Enough improvements to justify a new purchase.
The running game is vastly improved over the past NCAA games that I've played. The new juke stick took some getting used to, but now I love it. The ‎physics behind the motion of the runner seem to be much improved as well. In past ‎games I remember feeling like the runner was a rigid, unyielding bot that was highly ‎limited in its range of motion. Now the runners look more realistic than ever, from the ‎additional time it takes to pull of a monster juke or change directions dramatically, to the ‎rotation of the back’s shoulders as he runs diagonally down the field, to the ability to ‎weave in and out of traffic as you run up the middle. I also love the fact that the runner ‎doesn’t always go down as soon as a defender latches onto him. If you keep holding the ‎sprint button while you’re being tackled, you can usually pick up 2 or 3 more yards.‎
Home-field advantage is pretty cool, and it seems to really affect the AI opponent in Dynasty mode. Whenever my Texas A&M squad is on defense, Kyle ‎Field lives up to it’s reputation as one of the loudest venues in college football. The ‎screen actually shakes, and players on the other team signal to the QB that they can’t hear ‎the cadence or audibles. Frequently some of those players will run the wrong route or screw up their blocking assignment, leading to a big advantage for the defense. From what I can tell, it also decreases the composure rating for ‎the players on the opposing team, which makes them less likely to pull off a big play.‎
The momentum meter is a very cool addition, and I agree that it’s a big part of the college ‎game. Whenever your team puts together a successful drive, or makes a big play, the ‎momentum will shift in your favor. Once the momentum meter is tilted all the way ‎toward one team, it takes a lot to regain the balance. Individual players receive a "team bonus" when the momentum has shifted dramatically, and this bonus increases key attributes for those players.‎
I’m very happy with the improvements to this game. I'm also happy that All-American difficulty level (2nd hardest) is challenging enough to be realistic. In the past, All-American was too easy and Heisman was rediculous. In this game, it's all about establishing momentum and avoiding mistakes instead of hoping that the computer won't force some goofy tip-drill turnover to make the game "harder."
Much of the commentary ‎is the same as in years past, and the end of game animations are EXACTLY the same as ‎they were back in NCAA 2004. I missed out on the whole music change thing, but I’m ‎happy with the rotating fight songs anyway. Overall, this is the best football game I've played in a long, long time.