It's everything we thought it would be and then some.

For those of us who grew up in the 90's and 2000's, having an NCAA football video game back with actual names in it is pretty wild. I was so intrigued by the new NCAA College Football '25 game and what the Eagles looked like in it that I paid up for the 'deluxe' edition and spent an unhealthy amount of time playing on Monday night.

Here's every thought I had while playing until about 3 a.m. (sad, I'm well aware, but I'm chalking it up as work related)...

-The screen you select when you initially pick your favorite team is the photo you see in this story. Pretty cool little touch with the nod to the Notre Dame game in 1993.

-No red bandana uniforms is really disappointing, but the other few combinations BC has look pretty good.

-Aside from the sections up top in each end zone being filled (let's face it, they're filled for like 2 home games a year) Alumni Stadium and the entrance is very life-like, right down to the touching of the Eagle statue before running out of the short tunnel.

-No Bill O'Brien or other coaches. Even when you create him in 'Dynasty' mode, the templates they give you are very generic.

-The red bandana jerseys are pretty annoying given how important they are to the program, but the other attention to detail is awesome, third down songs over the PA system, no Mr. Brightside, but band plays after each touchdown or big play. Eagles go into the far end zone and sing at the end of the game too.

-No character photos for Castellanos or Oakpala. Wonder if it's a legal thing or if they simply didn't sumbit photos they wanted, although I feel like that might be on BC? Either way, I believe everyone else is in there. Both Okpala and Castellanos' players do look just like them, they just don't have a photo beside their name.

-TC can thread the needle on short and intermediate throws, but deep balls aren't great. His running ability is stupid though, almost untouchable when he gets outside the pocket.

-Lewis Bond can't be stopped. Exceptional route runner and he catches everything, great separation too.

-Jerand Bradley is also pretty unstoppable on the sideline, just bodies people up and either goes up and gets it or boxes them out. Good on slants too, as is Bond. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

-The Jet Touch Pass with Bond, Bradley or McGowan cannot be covered. Simply can't be stopped.

-Kamari Morales is a fun option in the red zone on third down. Big body and catches everything.

-On defense, Ezeiruaku and Okapala off the edge are always a threat. Rooks and Horsely inside are great at rushing the passer too.

-Awesome to see Bryce Steele in the game and they have him right there next to Kam Arnold as a starter whenever you first start playing the game. He flies around and if he's healthy in real life, this could be a glimpse of a very different, more explosive/dependable linebacker core.

-They made the secondary very mediocre. Jackson is the safest and is good for a pick if you time it right, but as a whole the group is very bad at tackling. Bryquise Brown gets burned A LOT on deep balls down the sideline, especially against the upper echelon teams. One guy who does tackle well in the open field is Jalon Williams.

-As a whole, the pass rush is really good, but I've been in a lot of shootouts because of the secondary.

-Kicking is kind of difficult, still getting used to it, I don't think Liam Connor is as bad as I've made him so far.

Overall, if you're a college football fan this is a must-get. If you're a BC fan, going through this year's schedule is a lot of fun. So far I'm 4-0 in my first dynasty (on the third hardest level before people come at me) with a 13-10 field goal win over FSU, a blowout over Duquesne (called FCS Northeast in the game...very funny), a last-second comeback over Missouri and a blowout against Michigan State. I hope the offense is as fun as it is in this game, because there's a lot of speed and potential.