Top two schools for your EA Sports' College Football 26 dynasty rebuild
College Football 26 is the second game in the series since its return from an 11-year-long hiatus and looks to deliver the best and most authentic college football experience to date. With updates to the wear-and-tear system and bringing in most of the sport's most iconic coaches, any college football fan will put untold hours into this year's title.
However, as a new game rounds the bend, one question for players: What school will I use for my first dynasty? Picking which school to lead to a national championship each year is always a struggle, but luckily for you, I've narrowed it down to two perfect teams to use in this year's game.
Houston Cougars
Houston comes in as the worst-rated team in the Big 12 Conference, with a 3-star prestige rating and an overall rating of 77. After a much-needed uniform refresh in the offseason, Houston is the obvious pick from the conference. Plus, you could always wear the Houston Oiler-colored throwbacks for every game; that's what I would do.
Houston was one of four teams to join the Big 12, alongside UCF, BYU and Cincinnati in 2023, giving you a near blank slate in a Power Four conference. The school's geographical location provides a ton of natural rivalries with Baylor, Rice and Texas A&M, along with the conference rivals you make along the way.
The Cougars' roster provides a lot of intrigue heading into the 2025 season. Can you rebuild the career of former 5-star Conner Weigman, or will you lean on last year's starter Zeon Chriss? If neither of those pans out, you can always rely on the great state of Texas producing the flashiest wide receiver and quarterback prospects in the country.
With great uniforms, a clean slate and a state that breathes football, Houston will make a fantastic dynasty team in College Football 26.
Ball State Cardinals
With two teams, Delaware and Missouri State, making the jump to the FBS and therefore joining the game this year, most people will likely look to those two for their first real rebuild. However, let's break out of the mold a little bit and take a look at Ball State.
The second-lowest-rated team in the game, aside from Akron, the Ball State Cardinals offer some very fun uniforms. I especially dig the Cardinal on the helmet, and it's hard to mess up that majestic black and red color scheme. The Cardinals reside in the Mid-American Conference, giving you a chance to take over some Tuesday-night "MACation", a thing every college football fan dreams of.
If you want a blank slate to make your own, there's no school better than Ball State, which has been playing FBS football for 42 years but has only made it to nine bowl games. Of the nine, the Cardinals have won exactly one, and it came in 2020 against San Jose State.
The Cardinals have ongoing rivalries with Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois, fellow MAC opponents for now. However, residing in the Midwest means you can easily transition to the Big Ten once you've dominated the MAC. For my money, there's no better school to rebuild in College Football 26 than the Ball State Cardinals.
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