Breaking down EA Sports’ College Football 27 team ratings: who’s too high, who’s too low?

One of the most anticipated games of this summer – especially for college football fans looking for something to satisfy their appetite in the offseason – is EA Sports’ latest offering, College Football 27.

The game is scheduled to release in July, but EA has been giving fans little breadcrumbs to pick them up, and one of the biggest appetizers they’ve dropped so far has been team ratings.

I browsed the overall ratings and found a few that raised my eyebrows. Some teams scored very low, while others scored very high.

Below, I will share with you three teams that caught my eye from each category. If you think your team scored too low or your opponent scored too high, feel free to speak up in the comments.

Georgia: Very Low (87 OVR)

This narrative about the Georgia Bulldogs being cooked in the NIL and the transfer portal is a lazy story at best, and that’s coming from a fan of a rival SEC team.

Head coach Kirby Smart has been recruiting like crazy since day one in Athens and hasn’t slowed down in recent years.

On offense, the Dawgs have veteran starter Gunner Stockton at quarterback and dynamite running back Nate Frazier and transfer portal additions Isaiah Canion at wide receiver.

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An experienced defense should lead the way for the Bulldogs, who have given Smart one of the saltiest defensive units in the country with defensive features like Jordan Hall and safety KJ Bolden, and I fully expect Georgia to win the SEC once again.

Sleeping on these dogs is your responsibility.

Indiana: Very High (90 OVR)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches warm-ups before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana on Jan. 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Call me a “stargazer” all you want, but Indiana hasn’t recruited well enough to deserve such a high team ranking.

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I don’t even think the Hoosiers were one of the most talented teams in the College Football Playoff last postseason, and their performance was more a testament to the greatness of head coach Curt Cignetti and his staff.

Even his classes in the transfer portal were nothing to write home about this summer.

Sure, he was ranked in the top 10 by 247Sports, but they only signed 17 signings and 11 of them were three stars.

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The only other teams in the top 10 in the transfer portal rankings with fewer than 20 transfers were Miami and Ohio State; These were two teams that recruited well enough that they didn’t have to rely solely on the portal to acquire their talent.

Indiana isn’t there yet, and the fact that they lost their Heisman-winning signal caller gives me pause when it comes to the 90 overall rating.

I will never doubt Coach Cig’s abilities as a coach, but I don’t think the Hoosiers are the second-best team in the country in terms of talent.

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Clemson: Very Low (83 OVR)

Clemson Tigers’ Jack Smith reacts to a second-half play against the Duke Blue Devils at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina on November 1, 2025. (Cory Knowlton/ISI Photos)

Two things can be true at once: The Clemson Tigers have been one of the most disappointing programs in college football since the beginning of the decade, but they have also been one of the most talented teams in the country during that time frame.

If overall team ratings are based largely on talent, I’m not sure how Clemson will do in 2026.

While the Tigers are not known for using the transfer portal, they have consistently signed some of the best recruiting classes in the ACC over the past five years.

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Guys like linebacker Sammy Brown and wide receivers TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco are still on this roster and were recruited and developed the old-school way.

I’m not going to sit here and argue that Clemson should be one of the highest rated teams in the CFB 27, but 83 is too low for my taste.

BYU: Very High (86 OVR)

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake reacts after he and his players were submerged while celebrating a win against Colorado at the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, 2024 in San Antonio. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

This is a perfect example of comparing rosters and addressing deficiencies in the rating system.

I understand that BYU had a better year than Clemson in 2025 and could even be projected to have a better season in 2026, but you can’t look me in the eye and say the Cougars are much more talented than the Tigers.

Hiring rankings belie this. The disparity in transfer portal rankings is negligible at best. And I guarantee you the Tigers will draft more players than the Cougars next April.

I understand BYU is expected to compete for the Big 12 conference title while Clemson has a 7.5 over/under total, but when you put the two depth charts side by side I can’t see the Cougars being three points better overall.

Alabama: Very Low (86 OVR)

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams warms up before his game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. (Melina Myers/Imagn Images)

If you hang out in Tuscaloosa on a weekend and listen to Crimson Tide fans talk about their team’s chances this year and the direction of the program, you’ll probably think ’86 is a very high mark for Alabama.

That’s because all Tide fans compare their current situation to the heyday of the Nick Saban era, but if you look at this roster objectively, you’ll see that it’s loaded with talent that makes an 86 overall rating questionable at best.

This team is still loaded with five-stars and highly rated four-stars in nearly every area, and Kalen DeBoer has kept the Crimson Tide’s recruiting at an incredibly high level during his time in T-Town.

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Time will tell if the Tide can put it all together this season, but the talent is there and the rating should certainly reflect that.

Auburn: Very High (86 OFF)

An Auburn helmet sits on the bench during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Nov. 5, 2022. (Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire)

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Yes, the Auburn Tigers have an overall rating of 83, which I actually have no problem with, but their rating of 86 on the offensive side of the ball frankly made me do a double-take.

It’s no secret that the Tigers acquired a pretty good player on that side of the ball under former head coach Hugh Freeze, but last season’s top two receivers were Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr. Many of his best players, including , entered the transfer portal after he was fired.

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New head coach Alex Golesh brought back several of his players from his last stop at USF, including quarterback Byrum Brown, but it remains to be seen how the American Athletic Conference standouts will perform in the SEC.

I wouldn’t mind Auburn having an 86 rating on offense in late October when more players have proven themselves, but there’s too much to see right now to give that high a rating on that side of the ball.