Maximum Football provides fans with a football video game they want to play. It’s not on the same level as the EA Sports games, but I don’t think it’s trying to be.

The time has arrived to play EA Sports College Football 26, with early access of the popular video game franchise starting on July 7.

As the release of College Football 25 approached last July, it felt increasingly unlikely that the video game would live up to the hype. And how could it? Eleven years removed from the last ...