College Football 25 players question lack of mass subs to help counter wear and tear

Wear and tear is a new damage system in College Football 25 that forces users to be savvy with their roster management, but that’s not easy when it’s hard to substitute players.

In CFB 25, players have to be smart about when and where they take hits. Wear and tear accurately tracks the impact of every hit and fall.

For example, if a running back takes a huge shot to his knee or lower leg, he won’t be as explosive on the following set of plays. To avoid getting injured, players can get the ball out early, cover up the ball, or get out of bounds before taking a hit.

However, it’s almost impossible to avoid all contact in football, meaning there will be instances where you will want to make substitutions before wear and tear results in a significant injury.

That’s easier said than done though, as a player on Reddit asked, “What exactly is the point of 85-man rosters and a realistic wear-and-tear system when it’s so tedious to rotate players?”

EA Sports

To make a substitution in CFB 25, you must pause and change the depth chart. Some players argue that it should be easier to rotate their roster, as there aren’t any different subs based on formation, and starters don’t automatically come out all the time in a blowout.

In addition, unlike the NFL, college football teams usually rotate more frequently, meaning CFB 25 should have that option available.

“The fact that I have to check my depth chart weekly is infuriating. I want my 76 ovr elite WR to play slot and sky rocket to his potential,” one user said.

And that frustration only gets amplified when you consider that NCAA 14 had a feature that made it possible to set your roster rotations before a game, depending on formation.

“I spent about half an hour every offseason customizing my playbook to put certain skill players on certain formations based on their speed/catch ratings. It’s a shame that over a decade later, that isn’t even in the new game,” one user claimed.

If there were more accessibility options to make changes, there would be less injuries because of the wear and tear system.

“I hate having to go into the depth chart to switch between my RBs because my starter is at “severe” risk of injury, yet they won’t auto-sub him out until he finally gets hurt,” a third commenter added.

It’s unclear if EA plans to streamline substitutions. However, some players hope the development team will improve this in the upcoming major update.