In Madden 20 the developers exchange the Longshot single-player story mode for something a bit different. This year’s NFL entry features a mode called Face of the Franchise: QB1 where players create their quarterback, select a college, play through the NCAA College Football Playoffs, and try and get drafted to an NFL team.
The choices for universities to play at is an interesting but severely limited list of destinations. With no new NCAA Football game in sight, people want more college football. Here are 10 colleges that should have been selectable for QB1 in Madden 20.
10 Wisconsin
Imagine seeing one of the country’s best quarterbacks graduate from a different university and use his last year of eligibility to make his way over to your favorite university. This is exactly what Russell Wilson did when he graduated from N.C. State and heading to Madison, Wisconsin to play for the Badgers.
Though he was scrutinized for his height at the time, his recent record-setting contract signing shows it’s going in his favor in the NFL. Committing to a program like Wisconsin could have given players a different experience trying to make it to the NFL in a run-first offensive system.
9 Tennessee
Peyton Manning is the best quarterback to ever grace the Tennessee Volunteers program and just so happens to be arguably the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time.
The University of Tennessee has seen better days on the football field in terms of overall record, but they have produced some professional studs like Alvin Kamara, Cordarelle Patterson, and Arian Foster. With the number of coaching changes and such the college has seen in the past couple of years, their lack of inclusion in Madden 20 is just another blow to a once-prominent program.
8 Missouri
Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and diehard Chicago Bears fans are all too familiar with the Missouri Tigers and the quarterbacks they’ve sent to the NFL. The program is responsible for ruining the hopes of the Jags with Blaine Gabbert, gave the Bears a solid backup, and most recently saw Drew Lock join the Broncos as the heir apparent.
They’ve had a quarterback friendly system that’s helped several guys get to the next level. The team hasn’t seen much success since leaving the BIG 12, but why couldn’t Madden 20 let players change their fortunes?
7 Stanford
Do you know who Andrew Luck is? Of course, you do he’s the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Luck has always produced on the field, but the injuries he’s seemed to finally overcome have kept him out of the current Top 5 quarterbacks in the league discussion.
He’s a smart guy who showcased as much attending and graduating from Stanford University. The program hasn’t done much in the PAC-12 since his departure but they’re still a coveted university for both football and academic aspirations.
6 Michigan
Though Tom Brady is considered the best quarterback of all-time based on the number of Super Bowl rings he has, it doesn’t mean he was an all-world NFL prospect coming out of college. He did have a good amount of talent though as one doesn’t start at quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines in the ’90s with some skill.
The Michigan Wolverines will often start the year with National Championship goals, but by the end of the year, they’re sending tons of players to the NFL and playing in a decently relevant bowl game.
5 Nebraska
If you’re going to be playing a football game where the pressure and stakes are supposed to rattle your nerves and see what you got, doesn’t the prospect of playing in the craziest environment college football has to offer sound extremely enticing?
The Nebraska Cornhuskers haven’t dominated since the ’90s, but Memorial Stadium is often considered the best home-field advantage in the country. The stadium has sold out an NCAA-record 368 consecutive games. Who wouldn’t want to experience that?
4 Notre Dame
Notre Dame in many ways draws parallels with the Dallas Cowboys. They’re both extremely popular, and a lot of the optimism surrounds the teams has to do with past successes. Whether they win 4 or 10 games in a season, Notre Dame sends several players to the NFL due to a very strong recruiting legacy over the years.
Brady Quinn may not have lived up to the hype as an NFL prospect, but that doesn’t mean a new guy in 2019 shouldn’t have been given a chance to deliver the iconic program a championship trophy.
3 Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs have recently had some of the best success a program can have outside of winning a National Championship. The roadblock to that happening has simply been the crimson roadblock that is Alabama.
With Matt Stafford starting at quarterback for the Detroit Lions for a decade, and Jake Fromm set to be a 1st round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the University of Georgia has a lineage with quarterbacks going to the big leagues. Maybe the school didn’t want you to take Fromm’s spot? Though Justin Fields would tell you that isn’t an easy feat to accomplish.
2 Ohio State
Ohio State University has produced so many NFL players over the years and continues to do so year after year no matter what their record is. The Buckeyes have had a track record as of late for defensive players, running backs, and wide receivers.
This doesn’t mean that they haven’t produced their fair share of quarterbacks along the way. The lack of them in Madden 20 is likely due to 2019 NFL Draft pick and former Ohio State quarter Dwyane Haskins making a small cameo at the beginning of QB1.
1 Alabama
The University of Alabama has been the most dominant college football program in the last decade. The fact that they weren’t a choice for players in QB1 seems like a miss considering how successful and prominent the Crimson Tide program has been over the years.
An argument can be made that they never really produce successful NFL quarterbacks, but that didn’t stop several of the other college teams from making the list of selectable universities. Also, Tua Tagovailoa might change that entire perception with the 2020 NFL Draft.
NEXT: NFL Players React To Their Madden 20 Ratings
