Maybe console game development really is THAT different from PC software development, but that line of thought is ridiculous coming from my field of work. You create a new branch and develop off of that branch which becomes the basis for the patch.
I'm not employed at EA, so I'm not going to ask you to go back and forth with me on this but it's obvious that the current testing and feedback cycle is not working and I just hope that somewhere internally you guys are making some changes for the better for next year's game.
Contrary to the comments of some others, I believe NCAA 09 is actually a great game in the areas that work as designed... it's just the 20 other bugs and flawed logic that make the game seem as if it's held together by paper clips and Elmer's glue.