Latest 'EA Sports College Football 25' ratings disrespect USC Trojans offense

EA Sports will release the 'College Football 25' on July 19. Before then, the video game developer continues releasing bits and nuggets regarding the game's programming and ratings. Their tactics are paying off as college football fans and gamers continue to buzz over what the game will have in store. This morning, EA released the top 25 rated offenses for the game's first edition in 11 years.

USC's offense is ranked No. 25 with an 83 overall rating.

Georgia tops EA's list with a 94 overall rating, followed by Oregon (92 OVR), Alabama (91 OVR), Texas (91 OVR), and Ohio State (89 OVR). It's difficult to argue with the top five, but we take issue with the Trojans' rating of 83. Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and Florida State are also rated '83 OVR' but rank ahead of USC.

The Trojans' offense was consistently among college football's best in 2023. USC finished last season ranked inside the top 15 in total yards (14th), yards-per-game (12th), total passing yards (4th), and total points (4th). Moreover, Lincoln Riley's offense finished inside the top four of all categories in 2022.

Some fans (and likely EA Sports' programmers) will argue that Caleb Williams' departure sets USC's offense back some. Such an opinion discredits Riley's history of leading offense production and Miller Moss's capabilities as a starting quarterback. The sample size on Moss is small, but his Holiday Bowl record-setting performance of 372 yards and six touchdowns indicates significant potential.

What's more mind-boggling is EA Sports ranked the Miami Hurricanes' offense 7th with an '89 OVR' rating. The Canes added a notable transfer quarterback this offseason, but their offense has failed to crack the top 25 in most statistics since Mario Cristobal took over. Cam Ward is talented and finished 8th in 2023 passing yards, but he played in a pass-happy program at Washington State.

It's nice to see USC make the cut in the latest EA Sports College Football 25 teaser after (understandably) being left off of the top 25 'toughest places to play' list. However, EA Sports' ranking Troy's 2024 offense below the likes of Arizona, Memphis, SMU, and UCF is inexcusable.

If Riley has proven one thing throughout his coaching career, it's that he consistently engineers high-performing offenses.

EA Sports is expected to release their top 25 rated defenses later this afternoon or tomorrow. Obviously, we don't expect the USC Trojans defense to come close to appearing.