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Of all the clichés in football, the one that has always resonated with me most is that it’s truly a game of inches. That philosophy has guided me since I began creating slider sets for simulation leagues—and it continues to evolve with each new release of College Football and Madden.
Across forums and Discord servers, you'll find leagues that claim to be simulation-focused. Yet many of their rulebooks and slider sets allow for gameplay that is overly loose—specifically on offense—further tilting the balance in a game that already favors offensive play. While it’s true that college football is often viewed as “wide open,” that doesn’t mean defense should disappear from the equation.
If you look at the most dominant teams in NCAA history, they weren’t just fast—they were smart, physical, and disciplined. Many of them fielded defensive units that overwhelmed their opponents through superior execution and toughness. That’s what this slider set is built to reflect: a balanced experience where defense can be just as dominant as offense.
With these sliders, ratings matter. Penalties are enforced. Proper pursuit angles help contain speed (though they won’t always stop it). Your defense will read and react in a realistic, timely manner. Poor players will still perform below expectations, but they won't act completely inept for the sake of artificial difficulty—after all, these are Division I athletes, not junior varsity backups.
The goal is to make every game feel like real football. You'll be challenged to play to your team’s strengths and exploit your opponent’s weaknesses. This means targeting mismatches, making smart adjustments, and leaning into your roster’s skill set.
Fatigue and wear & tear also play a meaningful role. You’ll need to manage your depth and make strategic substitutions. Rest assured, nothing in this set is over-the-top once you experience it in action—but if you only judge the sliders by the numbers, they may seem extreme at first glance. 806x1695.png
Game Settings:
These sliders work for any of the following -
V.1
Can still adjust how you feel it fits your style.
V.2
V.3
SFL official clock is set at:
14 minute quarters
14 acceleration clock
Heisman
Injuries, Fatigue, Wear & Tear ON
V.1
V.2
V.3
All wear and tear hit impact = 65, sacks=35
Per-play recovery = 55
Per-timeout recovery = 65
Between Quarter recovery = 70
Halftime recovery = 80
Week-to-week recovery = 40
In-game healing reserve = 30
For V.3, I have found that wear & tear shouldn't be keeping players out of the game so quickly, every single game. While I do think that injuries in EA Football games as a whole is handled very poorly, I believe that there is a certain way to handle the system. At the beginning of the season, you shouldn't have drastic wear & tear on your players since they are fresh. That should hold true for each individual game as well. I have these settings now to hopefully simulate that. Injuries can happen at any time, but the literal definition of wear & tear is to have gradual impacts to a players' body over time. In-game healing is low because when you get hurt, it is going to linger. Week-to-week recovery still simulates rehabbing your players and if you keep putting them in harm's way over the course of the season, that wear & tear will build up.
The goal for wear & tear is to give a real risk factor for putting your players in harm's way while still allowing for proper recovery if you give your players time to sit and heal up. If your QB gets blasted in his leg and has to come out of the game with a severe tag on the injury, it shouldn't take only a few plays for him to come back. Week-to-week recovery is high to simulate your players getting rest and rehab if needed.
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User/CPU
V.1
V.2
V.4
QB Accuracy 34/16
Pass Blocking 52/40
WR Catching 49/36
Run Blocking 55/63
Fumbles 23/23
Pass Reaction (Zone coverage) 91/90
Interceptions 21/22
Pass coverage (Man coverage) 89/90
Tackling 93/93
Special Teams
FG Power - 37
FG Accuracy - 40
Punt Power - 52
Punt Accuracy - 47
Kickoff Power - 47
Game Options
V.1
V.2
Injuries - 35
Fatigue - 65
Speed Threshold - 98
Precipitation Scaling
Catch - 55
Pass accuracy - 53
Pass strength - 51
Broken tackle - 57
Kick accuracy - 54
Kick strength - 55
Movement - 58
Penalties
Offside - 65
False Start - 85
Holding - 65
Facemask - 80
DPI - 50
Block in the back - 60
Roughing the Passer - 25
One of the most interesting things I’ve learned over the years while working with sliders is that many of them influence far more than their label suggests. Take the tackling slider, for instance—it significantly affects not just how tackles are made, but also how well defenders shed blocks and even how they pursue the ball.
What makes this particularly compelling is that even with adjustments to tackling, broken tackles still happen—but in a far more natural, believable way. So don't worry—ball carriers can still execute moves and break free; it just looks and feels much more like real football.
I’ve also become a strong advocate for speed having the correct impact on gameplay. Speed isn’t everything, nor should it be. Football is just as much about pursuit angles and containment as it is about raw speed. In fact, a tighter speed gap between players actually makes the elite speedsters stand out more—because their quickness feels earned and realistic, not exaggerated.
Raising the speed threshold (in this case, to 99) enhances the game in a number of subtle ways. Defenders behave more confidently in pursuit—they no longer overcompensate by taking unrealistic, overly conservative angles. On default settings, it often feels like defenders are preparing to chase a ball carrier for 400 yards. With a higher threshold, they attack the ball more aggressively and accurately. And yet, if the offense creates the right angle or opens up space, the fastest players still have the burst to get around the edge and make a big play.
Just the other day I played a fellow league member with these sliders in CFB25, and this is how the box score looked:
24-17 game
Colorado
412yds offense
34attempts 105yds rushing 3.1ypc
19/32 307yds passing 9.6ypc 6sacks 2TDs 1INT
5/15 3rd down
20 1st downs
3 penalties
Utah
381yds offense
22attempts 69yds rushing 3.1ypc 3 fumbles (2 lost)
28/50 312yds passing 6.2ypc 0TDs 1INT
5/17 3rd down
1/2 4th down
18 1st downs
4 penalties
For reference, this is what the game in real life looked like:
49-24 game
Colorado
405yds offense
20attempts 65yds rushing 3.3ypc 2 fumbles lost
30/41 340yds passing 9.3ypc 3sacks 3TDs 1INT
3/11 3rd down
2/2 4th down
17 1st downs
5 penalties
Utah
272yds offense
30attempts 31yds rushing 1.0ypc 1 fumble lost
22/41 241yds passing 5.9ypc 4 sacks 2TDs 3INTs
7/17 3rd down
0/1 4th down
15 1st downs
3 penalties
I'm confident that for CFB26, this slider set is the best one out for those who wish to play football as it's played on Saturdays. Also, for those who are interested, we do have spots to fill for our league so feel free to ask!
Update - 7/11/2025:
Hey everyone, here are some notes for the updated sliders. The more we test the better feel we get for the game. I will always want tight and challenging sliders with every opportunity to create big plays on either side of the ball.:
Update - 7/17/2025:
Final Preseason Update - 7/18/2025
Mid-Season Update - 8/11/2025:
Of all the clichés in football, the one that has always resonated with me most is that it’s truly a game of inches. That philosophy has guided me since I began creating slider sets for simulation leagues—and it continues to evolve with each new release of College Football and Madden.
Across forums and Discord servers, you'll find leagues that claim to be simulation-focused. Yet many of their rulebooks and slider sets allow for gameplay that is overly loose—specifically on offense—further tilting the balance in a game that already favors offensive play. While it’s true that college football is often viewed as “wide open,” that doesn’t mean defense should disappear from the equation.
If you look at the most dominant teams in NCAA history, they weren’t just fast—they were smart, physical, and disciplined. Many of them fielded defensive units that overwhelmed their opponents through superior execution and toughness. That’s what this slider set is built to reflect: a balanced experience where defense can be just as dominant as offense.
With these sliders, ratings matter. Penalties are enforced. Proper pursuit angles help contain speed (though they won’t always stop it). Your defense will read and react in a realistic, timely manner. Poor players will still perform below expectations, but they won't act completely inept for the sake of artificial difficulty—after all, these are Division I athletes, not junior varsity backups.
The goal is to make every game feel like real football. You'll be challenged to play to your team’s strengths and exploit your opponent’s weaknesses. This means targeting mismatches, making smart adjustments, and leaning into your roster’s skill set.
Fatigue and wear & tear also play a meaningful role. You’ll need to manage your depth and make strategic substitutions. Rest assured, nothing in this set is over-the-top once you experience it in action—but if you only judge the sliders by the numbers, they may seem extreme at first glance. 806x1695.png
Game Settings:
These sliders work for any of the following -
V.1
Spoiler
Can still adjust how you feel it fits your style.
V.2
Spoiler
V.3
SFL official clock is set at:
14 minute quarters
14 acceleration clock
Heisman
Injuries, Fatigue, Wear & Tear ON
V.1
Spoiler
V.2
Spoiler
V.3
All wear and tear hit impact = 65, sacks=35
Per-play recovery = 55
Per-timeout recovery = 65
Between Quarter recovery = 70
Halftime recovery = 80
Week-to-week recovery = 40
In-game healing reserve = 30
For V.3, I have found that wear & tear shouldn't be keeping players out of the game so quickly, every single game. While I do think that injuries in EA Football games as a whole is handled very poorly, I believe that there is a certain way to handle the system. At the beginning of the season, you shouldn't have drastic wear & tear on your players since they are fresh. That should hold true for each individual game as well. I have these settings now to hopefully simulate that. Injuries can happen at any time, but the literal definition of wear & tear is to have gradual impacts to a players' body over time. In-game healing is low because when you get hurt, it is going to linger. Week-to-week recovery still simulates rehabbing your players and if you keep putting them in harm's way over the course of the season, that wear & tear will build up.
The goal for wear & tear is to give a real risk factor for putting your players in harm's way while still allowing for proper recovery if you give your players time to sit and heal up. If your QB gets blasted in his leg and has to come out of the game with a severe tag on the injury, it shouldn't take only a few plays for him to come back. Week-to-week recovery is high to simulate your players getting rest and rehab if needed.
image.png
User/CPU
V.1
Spoiler
V.2
Spoiler
V.4
QB Accuracy 34/16
Pass Blocking 52/40
WR Catching 49/36
Run Blocking 55/63
Fumbles 23/23
Pass Reaction (Zone coverage) 91/90
Interceptions 21/22
Pass coverage (Man coverage) 89/90
Tackling 93/93
Special Teams
FG Power - 37
FG Accuracy - 40
Punt Power - 52
Punt Accuracy - 47
Kickoff Power - 47
Game Options
V.1
Spoiler
V.2
Injuries - 35
Fatigue - 65
Speed Threshold - 98
Precipitation Scaling
Catch - 55
Pass accuracy - 53
Pass strength - 51
Broken tackle - 57
Kick accuracy - 54
Kick strength - 55
Movement - 58
Penalties
Offside - 65
False Start - 85
Holding - 65
Facemask - 80
DPI - 50
Block in the back - 60
Roughing the Passer - 25
One of the most interesting things I’ve learned over the years while working with sliders is that many of them influence far more than their label suggests. Take the tackling slider, for instance—it significantly affects not just how tackles are made, but also how well defenders shed blocks and even how they pursue the ball.
What makes this particularly compelling is that even with adjustments to tackling, broken tackles still happen—but in a far more natural, believable way. So don't worry—ball carriers can still execute moves and break free; it just looks and feels much more like real football.
I’ve also become a strong advocate for speed having the correct impact on gameplay. Speed isn’t everything, nor should it be. Football is just as much about pursuit angles and containment as it is about raw speed. In fact, a tighter speed gap between players actually makes the elite speedsters stand out more—because their quickness feels earned and realistic, not exaggerated.
Raising the speed threshold (in this case, to 99) enhances the game in a number of subtle ways. Defenders behave more confidently in pursuit—they no longer overcompensate by taking unrealistic, overly conservative angles. On default settings, it often feels like defenders are preparing to chase a ball carrier for 400 yards. With a higher threshold, they attack the ball more aggressively and accurately. And yet, if the offense creates the right angle or opens up space, the fastest players still have the burst to get around the edge and make a big play.
Just the other day I played a fellow league member with these sliders in CFB25, and this is how the box score looked:
24-17 game
Colorado
412yds offense
34attempts 105yds rushing 3.1ypc
19/32 307yds passing 9.6ypc 6sacks 2TDs 1INT
5/15 3rd down
20 1st downs
3 penalties
Utah
381yds offense
22attempts 69yds rushing 3.1ypc 3 fumbles (2 lost)
28/50 312yds passing 6.2ypc 0TDs 1INT
5/17 3rd down
1/2 4th down
18 1st downs
4 penalties
For reference, this is what the game in real life looked like:
49-24 game
Colorado
405yds offense
20attempts 65yds rushing 3.3ypc 2 fumbles lost
30/41 340yds passing 9.3ypc 3sacks 3TDs 1INT
3/11 3rd down
2/2 4th down
17 1st downs
5 penalties
Utah
272yds offense
30attempts 31yds rushing 1.0ypc 1 fumble lost
22/41 241yds passing 5.9ypc 4 sacks 2TDs 3INTs
7/17 3rd down
0/1 4th down
15 1st downs
3 penalties
I'm confident that for CFB26, this slider set is the best one out for those who wish to play football as it's played on Saturdays. Also, for those who are interested, we do have spots to fill for our league so feel free to ask!
Update - 7/11/2025:
Hey everyone, here are some notes for the updated sliders. The more we test the better feel we get for the game. I will always want tight and challenging sliders with every opportunity to create big plays on either side of the ball.:
- QB accuracy went a couple ticks down to separate elite from mid QBs.
- To balance that, pass blocking went up to 50. I don't like to make one thing more challenging without evening the game out in similar areas. If you have a good QB and good OL, you can buy some time to make the correct read. However, you will feel more accuracy effects even in clean pockets. With pressure, the lower accuracy slider will be more harmful for lower rated QBs and forces elite QBs to make their reads on time or else they too will have higher pressure effects when throwing.
- Defenses also will not be able to just send 4 and be fine. If you want pressure and your front 4 aren't getting there, design some blitzes or utilize stunts.
- Run blocking goes up with a slight decrease in tackling as well. Wanted to open up the run game more because I think if the game is a little too tight in the run, users will give up on it too quickly. A slightly more open run game also will get users to respect the run more, which should give way to more creative defenses and also help open up the play action game.
- Wear & Tear changes:
- While I do like the extreme nature of my original set, I don't want players to not be able to finish a half of football just cause they got hit a lot. Using some of Matt10s set and tweaking it, I think we can get proper W&T that you can manage, with long term season effects still being present.
- Precipitation effects
- Nothing crazy, but bad weather should be a thought in every coach's head and gameplan.
- CPU changes:
- Too low of Qb accuracy and blocking led to extremely silly decision making by the CPU both in the pass and run game. Opening up the game for the CPU creates a little more balance and challenge. Elite teams will feel elite again.
Update - 7/17/2025:
- Wear and tear updated
- Run blocking up a tick
- Tackling is back up to 94
- Special Teams is modified
- Precipitation effects are modified
Final Preseason Update - 7/18/2025
- Adjusted run blocking to 55 and tackling to 94
- This will get your OL to properly do their assignments better while higher tackling generates better gap integrity and pursuit by defenders. It will create a more organic run game where your vision and ratings matter.
- Pass blocking at 51
- With the ability to send realistic pressure that can create havoc, I wanted the pocket to form better as well. If you have a good OL, it will show. If you have a good DL, it still will show. If you send pressure then your opponent needs to have protections set properly, or add more blockers to help.
Mid-Season Update - 8/11/2025:
- Minor tweaks due to the latest patch
- CPU will always be the hardest part of sliders to get correct with the tools EA gives us. We really need like 1,000+ more sliders than what we have + CPU vs CPU, User vs User, and User vs CPU designations to differentiate each version of the game.
- CPU QB Accuracy goes down to help alleviate some RoboQB nonsense.
- CPU Pass Blocking up to 40 because QBs were turning into pansies and taking 15 sacks a game with any miniscule presence of pressure.
- CPU Run Blocking up because they have no clue how to run the ball unless you give them better lanes
- Slight user tweaks to compliment the patch updates
- QB Accuracy down -1
- Pass Blocking up +1
- Zone coverage bump +1
- Man coverage drop -1
- CPU will always be the hardest part of sliders to get correct with the tools EA gives us. We really need like 1,000+ more sliders than what we have + CPU vs CPU, User vs User, and User vs CPU designations to differentiate each version of the game.
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