week 11 features three outstanding matchups in RUTS 1's final season. At the conclusion of this week, the national title race may still be long from over, but it will become a little bit clearer.

#1 LSU hosts SEC West rival #5 Alabama, #6 Florida takes on surprising #9 South Carolina, and in what has become RUTS' most heated rivalry, Florida State and Clemson do battle in Tallahassee, with both teams being tied for the #3 spot in the latest BCS rankings.

Coach utvol27 was quoted this week as being excited to participate in yet another "Crush the Noles Hopes and Dreams Week," while FSU coach cjohnchavis has mandated a no-media-allowed policy at this week's practices.

Week 11 could be a huge week in determining the national championship picture, however, several big games remain on tap for the final weeks of RUTS. Clemson closes the season with road games at West Virginia and #2 USC. The Seminoles close the season with visits to Notre Dame and #6 Florida. The Gators close with a road game at Pittsburgh, before returning home to host the Seminoles. The #1 LSU Tigers have perhaps the easiest remaining schedule, with games against Ole Miss and Arkansas. However, an SEC title game rematch looms on the horizon against the Gators, who could also be playing that game for a spot in the national title game if things go their way in the final weeks of the regular season.

It will be interesting to see if the RUTS coaches allow rumors of their impending departure to the NFL coaching ranks to affect their gameplans, decision making, and focus in the final weeks. All four RUTS coaches have been targets of tabloid blotter and paparazzi stalkings since a source close to the situation told People Magazine that it "looks to be set in stone that all 4 coaches would be making the jump to the NFL" next season. Here are photos from a recent People Magazine cover story

Coach utvol27 poses for mingling photogs outside of the former Miami beachfront home of Coach Stu (Miami head coach seasons 3-4). Rumors speculate the utvol27 is looking to but Coach Stu's home on South Beach.

As paparazzi gather outside of his bedroom window, Coach StuBucksman not so subtlety offers a hint that his loyalty lies with Hot-lanta!

Coach cjohnchavis was invited by Colts QB Peyton Manning to participate in the annual "Colts Battle to Fight Irritable Bowel Syndrome Softball Classic"...could this be a sign that cjohnchavis is heading north?

While vacationing on the east coast during a recent LSU off-week, Coach UTVOL54 is photographed sporting his latest tattoo, a not so subtle nod to his NFL team of choice.

Full Madden '10 game video...Awesome!

For the record, the Titans' all baby blue uniforms might be the sweetest (non-traditional) uniforms in football. THERE.....I SAID IT!

Here is the link to the full post on EA Sports...the videos are best viewed on youtube (double click on each video), and make sure to click "HD" to watch the games in high-def!! This is gonna be a sweet game!

RUTS II or Bust!

Top Madden '10 Players By Position

This is a great resource to check out this year's Madden superstars - view the whole list of ratings here.

Here is a sample:

Quarterback(Name, Team)
1 Peyton Manning -- Indianapolis
2 Tom Brady -- New England
3 Drew Brees -- New Orleans
4 Kurt Warner -- Arizona
5 Ben Roethlisberger -- Pittsburgh
6 Donovan McNabb -- Philadelphia
7 Tony Romo -- Dallas
8 Philip Rivers -- San Diego
9 Jay Cutler -- Chicago
10 Eli Manning - New York


Running Back(Name, Team, Overall Rating)
1 Adrian Peterson -- Minnesota -- 98
2 Brian Westbrook -- Philadelphia -- 97
3 Michael Turner -- Atlanta -- 95
4 DeAngelo Williams -- Carolina -- 95
5 Clinton Portis -- Washington -- 94
6 LaDanian Tomlinson -- San Diego -- 94
7 Steven Jackson -- St. Louis -- 93
8 Frank Gore -- San Francisco -- 93
9 Maurice Jones-Drew -- Jacksonville -- 92
10 Marion Barber -- Dallas -- 91

Wide Receiver(Name, Team, Overall Rating)
1 Larry Fitzgerald -- Arizona -- 99
2 Andre Johnson -- Houston -- 98
3 Steve Smith -- Carolina -- 97
4 Randy Moss -- New England -- 96
5 Reggie Wayne -- Indianapolis -- 95
6 Anquan Boldin -- Arizona -- 94
7 Roddy White -- Atlanta -- 94
8 Wes Welker -- New England -- 93
9 Brandon Marshall -- Denver -- 92
10 Calvin Johnson -- Detroit -- 92

NFL Scheduling for Madden '10

The scheduling formula implemented in 2002 with realignment guarantees that all teams play each other on a regular, rotating basis.

Under the formula, every team within a division plays 16 games as follows:
· Home and away against its three division opponents (6 games).

· The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (4 games).

· The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (4 games).

· Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings (2 games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.

In essence, I think we'll be safe to pick whatever teams we want and have a good shot at playing each other on a semi-regular basis. So, for the 2009 Season, here are each divisons' schedule pairings:

AFC East (NYJ, Mia, NE, Buf)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC South
- 4 games against NFC South
- 2 intra-conf games

AFC North - (Pit, Balt, Clev, Cin)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC West
- 4 games against NFC North
- 2 intra-conf games

AFC South (TN, Ind, Hou, Jax)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC East
- 4 games against NFC West
- 2 intra-conf games

AFC West (SD, Den, Oak, KC)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC North
- 4 games against NFC East
- 2 intra-conf games

NFC East (Dal, Wash, Phil, NYG)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC West
- 4 games against NFC North
- 2 intra-conf games

NFC North (Chi, GB, Minn, Det)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC North
- 4 games against NFC East
- 2 intra-conf games

NFC South (Atl, NO, Car, TB)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC East
- 4 games against NFC West
- 2 intra-conf games

NFC West (StL, Ariz, SF, Seat)
- 6 division games
- 4 games against AFC South
- 4 games against NFC South
- 2 intra-conf games

Madden '10 Game Video

Awesome quality. It will be better to watch it in HD on youtube...click HERE!

The Case For Madden '10

After some very good discussion between the "Four Horsemen" of RUTS (Coach Stu, UTVOL54, utvol27, and cjohnchavis), it seems everyone is very open to the idea of making the jump to Madden '10 for RUTS II.
Adam is 100% for moving to Madden, Andrew and I are leaning toward Madden (see my edit below), and Chavo, while still in favor of NCAA, is open to making the move. We can start recruiting others to join in soon!

That said, I will start posting some articles about the new Madden game, which might spark some ideas and discussion. The game looks awesome, bottom line, in my opinion.

The one negative drawback, would be if we CAN'T do custom scheduling. Which I haven't determined yet.

However, the fact that we can do EVERYTHING online, or even on an iPhone (yay Adam!) on this game is freakin' awesome! Edit rosters, trade players, you name it...everything but actually playing the game can be done online. We even thought about allowing 1 created player per team for each of us, using the exact same ratings, heights, weights, etc... that the particular player has on NCAA RUTS dynasty. For instance, I could choose Mark Ford, my WR, or Chavo could choose Blake Beck, Adam could create Scott Simmons, and Andrew could create Blake Miller.

Anyway, happy reading/viewing -
(edit....after reading these and watching the video, I am 100% in favor of taking RUTS II to the next level, the NFL!)

ESPN Madden '10 Interview

A Sweet Video! Wow! This is so much better, graphically, than NCAA it's crazy:


Here are the Madden '10 Team Ratings:
New England Patriots 93
Pittsburgh Steelers 92
New York Giants 89
Philadelphia Eagles 88
San Diego Chargers 88
Tennessee Titans 87
Indianapolis Colts 87
Arizona Cardinals 86
Dallas Cowboys 85
Carolina Panthers 83
Baltimore Ravens 82
Atlanta Falcons 81
Minnesota Vikings 80
Washington Redskins 79
Chicago Bears 79
Buffalo Bills 78
New York Jets 78
Green Bay Packers 78
Seattle Seahawks 77
Miami Dolphins 77
Houston Texans 75
New Orleans Saints 74
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 74
San Francisco 49ers 73
Jacksonville Jaguars 71
Oakland Raiders 71
Denver Broncos 70
Kansas City Chiefs 69
Cleveland Browns 68
Cincinnati Bengals 67
St. Louis Rams 66
Detroit Lions 65

Mix and Match Uniforms...Team colored cleats are also in the game!


This is a great interview about the Online Franchise Mode:
READ IT HERE!


I think Madden Lead Designer (and HHS graduate) Ian Cummings, will be posting a full game video to youtube today or tomorrow he said. I will post it on the blog at that time.

EA Sports' Response on Roster Issue

In a huge 29 page (and counting) post on a message board (found here), NCAA '10 game designer Russ Kniery says this about the roster issue...

Hey guys... so we are aware of the issue with no (or few) freshmen on some teams in TeamBuilder and yes the same issues are found on the NCAA 10 disc. Over the past few days, one of our top priorities has been investigating solutions. The TeamBuilder teams require some data on the disc to set Depth Charts for every team created before they can be used in a game. For example if you use the Cupcake roster as a starting point, NCAA 10 will give you a default Depth Chart for the Cupcakes for your TeamBuilder team (which you can edit in game). This means any changes we make could cause some problems with teams already created using TeamBuilder. So we need to ensure we are taking to proper steps to correct the issues.We understand the concerns with how this can affect Dynasty mode and Online Games, so we are working hard to have a solution in place before launch on July 14th.-Russ

AND ANOTHER NCAA DESIGNER CHIMED IN WITH THIS...

We aren't sure of what happened yet, but we didn't want to continue leaving you guys in the dark on what is going on. It looks like the wrong version of the rosters made the final build, but we don't know for sure yet. Our efforts now are on remedying the situation the best we can.

There is a laundry list of repsonses from gamers like us, including this one...

This is a bigger issue than just missing some freshmen on certain teams. The ratings for nearly every team are way off as well! I know Iowa and Mich st. are screwed up beyond belief. Anyone hoping to buy this game to play online should give a real hard thought against it. How can I ever play with MSU when the best player on the team (Greg Jones) a top 10 defensive big ten player is a 78 overall!!! (he has the same ratings as last year), this is just plain laziness by the new roster guy as far as I can see. This isn't going to be as easy as people think either, as far as putting out new more accurate rosters, this could take a couple months if its done right! These rosters are messed up that bad. Why dont some of you understand this? Biggest disappointment in NCAA 10 this year has to be the rosters if you ask me

This is a good example of how messed up some teams are. Boooo! Hopefully this will get fixed by the time the game is released in just over a month. As best I remember, it usually takes a week or more for the rosters to be posted to download, and I agree that it will likely take a lot longer with this year's roster issues. Here's the issue the EA game designers are wrestling with, how do they fix the rosters without affecting the more than 50,000 created teambuilder teams that have been created already? I say, shut down the teambuilder site, delete all the teams, and get the rosters fixed ASAP! People can go back in and create their teams again, it takes no time at all really. Especially since (I bet) most of those created schools won't even be used in the game ever!

One thing I think is certain, this is a big deal that the EA people are acknowledging, and I think it really will affect game sales if nothing is fixed before the game hits store shelves on July 14. I mean, if all else, just delay the game release a few weeks, right??

Raise your hand if you're glad NCAA focused on adding "sportsmanship," "setup plays" and "Season Showdown" to this year's game!! Epic fail! ha!

RUTS Town Hall Meeting - Comments Needed

Let's get some discussion going here. If any of us have been on the Teambuilder website, it's obvious how messed up the NCAA rosters are on the new game. Then, articles like this one pop up. Let's get some discussion going here. These messed up rosters could really screw up NCAA '10. Word is, that some of the teams' rosters are fine (I think Ohio State's for example), which other teams are really way off - Virginia has no freshmen players and Auburn's 3 starting LBs on the new game have already graduated for crying out loud.

Yes, all of these rosters can be fixed by gamers manually editing the files, then we can download them to our PS3s. But the NCAA football game message board folks are going nuts about this huge mess up. Renaming, editing positions, creating freshmen, etc...will take a long time to do I'd imagine. Once all these are fixed, it might not really affect RUTS II, but it will royally mess up playing a random online game, since you have to use the default rosters. Especially if the ratings are right for some teams and completely messed up for others...or if, say, a player's attributes are all messed up.

After all the great new features (online franchise, new equipment, in-game saves, etc...) that the Madden game is rolling out this year, I am kinda-sorta thinking about buying the Madden game. Am I nuts? I have always been a loyal NCAA gamer, only buying Madden every 3-4 years. The new NCAA game has some cool new features, and I think will be a better game, with better cpu defense, etc..., so maybe I'm over-reacting. These messed up rosters just stink though! And is this going to be a trend for every NCAA game from here on out (generic rosters?)? So, I'm just throwing this out there for discussion.....

Are we 100% doing RUTS II for the NCAA game? Or would y'all want to jump ship to Madden? (Think about doing the NFL draft, the playoffs, trading players) Since I like college ball so much better than the NFL, the NCAA game has always been so much more fun to play. I'm just throwing this out there for debate/discussion. I think the NCAA game is the way to go for now, but what are your thoughts?

As your commish, I feel it is my duty to offer this up for debate.

Week 9 Scores

#4 Clemson - 101
Georgia Tech - 17

#5 Florida State - 101
Maryland - 0

#8 Florida - 42
#21 Georgia - 17

BCS Standings (going into Week 10)
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oregon
4. South Florida
5. Clemson
6. Florida State
7. Oregon State
8. Florida

Heisman Watch
1. Blake Miller
2. Blake Beck
3. Andrew Johnson
4. Scott Simmons
5. EJ Manuel

Week 7 & 8 Recap

Bayou Bengals Drain The Swamp
LSU Defense Forces 5 Turnovers To Remain In Top Spot
#1 LSU - 45
#6 Florida - 22
Player of the Game: Don Jackson (CB) - 1 INT returned 98 yards for TD
___________


It's Miller's Time!
Star RB Sets Out To Overtake Heisman Race
#7 Clemson - 105
NC State - 17
Player of the Game: Blake Miller (RB) - 32 carries, 888 yards, 14 TDs, & impregnated 4 Clemson coeds during the game
__________

Canes Defense Dominates; Holds Noles To Under 100
FSU Aiming For ACC and National Title Shot
#8 Florida State - 58
Miami - 3
Player of the Game: coming soon

____________

Week 8 Score:
(only 1 game was on the schedule for week 8)

#1 LSU - 70
#19 Auburn - 27
Player of the Game: Jermaine Osborn (RB) - 4 rushing TDs

RUTS Exclusive: Coach StuBucksman Punks Coach UTVOL54

Sources at the LSU team hotel have confirmed that Florida Head Coach StuBucksman indeed was the perpetrator behind an elaborate prank at the Gainesville Motel 6 this morning. The LSU team, conscious of the faltering economy, is staying at the Motel 6 on its trip to Gainesville (game kickoff tonight at 7:45 pm EST).

Full details remain unclear but what is known is that Coach Stu and his special teams coach Ray Finkle snuck into Coach UTVOL54's presidential Suite and filled the toilet with cherry bombs, put Vaseline on the toilet seat, and cracked open 3 stink bombs, a no-no even for SEC rivalries. Finkle, who has been know to suffer from 'the worst case of hemorrhoids this writer has EVER seen,' also hid the tv remote control before the two left the room.

As LSU's team was boarding it's team bus to The Swamp late this afternoon, Coach UTVOL54 only whispered, "Llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllet's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmblllllllllllllllllllllllllle."

NCAA '10 Gameplay Videos

These were filmed at the E3 Convention this week:

Week 6 Recap

#1 LSU - 80
Vandy - 24
Player of the Game: Bo Outlaw (RB) - 28 carries, 311 yards rushing, 6 rushing TDs, 1 TD reception
_________

#5 Florida - 98
Miss State - 7
Player of the Game: Scott Simmons (WR) - 6 punt return TDs
_________

#6 Clemson - 101
Maryland - 14
Player of the Game: Blake Miller (RB) - 13 carries, 165 rushing yards, 3 Tds; 9 receptions, 227 yards, 4 TD receptions, 2 Punt Return TDs
_________

#7 Florida State - 149
Wake Forest - 0
Player of the Game: EJ Manuel (QB) - 25/30 passing, 683 yards, 15 TDs, 0 INTs
_________

Heisman Watch:
1. Blake Miller
2. Blake Beck
3. Andrew Johnson
4. Scott Simmons
5. EJ Manuel

NCAA '10 Video

This is the official NCAA '10 Video they are showing at the big E3 Video Game thing this week in California.

NCAA '10: Teambuilder Website is Up and Running

Have at it guys! You can start creating teams now. If we decide to use any "created" teams in RUTS 2.0, you'll have to stick with unedited (except for names) rosters, no ratings changes. This should be fun though...

NCAA '10 Teambuilder Website

Week 4 and 5 Scoreboard

Week 4 Scores:

#1 LSU - 77
Tennessee - 27
Player of the Game: Mark Ford (WR): 10 rec., 341 yards, 5 TD receptions, 1 KO return TD
_________

#6 Clemson - 84
Boston College - 21
Player of the Game: Blake Miller (RB) - 20 carries, 208 yards rushing, 5 rushing TDs; 12 receptions, 286 rec. yards, 5 TD receptions
__________

#7 Florida State - 129
#10 Ohio State - 10
Player of the Game: EJ Manuel (QB) - 30/32 passing, 815 yards, 14 TDs, 0 INTs
__________

#8 Florida - 84
Kentucky - 14
Player of the Game: Scott Simmons (WR) - 2 TD receptions, 3 Punt Return TDs
__________

Week 5 Scores:

#1 LSU - 115
Miss State - 21

#6 Clemson - 97
Wake Forest - 7

#7 Florida State - 113
#19 North Carolina - 0

#8 Florida - 42
#2 Alabama - 17

- New Rankings Are posted on the right side of the blog
- I'm only going to be doing BMOC for user games or if there's a BMOC-worthy performance (aka...if I have time)

Heisman Watch (after week 6):

1. Blake Miller (RB, Clemson)
2. Blake Beck (WR, FSU)
3. Mark Ford (WR, LSU)
4. EJ Manuel (QB, FSU)
5. Andrew Johnson (RB, FSU)