If you’ve been playing EA Sports College Football 26 since the well-intentioned pass-protection update in September, well, you’re probably frustrated. Thankfully, the CFB 26 October Title Update appears to be aware of this. You’ve probably had every CPU team and most user teams absolutely nuke your sacks per game, or more annoyingly, tried to play defense as the opposing quarterback stood in the pocket, with no pressure, for the bulk of the time the play was live.
In the latest Campus Huddle, a dev blog written by EA Sports developers to prepare players for each upcoming update, we got a breakdown of what to expect in CFB 26 in October. In the October Title Update, the developers have announced a new feature coming to Ultimate Teams, as well as new Gameplay changes, uniforms, and more. But our main concern is the Pass Rush.
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We’ve rounded up the big highlights from the Campus Huddle for the October Title Update, but if you want to read the full things, you can go here.
CFB 26 October Title Update
October Title Update – CUT
New Mode: Head-to-Head Ranked – Bringing more competition to Ultimate Team has been a request from many in the community. To meet the demand, EA Sports has added Head-to-Head Ranked to CFB 26. The mode was built around competition and growth, where each game pushes you closer to your next milestone. Win or lose, every match matters, and every step forward feels earned.
What are the ranks in Head-to-Head Ranked?
There will be seven Ranks, each divided into three Tiers. Every player will start out as unranked, and after five placement games, you will receive your starting rank, which could be one of the following:
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Elite
- Hero
- Champ
- Top 100
October Title Update – Gameplay
Passing Game
KEY HIGHLIGHT: Route Stem Logic Change that updated stems to a 3-yard minimum. This change is done to enable defensive backs to read and react more realistically, creating a better balance between offense and defense. They’ve also tried to preserve the original route design’s integrity while enhancing the authenticity of the gameplay experience and promoting a balanced dynamic between offense and defense. We’ll see how it works.
- Expanded Pass Protection Options with all pass protection types are now available in Coach Adjustments which was previously limited to Base. This adds Empty, Half Left, Full Left, Half Right, Full Right, or Default to Coach Adjustments.
- Fixed an issue where an unintentional bad snap would fly past the QB, resulting in a fumble when running Pistol – Spread: Jet Touch Pass.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes throwing the bubble route on Singleback Bunch TE: Alert Bubble play would result in a fumble because the receiver could not make the catch on a backwards pass.
Blocking
KEY HIGHLIGHT: This is the section of the CFB 26 October Title Update that we’ve all been waiting for. How are they going to fix the pass rush? Well, they’ve tuned to increase defender super-win chance for pass rushers with equal or slightly lower ratings than the blocker.
After the last update, pass rushers would only get super win outcomes when rated higher than their blocker; now, EA Sports has increased the range to allow for more super-win outcomes, even when rated slightly worse than their blocker, to increase the pass rush effectiveness globally. Additionally, EA Sports has also tuned to increase bull-rush/push of the blocker towards the center of the pocket to increase natural pocket degradation.
- Running Back Blocking Improvements have been added, where the running backs now handle TEX stunts more effectively when using Half Slide protection.
- Fixed an issue where Pass Rushers were unable to trigger Pass Rush Moves consistently and would remain in a blocking loop.
- Tuning to allow defenders to attempt pass rush moves more frequently on each play.
- Fixed an issue where Offensive blockers were going too far downfield, setting blocks on the Gun Bunch Str Nasty – Mtn Double Pass play, resulting in Offensive Pass Interference being called.
- Addressed an issue where the offensive line was failing to pick up 3-4 Tite Saw Blitz 0, allowing the Blitzing MLB to come through A-Gap untouched.
QB Contain
KEY HIGHLIGHT: This enhancement to QB Contain allows defenders to disengage from blocks more responsively and at more appropriate times, enabling them to take smarter pursuit angles. As a result, they’re better equipped to maintain outside leverage and effectively contain mobile quarterbacks, reducing the likelihood of extended scrambles.
- QB Contain vs PA: On Play Action plays, Contain Defenders will no longer use the surf technique, which limited their ability to set the edge effectively.
- Contain Logic Improvement: On normal pass plays, Contain Defenders will no longer abort their contain assignment prematurely while the QB is still a scramble threat.
- Fixed an issue when Defenders in QB Contain were not appropriately steering themselves into the appropriate position to be able to set the edge effectively.
Running Game
- Addressed an issue where the RB’s initial move was not appropriately sending him up the field at the snap on Gun Tight Slot Open: HB Direct Snap.
- Fixed an issue where users were unable to hand the ball off when running inside veer plays to the left.
Coverage
- Coach Adjustment RPO Defense: When users set their RPO Pass Key Coach Adjustment to Conservative, defenders will now cover the Seams and the Flats instead of playing their Run Fit assignments. Zone defenders now react more reliably to RPO passes when Coach Adjustments are applied
October Title Update – Presentation
New Uniforms Available
- Arizona State Black Uniform
- Florida Atlantic University New Home, Away, and Alternate Uniforms
- James Madison University New Gold Helmet and Pants
- Ole Miss New Realtree Helmet
- Texas Tech Mahomes White Uniform
- Texas Tech Throwback Uniform
- Tulane Alternate Uniform
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Updated Black Uniform
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette Updated Black Uniform
- University of Virginia 2025 Throwback Uniform
- Wisconsin Throwback Uniform
New Equipment Pieces
- Nike Vapor Pro 1’s
- Nike Vapor Speed 3’s
- Nike Lebron IV Menace’s
EA Sports College Football 26 is available for purchase on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and is available for a limited amount of time on Xbox Game Pass.
