Best Teams to Rebuild in College Football 26

Everyone has a favorite team in EA Sports College Football 26, but players who want a real challenge can choose to rebuild a struggling program instead of picking a top-rated school for their Dynasty run. The recruitment system is the star of Dynasty mode in College Football 26, and good coaches can recruit strong talent to raise a team's rating and help them climb the conference rankings.

There are so many schools in College Football 26 that it can be overwhelming to choose a starting place, though, especially if you're looking for a low-rated team to rebuild instead of a top SEC school that everyone knows. Plus, some schools will take much more work to rebuild since they don't have any specific attractions to draw in potential prospects. If you're looking to rebuild a program in College Football 26, these are some of the best NCAA teams to start with.

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By Diego Perez

Rice Owls

Rice is one of the best colleges in Texas, but it's not one of Texas' best football schools. Texas is dominated by the likes of Texas A&M and UT, but you can change that by rebuilding the Owls.

Rice has two unique advantages compared to other Texas schools. It has an A rating for Academic Prestige, and a B- for Conference Prestige. Because of this unique combo, you can attract prospects who want a strong academic life while also filtering out all the local Texas prospects who want to play in the SEC. Let UT and TAMU deal with those guys. Slip past the noise and sweet talk some high school AAC fans into a promising college career at Rice.

Duke Blue Devils

Duke is in a similar position to Rice, making them another great candidate for a rebuild. Duke is one of the best schools in the country, but the Blue Devils don't quite match the school's academic reputation. Duke is one of the easiest rebuilds in College Football 26, though, and that's for a few key reasons.

First, you can leverage Duke's A+ Academic Prestige rating to attract talent. Duke is one of only five schools with an A+ in this department, so you'll have an advantage over other programs. There's not much else to sway players with, but Duke already has some incredible talent to begin with. Chandler Rivers i s a 93 OVR CB that will help you make running plays. Brian Parker II and Terry Moore are two other 90+ players that'll give you a boost during your initial season with the Blue Devils.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Nobody really thinks about Hawaii when it comes to football, which is exactly why coaching the Rainbow Warriors in Dynasty mode can be so rewarding. They really don't have much going for them, so they're basically a blank slate for you to work with. There are a few decent players on the starting roster, particularly their starting quarterback, but you'll have to play your cards right during the recruiting season to secure some promising new talent for the team.

With enough planning and precision, you can use the school's A+ Campus Lifestyle grade to sway some prospects to your side. You'll struggle with some players who value Proximity to Home, but you'll also be able to snag some interesting players from the clutches of other schools.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt isn't a terrible football school, but the Commodores could definitely use a good coach to help them win more games. Vanderbilt's roster isn't anything to write home about, so it's yet another blank slate for you to work with.

Vanderbilt's main advantage is that it's a great school overall, so it boasts an A- rating for Academic Prestige. You'll have to compete with some serious heavy hitters targeting the same pipelines, but you should be able to recruit some decent talent for the Commodores by leveraging Vanderbilt's unique strengths.

Utah State Aggies

When people talk about the Aggies, they're usually not talking about Utah State. That can all change with you at the helm, though. Utah State doesn't have much going for it, so the recruiting process will be tough.

The Mountain West Conference isn't as competitive as something like the SEC, though, so you can easily climb the ranks with the Aggies. Utah State has shown decent performance over the past few years, but with some of its top talent graduating and leaving the team behind, the Aggies are in desperate need of some new prospects. It'll be hard to convince top players to come play for Utah State, but a good coach can find the diamonds in the rough and train them into success stories.

Delaware Blue Hens/Missouri State Bears

This spot on the list is a double whammy because Delaware and Missouri State are the only two new teams to join the College Football 26 roster this year. Both of these teams are neck-and-neck with OVR ratings in the mid-60s, so you'll have a tough time coaching either one of them.

If you want a real challenge, these are the teams to rebuild. Not only are their OVR ratings among the lowest in the game, but their school grades are miserable as well. Missouri State's highest grades are C- in both Conference Prestige and Campus Lifestyle. Delaware has an easier time with a B- in Academic Prestige, but every other grade is just as bad as Missouri State. Good luck if you try either of these two. You'll have to upgrade each player and hope for the best.

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