The time it takes to put these rosters together is monumental! I had made a 99 roster in an older Madden for personal use, so I still had all of the info around, but things have changed in the game so adjustments had to be made, plus it just takes forever to move players around, set equipment and ratings. I have never tried to figure out how many hours in game it takes, mainly because I would probably never make another roster. lol I know it takes a couple of hours per team. Then add in Free Agents and adjustments. This is why I do not worry about colleges. It has no effect on the game in my mind. You barely ever see the colleges unless you go looking for them. What I wish could be adjusted is previous year's stats. But again, that does not bother me too much. With a wife, 2 kids, teaching (and all that comes with that), being an advisor for multiple groups at my school; sometimes trying to make a roster just does not make a lot of sense. But oh well, I do it anyway.
Sorry to hear your wife thinks you should "retire" from gaming. I in quickly heading toward 40 and luckily my wife is a gamer too, so no retirement talk. She does however think I am crazy spending so many hours creating rosters and not actually playing the game. lol In reality, my wife is right!