Review: 'NCAA Football 14' steps up its game

It appears Electronic Arts' college football franchise has recovered from last year's on-field stumbles.
The latest installment, NCAA Football 14, represents a major upgrade from its predecessor, delivering a more realistic game of football while maintaining its depth.
NCAA Football has always had an inconsistent run on this generation of home video game consoles. After several rough seasons, the franchise finally seemed to turn it around with 2010's NCAA Football 11 and the follow-up in 2011. However, last year's title failed to introduce major changes and neglected to address bugs leading to player frustration and accidental comedy (such as replays starring only the football and invisible players).
NCAA Football 14 fixes most of this with an overhaul of action on the gridiron, modeled in part by EA's pro football equivalent, Madden NFL. It starts with simple gestures, such as watching ballcarriers naturally shift directions trying to elude defenders with simple moves of the left thumbstick. When a ballcarrier trips, he'll fight to regain balance or lunge forward for the extra yard or two.
The intelligence of computer-controlled team on both sides of the ball has improved, too. Throw in double coverage and the secondary will make players pay through turnovers. Offenses will try to keep players off balance by running without huddles, or smartly mixing up play calls.
The most exciting change is the use of option offenses, which now seem easier to execute. When running a Read Option, Spread Option or other variation, players will see an icon that shows whether the defender is gunning for the quarterback or running back. Even when a player makes the right choice, they must still nail down timing to gain the most benefit.