Part 2 of our conversation with EA Sports College Football principal game designer Ben Haumiller. Ben takes a bunch of subscriber questions on the upcoming CFB game and the state of college sports video gaming in general:

* How to actually learn to play a football video game

* Incorporating the House settlement and NIL

* How a new 'gadget” position” embraces the reality of modern depth charts

* Improvements to the coach carousel

* The process of putting music in the game

* The customization options for conferences and teams (or, in other words, why you cannot destroy the SEC and put all the teams back in the SoCon)

* Different uses for Team Builder

* The potential for a custom stadium builder, one day

* Whether kicking and loud road environments are still impossible

* Adding scandals to college sports video games

And more. Thanks for Ben for joining us, and thanks to our subscribers for not just supporting the show but providing the inspiration for this one. Join us on a free trial and get lots more episodes as well as question-asking rights.

Producer: Anthony Vito

Part 1: EA Sports College Football principal game designer Ben Haumiller joins Alex and Richard for a discussion of the upcoming CFB video game, with a focus on Dynasty mode and lessons learned from last year’s long-awaited return.

* What EA learned from the best-selling sports game of all time

* The easier and more difficult parts of releasing a second game

* How the new game will (and, most importantly, won’t) include microtransactions

* Real-life coaches and how they’ll change the dynasty experience

* Addressing to Alex’s specific complaints about the coach carousel

* Balancing the competing desires of having a realistic game, but also a game in which UMass can eventually sign a bunch of five-stars

* Getting the transfer portal and recruiting right

* The challenges of keeping up with a sport that is endlessly changing, especially the playoff system

Part 2 of our discussion with Ben, coming later this week, is a listener Q&A just for our SplitZoneDuo.com subscribers. We’d love to have you!

Come see us live at the Sports Podcast Festival on August 23 in Raleigh. Use code SPF25 for a buy-one, get-one-half-off deal: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/78691649/the-2nd-annual-sports-podcast-festival-raleigh-the-rialto

Cool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners

* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.

* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.

Production: Anthony Vito.

Alex and Richard discuss a handful of offseason stories:

* The Pac-12’s expansion efforts are coming to a head, and Texas State—not Sacramento State—appears to be the apple of the league’s eye. Extra Points publisher Matt Brown joins to talk about why Sac State’s extremely public campaign for FBS membership has not paid dividends. Read Matt’s report on the Hornets’ looming move to FCS independence.

* The House settlement is now official, and depending on who you talk to, it’s either an ironclad new system to regulate the college football economy or a house of cards just waiting to be toppled. Justin Williams, a college football reporter for The Athletic, explains these competitive views. Read his recent story: “Return of the bag man: NIL clearinghouse could revive paying college athletes under table.” (Of course, also read Godfrey’s old classic.)

* Playoff expansion might be stalemated, and there’s a surprising group of people at the heart of the resistance: SEC head coaches. What?

* Cal joins Stanford in putting a famous alum in charge of the whole football program, not as head coach but as general manager. What are the ramifications sport-wide, and what is specific to the Bay Area schools? Refer back to our subscriber episode on Cal’s tumultuous offseason.

Sports Podcast Festival tickets for 8/23 (use code SPF25 for a buy-one, get-one-half-off deal): https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/78691649/the-2nd-annual-sports-podcast-festival-raleigh-the-rialto

Cool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners

* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.

* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.

Production: Anthony Vito.

Richard and Alex take subscriber questions on:

* How to assess if a school’s FCS-to-FBS transition is in a good place or not, especially if it takes a little bit to win any games

* The big business of college football data distribution

* The endless (?) expansion of eligibility for old players

* Why the SEC owns the offseason every year and the Big Ten doesn’t

* The wisdom of Power 2 schools like Mississippi State throwing House settlement dollars into sports other than football

* Richard trading a Florida basketball title for football

* Do recent moves at Georgia Tech and UVA say anything about the ACC’s financial shortfall?

* If more programs will have general managers in charge soon, a la Andrew Luck and Ron Rivera at Stanford and Cal

Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a subscriber episode of Split Zone Duo.

Everyone can listen to a free preview, and we offer weeklong free trials if you want to try us out. Help us make the show and get a lot more of it!

Producer: Anthony Vito

We believe in an old college football theory: If a coach is going to win at his current job, he’s going to have a good second season. The exceptions, like Bill McCartney and Jim Harbaugh, prove the rule. This year, 28 FBS coaches enter their second season in charge of their programs. Who’s already banked enough goodwill to withstand a down year? Who’s doing fine, with a big year yet to come? And who got off on the wrong foot in 2024 and already needs a major improvement to get his tenure on track? From Curt Cignetti and Jon Sumrall to Sherrone Moore and Sean Lewis, let’s check in with our sophomore class.

Some episode highlights:

* A discussion of exactly where Mike Elko stands relative to expectations after a really nice debut season at Texas A&M

* Why Kalen DeBoer doesn’t fit neatly into any one category of Year 2 coaches

* Sherrone Moore looks very good at Michigan, but we’re watching for two things: the QB living up to the hype and the NCAA going away

* Yikes, Sean Lewis’ start at San Diego State was barren

* Same for Brent Brennan at Arizona

* At UCLA, is that a flicker of … hope? It might be

Producer: Anthony Vito

Fall camp approaches. Let’s talk about the most consequential transfer portal moves of the offseason that weren’t quarterbacks and, in a lot of cases, didn’t even happen in national championship-contending programs. Oklahoma’s new running back and receivers! Dabo’s dip into the portal! Oregon’s new secondary import from Purdue! Notre Dame’s acquisition of an actually-good wideout! Indiana’s second act under Curt Cignetti! And picking out the most interesting players Texas Tech got in its very expensive portal class.

Sports Podcast Festival tickets (use code SPF25 to buy one, get one half off): https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/78691649/the-2nd-annual-sports-podcast-festival-raleigh-the-rialto

Cool stuff from SZD’s partners

* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.

* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.

Production: Anthony Vito.

Cody Alexander of MatchQuarters joins Richard to discuss how the football coach at North Carolina will actually, ya know, coach football (a novel concept, we know). His evolution as a defensive mind shaped the way you watch the game in more ways than you can realize, but can he be the same guy in college football? What's instructive about Steve Belichick's time in Washington? And can a guy who is all about the fundamentals thrive in today's college football? Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a subscriber episode!

Everyone can hear a free preview or join on a free trial, however. You can do that by clicking this button:

Further listening

A running back from Boise State helped define the 2024 season. Does CFB have an RB waiting in the wings to make a similar imprint in 2025? Probably not exactly, given Jeanty’s historic season and the difficulty non-power programs have had retaining star running backs this offseason. But if we’re just looking for running backs who can defy difficult circumstances and elevate their offenses to a new level, we can find some candidates to be 2025’s Jeanty.

SZD audience survey: https://surveys.getwizer.com/s3/d33771e852f9

Tickets to the Sports Podcast Festival on 8/23 in Raleigh (use code SPF25 for half off a second ticket): https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/78691649/the-2nd-annual-sports-podcast-festival-raleigh-the-rialto

Cool stuff from SZD’s partners

* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.

* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.