Consistent play, not ratings earn roles for West Virginia

EA Sports College Football 26 is a staple for fans of the college game.

The popular video game allows people the opportunity to play as their favorite teams and players in the months prior to the start of the college football season.

But the appeal doesn’t just extend to fans as current college players also are keenly aware of the game.

“They could all tell you the freaking EA Sports video game grade. Them dudes, yeah, they all know,” West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “I said I’m going to call them up and tell them to change the numbers on you right here.”

Alley even referenced a skit on social media where players had a fake EA rater at practice, but in the end those numbers don’t mean much in the realm of what’s unfolding in college camps.

“Doesn’t matter to me. That’s not who makes decisions on who’s playing, who’s not and how well you do,” he said. “And I think they know the NFL doesn’t care either.”

The same can be said for PFF Grades and the current West Virginia staff.

“They have a job to do, but, you know, we have our grading scale. And I’m sure at a certain time they may grade a certain way. They may not even know exactly what coverage we’re doing. So we trust our grading process. I think it could bring value for certain people,” cornerbacks coach Rod West said. “But in terms of us inside this building, we don’t refer to that. We just look at what we do well. We critique our guys.”

In actuality, all players are challenged the same way and the ones that perform the best will end up seeing the field. It isn’t a difficult concept to understand, but one that is fair.

And the best way to move up the rankings that truly matter is to simply be consistent. That means simply being able to rely on players to do what they’re supposed to do and play at a high level doing it.

“The guys that you want to play have more good days than bad days,” Alley said.

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