College Football is more than just a game. It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself, a legacy. Last year, NCAA Football 09 shook all pejorative claims that it was just Madden’s younger brother. From a game play standpoint, it was superb. Thus, it was the perfect canvas for EA Tiburon to take the game in an entirely new direction. Instead of just updating the graphics and a few game play mechanics, NCAA Football 10 looks to bottle the very essence of College Football.

Season Showdown seeks to harness the spirit, drive, and passion fans feel toward their teams in a way never before seen. Each week of the regular season, players will compete through matches and online minigames for their chosen institution. From here, stats will be tracked as each individual and school competes on an online leaderbord and through the season.

Points are based not only on wins and losses, but how you play the game. For example, one component is sportsmanship. One way to earn points toward your sportsmanship score is to punt in punting situations. Tiburon wants to encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior, and will alter the sportsmanship rules if needed. Should a player not finish a game, they will receive a fifty percent penalty to the score of their next game. Actions on the field affect other components. A player catch or tackle will be rewarded higher than a CPU action, for instance. Players will not need to play as their school to earn points; they will get a loyalty bonus for games played as their chosen team.

Scores will also include a web trivia game component and a game called Allies and Rivals. Allies and Rival is basically and online popularity contest. Each week, players can vote for (or against) five teams. Tiburon will track who is voting for whom and and publicly display the data. They hope that it will help create new and unique rivalries on the digital gridiron.