Dynasty Central

CFB 27 · Build your team

Build an Option roster beyond one fast QB

Your CFB 27 Option offense needs more than QB speed. Find the ball carriers, blocking traits and depth to recruit, then take a few calls into practice.

The keeper is fun. The pitch can be a highlight. But an Option offense still needs a dependable give, players who can keep the ball, and blockers who let the read happen. Build the whole sequence instead of asking one athlete to carry it.

An Indiana ball carrier meets Purdue defenders amid blocks near the line of scrimmage.
Inside traffic is part of the ground game too. Check the blocking and ball-carrier traits that support your outside threats.Dynasty Central gameplay capture · EA SPORTS College Football 27

Try the recruiting checklist

Pick the book. Know who to recruit.

Start with three jobs your roster needs to handle. Switch books to see what changes before you spend your recruiting hours.

Build toward Option

Build the backfield before chasing a passing attack.

  1. QB1Running quarterback

    QB running is central to the option menu; retain enough accuracy for its passing answers.

    Key attributes
    SpeedBall carrier visionShort throw accuracy
    Optimal Archetype:
    Pure Runner · Dual Threat

  2. HB1 / HB2Pitch backs

    Multiple-back formations need more than one reliable runner.

    Key attributes
    SpeedBall carrier visionBreak tackle
    Optimal Archetype:
    Contact Seeker · North/South Blocker · Elusive Bruiser

  3. FB1Interior back

    The fullback can be a ball carrier and blocker in the heavier option sets.

    Key attributes
    TruckingBreak tackleRun block
    Optimal Archetype:
    North/South Blocker · Contact Seeker

Archetypes are scouting starting points. Check the player's actual ratings and your in-game depth chart; a label alone doesn't make a player the best fit.

4 plays to get a feel for the book

Try these commonly called plays from Option. Check the look before the snap, then work through the suggested reads. Route findings show productive targets in our CPU games; follow the coverage, not a fixed throwing order. The bars show yards gained.

Y Lead Read Option

Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk

Original game play diagram: Y Lead Read Option, Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk
Original game card · Y Lead Read Option

Before the snap: Find the defender marked as the option read in-game, then check for another defender waiting outside him.

After the snap
  1. Read the key. If he crashes toward the back, the QB keep is the option to check. If he waits outside, give the ball.
  2. Follow the lead. On a keep, work behind the lead block and account for the next defender. A crashing read defender doesn't make the edge empty.

3.6 yd avg gain

12,855 recorded attempts · CPU Dynasty simulations

Yards on each attempt

Tap a bar for the count. Taller bars mean more attempts.

23% gained no yards or lost yardage. 10% went for 10+ yards.

Recorded yardage distribution
YardsAttempts
Loss1221
01714
1–48369
5–9316
10–19526
20+709

X Dagger

Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk

Original game play diagram: X Dagger, Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk
Original game card · X Dagger

Before the snap: Find the middle safety and the linebacker under the left-side dig. The inside vertical should make you watch how both react.

Suggested reads
  1. Vertical alert. Take the streak only if it wins past the coverage. Otherwise, let it carry a defender away from the dig.
  2. Dig. Look for the outside receiver breaking inside behind the linebackers. A defender sinking underneath can erase that window.
  3. Short outlet. Check the back's left flat or the short right-side release when they get out of protection. Don't hold the ball for a covered dig.

6.3 yd avg gain

7,937 recorded attempts · CPU Dynasty simulations

Yards on each attempt

Tap a bar for the count. Taller bars mean more attempts.

40% gained no yards or lost yardage. 36% went for 10+ yards.

Recorded yardage distribution
YardsAttempts
Loss356
02833
1–4744
5–91167
10–192470
20+367

Curl Flat

Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk

Original game play diagram: Curl Flat, Shotgun · Doubles Y Off Wk
Original game card · Curl Flat

Before the snap: Choose the side with the better cushion. Locate the defender responsible for the space between the curl and the flat.

Suggested reads
  1. Flat. Take the outside throw early if that defender stays deep under the curl.
  2. Curl. If he drives toward the flat, look inside as the curl receiver turns back. Check that the corner isn't driving on it too.
  3. Back inside. If both sideline windows close, check the back's angle route over the middle before pressure arrives.

4.9 yd avg gain

7,077 recorded attempts · CPU Dynasty simulations

Yards on each attempt

Tap a bar for the count. Taller bars mean more attempts.

39% gained no yards or lost yardage. 25% went for 10+ yards.

Recorded yardage distribution
YardsAttempts
Loss351
02402
1–41008
5–91568
10–191656
20+92

Four Verticals

Shotgun · Spread Offset

Original game play diagram: Four Verticals, Shotgun · Spread Offset
Original game card · Four Verticals

Before the snap: Count the safeties, then confirm their movement after the snap. Pick a vertical matchup to check instead of staring at four routes at once.

Suggested reads
  1. Seam. Watch the inside route and the nearest safety. Throw only when the receiver has space beyond the underneath coverage.
  2. Outside vertical. If the safety closes the seam, check the outside matchup. A corner running on top of it has taken away the deep ball.
  3. Back underneath. Use the back's short release if the verticals stay covered. The big-play average isn't a reason to force the shot.

8.5 yd avg gain

930 recorded attempts · CPU Dynasty simulations

Yards on each attempt

Tap a bar for the count. Taller bars mean more attempts.

43% gained no yards or lost yardage. 39% went for 10+ yards.

Recorded yardage distribution
YardsAttempts
Loss37
0366
1–469
5–997
10–19200
20+161

Now put your own players on the board.

See which players fit Option, where you need depth, and which attributes to scout next. Import your dynasty roster to turn the checklist into a plan for your team.

See how your roster fits

Start with a free selected-style report. Plus adds ongoing comparisons and deeper play research.

Make the give worth respecting

If the defense doesn't care about your inside run, your keeper has a harder job. Compare your ball carriers' running and ball-security traits alongside speed. The back who handles traffic may have a different job from the one you want in space.

Keep the selected book in mind. Option, Spread Option and Power Spread don't put the same people in the same places. Use the selector to check the actual book you're building toward before you fill the recruiting board.

Your backup QB is part of the plan

A QB who carries the ball needs someone behind him who can run your core calls. A very different backup may mean a smaller keeper menu and a different passing plan when he comes in. Decide that before the fourth quarter.

Don't recruit an entire offense from a speed sort. Check the blocking and passing traits that support the reads you want to make. You still need a call you trust when the defense crowds the run.

Learn one read before adding three more

  1. Find the read defender in the game's play art and practice the give/keep decision.
  2. Check where the next defender is waiting; a correct read doesn't clear the whole sideline.
  3. Keep a simple passing answer for the look that takes your run away.

Still deciding on your style? Check the Spread offense recruiting plan.