Want to get better at “Retro Bowl College”? You’ve come to the right place.
To read my previous batch of tips, click here. This time around, I have experience playing in both Major and Minor Conferences, so let’s lead with that.
Without further ado, here’s five more tips that’ll make you better at “Retro Bowl College.”
Major, Minor Conference playoffs are different
New players might want to jump right into the Major Conference. Who doesn’t want to play as the head coach of Alabama or Georgia?
But don’t discount the Minor Conference. The main difference between the two are there playoff systems.
In the Major Conference, the top four teams compete in a round of two playoff, leaving teams outside of that to compete for Bowl game titles.
However, the Minor Conference has a much more extensive playoff system that allows lowest-ranked teams a chance to climb to the National Championship game (note: Ivy League teams don’t play in the postseason).
If you want a shorter but more competitive playoff challenge, pick the Major Conference, but know that you might not have a chance to even reach the National Championship semifinals, even if you have a perfect record.
If you want a more extensive playoff run that’s more forgiving to a regular season loss here and there, pick the Minor Conference. But be aware that more games comes with more risk — namely lower GPAs and injuries.
Cut low-performing seniors
When you start a new game in “Retro Bowl” and “Retro Bowl College,” you’re often stuck with some subpar players that fill roster spots whom you can’t replace, because you don’t have enough Coaching Credits to do so. In “Retro Bowl” in particular, you might also have to tolerate a not-so-great player because you have tight salary cap space.
The salary cap is less of an issue in “Retro Bowl College.” Unless you really tank a season, your scholarship fund for freshman (the equivalent of the salary cap) will always replenish to its $50,000 maximum.
It’s in your best interest to spend as much of this as you can. If you’re not lacking any star positions, cut existing player — even if they are seniors that have seen better days.
Managing toxic players
In “Retro Bowl,” which has a 17-game regular season like the NFL, managing toxic players is a must. If you don’t do so, their toxicity will spread to others, negatively affecting their performance and eventually leading those players to be unsignable when their contracts are up.
There is less incentive to do so in “Retro Bowl College.” You have every player locked in for a maximum of four years (there is no transfer portal) and by the time a player is toxic, it’s likely that they’ll already be close to graduation.
If you have limited Coaching Credits, you can prioritize other stats — like GPA — over this one.
Admit freshman for potential, but know that they don’t have a lot of time to develop it
The best use of your Scholarship funds is to recruit freshman who don’t cost a lot, but have huge potential. But know that you don’t have a lot of time to realize it.
“Retro Bowl College” seasons are much shorter than in “Retro Bowl,” and unlike that game where you can sometimes have players on your team for 20 or so seasons (into their 40s), you only have four seasons to fill their stat bars.
That low-cost freshman who can achieve max arm strength might look like an attractive pick. But if that stat is barely filled, he might never make it to that point — and the majority of the time he plays for you, he won’t be very good.
Re-sign coaches before the playoffs
In both conferences, the game will give you a message if your offensive and/or defensive coordinators’ contracts are going to expire. Always renew them at this point.
If you’re playing in the Minor Conference, you might think you have a lot of time to get this done, but the playoffs will fly by, you’ll forget and they’ll leave before you have time to say “oops.”
You can, of course, hire new coordinators, but good ones are a major Coaching Credits expense and it’ll take seasons to level up the ones you’re given by default to have a meaningful impact on your team.
Good OCs and DCs should be treasured. Don’t forget about them.
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