NCAA Football 11 gave thousands of eager fans the first quality HD college football experience during this generation of consoles. But now with January already upon us, and NCAA 12 deep into development, it is only a matter of time until the NCAA Football 12 details start emerging. January is also the month that I begin my coverage of the newest NCAA game.

This first article will focus on some of the things NCAA 11 did extremely well, as well as the areas that still need improvement in order to push the game to the next level.

It's All in the Details

NCAA 11 did a serviceable job of finally returning in-game college atmosphere to NCAA 06 levels. NCAA 12 needs to push the envelope in terms of presentation and small in-game details. I'm talking about adding the few remaining details that were present in the last generation of NCAA games -- the return of bowl patches, eye black, interactive goal pylons, pregame predictions, coach cut scenes and dreads -- while adding in a College Gameday feature, complete with highlights in between quarters like in NBA 2K11.

On top of these additions, NCAA 12 needs updated stat banners and ESPN overlays while within a game. ESPN and ABC have become the name in college football, and this is the year that the NCAA franchise needs to fully implement the presentation we see on the tube any given Saturday. If the now-defunct NCAA Basketball franchise was able to do this, there are no excuses for the growing NCAA Football franchise to leave out such a critical aspect of presentation.

Remember the Heisman Winner?

If there is one issue with NCAA 11 that has unified the OS forums, it undoubtedly has to be the lack of scrambling logic by CPU quarterbacks. This issue highlights one of NCAA 11's biggest weaknesses: the lack of player profiles. While appearing on a recent version of the OS Radio Show with yours truly and Chris Sanner, NCAA developer Ben Haumiller mentioned that the NCAA licensing prohibited the team from integrating actual player profiles into the game (see: Auburn QB #2).

While this is completely understandable, especially because of the pending lawsuits from former college athletes, it still does not excuse the fact that CPU players just do not seem to play to their strengths in NCAA 11. If I am facing off against a team with a 6-foot-2, 250-pound featured back, I expect to get pounded by this team all day long. The same goes if I am facing off against a team with a dual-threat QB who has a 98 speed rating. I should be dreading defending such a player the same way teams that faced Auburn and Michigan feared their respective quarterbacks.

Good luck planning for QB #12.

NCAA 11 did a marvelous job when it came to replicating team-specific offensive sets, but the problem was that when facing the CPU, the CPU-controlled teams never seemed quite aware of what their individual strengths were. This is not to say that playing NCAA 11 against the CPU did not provide a suitable challenge, it's just that on offense the AI did not run a system as efficiently and realistically as teams do in real life. The issue was made even worse when playing CPU teams that ran the spread or shotgun-based offenses -- getting the CPU to establish an effective run game was downright impossible sans major slider tweaks.

For NCAA 12 I would like to see an emphasis on the offenses run by the CPU, especially with teams that run the spread and have dual-threat quarterbacks. For too long has defense in the NCAA series taken a backseat to offense. This is the year where the CPU needs to keep defensive gurus on their toes. How nice would it be to finally go into a week in Dynasty mode, know you are facing the next Michael Vick, and actually have to make personnel adjustments both pregame and in-game to give your school a chance at victory?

One of the biggest complaints I hear from people on a yearly basis regarding playing defense in football games is that the process is just plain boring. But if you actually had to engage in a defensive chess match against the CPU, would that be reason enough to stop using the Super Sim feature while on the defensive side of the ball? The incentive and feeling of accomplishment gained by devising a top-tier defensive game plan against an explosive offense would be second to none in my opinion.

Tune in the Fun

Tuning updates in NCAA 11 sounded like a can't-miss idea when they were announced shortly after the game was released -- they work really well in the NHL series, after all. Unfortunately, every time one of these tuners was implemented, another aspect of the game completely unrelated to a tuned issue began to suffer. Add this to the fact that some of the tuners were dependent on a game patch being installed (the dirty jersey/dynasty progression patch), and you have a recipe for disaster, especially when users are not given a way to switch back to previous tuning updates without deleting a core gameplay improvement. Simply put, NCAA 12 needs to learn a lesson from EA's own NHL series and rework the way patches and tuning sets are implemented.

Yes, football can learn from hockey.

My fondest memories of NCAA 11 occurred before the first tuner set was released. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that the first tuner set broke the game, nerfing the CPU running game, adding a devastating pump-fake glitch, and seemingly lowering some of the game's overall blocking logic. Others were pleased with the additions in each successive tuner set, and more power to them. The point is that if tuners are going to be the new standard of updating NCAA Football, then there has to be some flexibility to allow users to pick and choose the tuner set that best suits their game style.

Time to Restart the Program

Yes, Dynasty mode has been good times during the last 10-plus years, but it is now officially time for a change. Before NCAA 11 was released last year, EA sent out a survey asking gamers what new features they would like to see implemented into the series. One of the options given was called Athletic Director Mode, which included the ability to build your own stadium. A completely new approach to Dynasty mode is exactly what NCAA's deepest feature needs right now.

This menu is just not as exciting as it used to be.

I like the idea of AD mode, but I feel that a comprehensive Coach mode would be better for the long-term health of the franchise. Imagine building your coach from scratch and then taking a job from a pool of lower-tiered schools. After each game you would have to answer questions from the press, which would allow you to establish your personality type. This personality would begin to shape how you are viewed by potential recruits, and by your AD. Players could have academic troubles -- or get free tattoos -- and the press would grill you on these issues as well.

You would also be given create-a-play tools so you could develop your own offensive schemes and gadget plays. Depending on your coaching strategy and personality type, you would develop in-game dynamic rivalries with other coaches and programs. Add in a coaching carousel and some all-time challenges, like winning more games than Joe Pa, and you have got a surefire winner in my eyes.

Avoid the Madden 11 Effect

Madden 10 was one of the biggest leaps in terms of gameplay and features when compared to Madden 09. So when the masses began realizing that Madden 11 was not the year-to-year lap that Madden 10 was, people were understandably disappointed. NCAA 12 has to avoid falling into this same trap, and the team must continue to push the franchise forward in big ways. With an ever-changing sports gaming climate, consumers being able to see a quantitative year-to-year improvement is critical to increased sales, especially for a franchise that does not carry the NFL license.

In addition, the gameplay in many of today's sports games, NCAA included, does not match up with the gameplay found in titles from the previous generation. It's becoming extremely difficult for me to believe that the presentation and gameplay we are experiencing now are still not on par with what we were playing over five years ago. No more excuses, it's time for the HD generation of sports titles to finally surpass the games of yesteryear.

NCAA 12 will be released in just seven months, and for dedicated fans of the series, excitement levels are about to peak. As always, Operation Sports will be bringing you any and all NCAA Football 12 news as it breaks, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks.

What are your hopes for NCAA Football 12 at this point? Feel free to add your wish lists below.


Christian McLeod is a senior staff writer here at Operation Sports. A rabid Michigan State fan, he shed many tears as Alabama throttled the Spartans on New Year's Day. He's looking forward to next year and hopefully another Big 10 Championship. Follow him on Twitter @Bumble14_OS, talk to him here on our forums via Bumble14, and challenge him to a game of NCAA 11 on Xbox/PS3 via the tag Bumble14.