MMOexp CFB 26: Air Raid Runs and RPOs

The primary read is the running back streaking slowly up the seam. Because defenders are stretched horizontally by the flat and vertically by the post, the running back often slips through untouched. If the flat defender widens, you hit the seam. If the defense stays tight inside, you take the flat for CUT 26 Coins free yards.

The real knockout punch comes from the slot post. Against Cover 3, the running back holds the middle safety while the backside routes occupy coverage. Once the post clears the safety, it's an instant one-play touchdown. Against man or match coverage, that same post can win on leverage alone. Few plays in CFB 26 offer this many answers with such simple reads.

Keeping Defenses Honest: Air Raid Runs and RPOs

While the Air Raid is known as a passing offense, Mike Leach's teams were most dangerous when defenses forgot about the run. Spreading the field forces lighter boxes, and this scheme takes full advantage of that.

RPO Alert Screen from Spread Wide Flex is a perfect example. Pre-snap, you simply count the box. If you have numbers inside, hand the ball off and take easy yards. If a defender crashes or aligns too tightly inside, flip the ball to the alert screen and let your blockers work in space.

This isn't about guessing-it's about numbers and leverage. When defenses commit extra defenders to stopping the pass, the run game punishes them. When they overreact to the run, the perimeter game explodes.

Getting the Back in Space: Motion HB Swing

Another core piece is Motion HB Swing from Trips Y Slot Strong. Motion helps identify coverage while also creating a numbers advantage on the edge. With multiple blockers out front, your running back becomes a true weapon in open space.

If the defense stays passive, dump it to the swing and let your back work. If linebackers fly downhill to stop it, the backside glance route opens directly behind them for a chunk gain. If coverage vacates the middle entirely, mobile quarterbacks can even take off by themselves. It's a low-risk, high-upside call that keeps defenses frozen.

Vertical Firepower: Smash and Y-Cross

Despite the "short passing" label often attached to the Air Raid, Leach's offenses always had the ability to strike deep. In College Football 26, Smash out of Empty Trey Flex becomes one of the most lethal vertical concepts in the game.

With the right setup, Smash absolutely destroys Cover 3 by layering a seam fade behind the corner route. Against two-high or match coverage, adjustments turn it into a deep post or streak that attacks safeties split between responsibilities. Proper pass leading makes this play nearly impossible to defend.

Then there's Y-Cross, the backbone of the Air Raid. The deep crosser slices through zones, the whip route provides a reliable underneath option, and the post-sit punishes defenders who abandon the middle. Against pressure, the running back swing acts as a built-in hot route. It's simple, elegant, and brutally effective. Having enough cheap CUT 26 Coins can also be very helpful.

Why This Offense Feels Unstoppable

What makes this Texas Tech-inspired Air Raid so powerful in College Football 26 isn't just the plays-it's the philosophy. Every concept attacks multiple coverages, every route has a purpose, and every decision is built around forcing defenders to choose wrong.

Just like the real 2008 Red Raiders, this offense thrives on rhythm, tempo, and confidence. Master a handful of elite concepts, understand how defenses react, and you'll find yourself carving up opponents from sideline to sideline. In a game full of complex schemes, this Air Raid proves that simplicity-when executed well-is still unstoppable.

CFB 26 Player Development: 6 Tips to Level Up Faster
Player progression in College Football 26 is one of the most important-and sometimes overlooked-elements of building a dominant dynasty. Getting your players to develop faster can be the difference between an elite roster and constantly watching other programs steamroll your team with better talent. Six strategies that will completely transform how you develop your players. These aren't generic tips-they're based on the new mechanics in CFB 26 and will give you a real advantage. A large number of CUT 26 Coins can also be very helpful.

Tip #1: Fix the Manual Progression Bug

The first step to faster player development is ensuring your manual progression settings are correct. There's a common issue with the manual progression penalty that slows in-season XP growth if not set to 0%. Without fixing this, your players won't earn the points needed to grow efficiently.

For online leagues, you have two options:

Turn on auto progression during the season to let players spend XP automatically, then switch back to manual in the offseason.

Toggle auto progression on before each game, play, then turn it off afterward. This ensures you capture all earned XP and can allocate it strategically.

Fixing this setting is critical because it forms the foundation for every other player development strategy.

Tip #2: Focus on Development Traits

Not all players develop at the same rate. Star ratings are important, but development traits now make the biggest difference in CFB 26. My tests show:

Elite development players: 70.2 skill points per offseason

Star development players: 59.6 skill points

Impact development players: 32.7 skill points

Normal development players: 26.3 skill points

This means a three-star recruit with elite development can surpass a five-star recruit with normal development in just two seasons.

To identify these traits, invest in coaching upgrades:

Recruiter Tier 1: Reduces scouting hours

Strategist Tier 4: Provides a chance to reveal development traits early

Note that scouting gems and busts affect probabilities, not guarantees. Gems are more likely to have higher development, but a bust can still surprise you. Players can even upgrade development traits during the offseason if they dominate in-game, meaning normal can evolve to impact, or impact to elite.

Tip #3: Recruit for Speed and Power First

Some attributes are expensive to upgrade. In CFB 26, speed and power top that list. Other skills like route running, catching, and coverage are cheaper to develop, so your strategy should be:

Recruit players with high speed and power

Teach the cheaper skills through progression

For example, recruit running backs with elite speed and trucking attributes, then develop elusiveness and agility later. For edge rushers, get fast, strong players, then upgrade finesse and pass-rush moves. For quarterbacks, prioritize throw power, then refine accuracy and decision-making.

Tip #4: Control Overall Ratings to Retain Players

Player expectations are tied to their overall rating. A 75 overall player may be content with your program, but a 90 overall player demands more attention. Controlling the overall rating is crucial for keeping players through junior or senior years.

Strategies include:

Save skill points for players not in the lineup to prevent overall inflation

Upgrade actively playing players in speed and power, which improve on-field performance but minimally raise overall ratings

Delay overall-boosting upgrades for senior season if you want to maximize retention

NIL player draft thresholds also matter. In early seasons, players typically leave at 87 overall, but this threshold decreases for certain positions in later years.

Tip #5: Use the Position Group Draft Bonus

The Talent Developer Tier 1 upgrade now benefits position groups instead of just individual positions. When a wide receiver is drafted, tight ends get the bonus too; when an offensive lineman is drafted, all five O-line positions benefit. This is perfect for developing full position groups efficiently.

When allocating upgrades, focus on attributes aligned with the player's archetype. For example, invest in pass blocking for a pass-protecting lineman. This maximizes overall rating gains and boosts your group's progression.

Tip #6: Stack Coaching Abilities for Multiplied Bonuses

Many players misunderstand how coaching abilities interact. In CFB 26, abilities multiply rather than simply add. For example, combining a Tier 3 motivator with a coordinator's motivator doesn't just add 5% + 5% XP-it multiplies to create a 25% total boost (relatively cheap for the effect).

Key coaching upgrades for player progression include:

In-season XP gains: Architect Tier 1/2, Talent Developer Tier 3

Offseason XP gains: Motivator Tier 3, Talent Developer Tier 1

Global XP gains: Master Motivator Tier 3, Talent Developer Tier 2

Stacking these abilities effectively allows you to break skill caps and turn good players into NCAA Football 26 Coins superstars. Architect Tier 3/4 is essential for removing XP restrictions and maximizing growth.