It probably is not much of a secret just how much we here at Crystal Ball Run have come to like now former Baylor and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. Following an incredible showing at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend we learned that RG3 will grace the cover of this year’s installment in the NCAA Football video game franchise, NCAA Football 13.
Now I don’t know how many of you out there are in to video games, but I must say that the NCAA Football franchise is something I plan my budget around annually (OK, not really, but the release date typically gets circled on my calendar). And while Griffin III will have no actual impact on the game play (he will after all be in Madden NFL 13), it is still a tremendous honor to be named the cover athlete for the only college football video game on the market.
The honor is well deserved of course, but the question remains which player will join him on the cover? For the first time in the NCAA Football franchise there will be not one, but two cover athletes. Griffin III will be featured on the cover along with a college football legend of of the past, which will be determined by a fan vote on Facebook starting next month.
Which college football icons are up for the second spot on the cover?
According to the EA Sports release fans will get to vote between the following players:
- Marcus Allen, USC
- Doug Flutie, Boston College
- Eddie George, Ohio State
- Desmond Howard, Michigan
- Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
- Herschel Walker, Georgia
- Charlie Ward, Florida State
- Andre Ware, Houston
Some interesting choices of course, so who should be considered the favorite? No disrespect, but the people playing this game are not likely to vote for an old-timer
Eddie George would become the second player to appear on the cover of NCAA Football and Madden NFL, joining Larry Fitzgerald. Desmond Howard would become the first two-time cover athlete (NCAA Football 06). Will the voters respect a player form the older eras of the game, like Marcus Allen? Does Doug Flutie still have enough popularity to carry him to the finish? Is there a chance we could see an all-Texas cover with Andrew Ware and RG3?
Or will the fans go for a more recent name like Eddie George or will the ESPN hype machine be enough to get Desmond Howard back on the cover? We figure the Ohio State and Michigan fans have potential to cancel each other out here.
Does anybody remember just how good Charlie Ward was?
I’ll go ahead and name Barry Sanders the favorite here, and consider it a lifetime achievement award from the video game community. Sanders has never been featured on the cover of a video game, NCAA or NFL. It is long overdue, although Herschel Walker could put up a legitimate fight if we were doing crunches to determine the winner.
Who will you be voting for?
Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and managing editor of Nittany Lion’s Den. Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
