T1B

Anybody pick up NCAA 09 this year? This is my first year playing on a next gen system (PS3) and the game is pretty fun. There are still some "WTF??" moments, but if you're playing against people who respect the game of football and don't sprint backwards and run around with Tebow waiting for coverage to break down, it's actually really enjoyable. They seem to have removed the momentum feature, and it shows. Damn near every game I've won so far I've felt I've deserved to win and every game I've lost I deserved to lose. The whole "getting hosed by the CPU" factor seems to be greatly reduced, making it more of a legitimate chess match.

My favorite feature this year is the addition of online dynasties. You can now have up to 12 people play a full dynasty online. This feature alone makes the game worth buying. I have been playing about 99% of my games online since NCAA 04, and the online dynasty mode reminds me of what I liked about the game before online play existed. The recruiting stuff is even more fun when you're battling it out with 11 other guys for recruits.

I'm in a 12-person online dynasty right now. We all picked C-USA teams to maximize the amount of human vs. human matchups, and I'm off to a 4-0 start with Rice (what up, Lefty?). Just beat Texas 21-17 in my most recent game, so I'm hoping that gives me a boost in the recruiting battle. Jarett Dillard is absolutely sick on this game. He had 16 receptions for 176 yards against Texas, breaking David Houser's single-game receptions mark set back in 1976. Chase Clement is also one of the best QBs on the game, but his talent is wasted on me. I'm a terrible passer. I'm actually looking forward to next season when John Shepherd is the starter and we can run some more option.

So if any of you guys have this game for PS3, send me a friend request and we can get some games in. My PSN is mdub5000.

Oh yeah, Darrell Scott is the best true freshman on the game. He's a beast. He's rated 85 overall, but he plays better than that. He's already the best player on Colorado. Terrell Pryor is 84 overall, FWIW. Good speed and a strong arm, but he's got true frosh accuracy.

Rack that. Might have to go out and get that if the RICE stars are killing it.

Those guys are pretty good off the field too.

Dude, Rice is a total ringer on this game. They're only rated 77 OVR, but I took some chump using Florida (94 OVR) down to the wire in the Swamp. Ended up losing 42-35 in the final minute. If someone actually tries to match up with Rice, they're in trouble, because odds are good that they don't have a CB on their team that can run with Dillard.

They have other weapons too. James Casey and Taylor Wardlow are both good targets at TE, and the rest of the receiving corps (Dixon, Henderson, etc.) is reliable, if a bit unspectacular. They're a little weak at HB. I redshirted their second-best HB (Hill, I think), and I start Marcus Knox and occasionally sub in Ugokwe for short yardage situations. They're pretty solid all-around on defense too - Brandon King, J'Corey Shepherd, Vernon James, Andrew Sendejo (I redshirted him too). Willie Garley had four picks in the opener against SMU and got national POTW honors. haha.

This game would seem to be a must-buy for Rice fans. They're just such a fun team to play with. If you add up OVR ratings, Clement/Dillard is the 4th-best QB/WR duo on the game, behind Tebow/Harvin, Daniel/Maclin, and Harrell/Crabtree. That's pretty fuckin' good company.