Executing your position's responsibilities well earns XP.
Making big plays (TDs, tackles, sacks, key passes) earns bonus XP.
Repeated mistakes or freelancing result in CFB 26 Coins reduced Coach Trust and slower XP gain.

Being a team player and fulfilling your positional duties is the most consistent and reliable method to accumulate XP across the season.

Upgrading Your Player - Using Skill Points

About five weeks into Road to Glory-after enrolling in college-you'll unlock the Upgrade Player menu. From here, you can begin spending your hard-earned Skill Points to improve six core rating categories:

1. Power
2. Speed
3. IQ
4. Endurance
5. Technique
6. Charisma

Each rating affects multiple hidden sub-stats based on your position. For example:

Power boosts Strength, Stiff Arm, and Break Tackle.
IQ influences Awareness, Play Recognition, and Route Running.

You can't adjust sub-stats manually. Instead, you upgrade core categories with Skill Points, and the sub-stats increase automatically based on your position.

Note: Each upgrade gets more expensive as you level it up. For example, raising Power from Level 2 to Level 3 might cost 2 Skill Points, but going from Level 4 to Level 5 may cost 4 or more. Plan your point distribution carefully!

Optimization Tips

Early Game Focus: Prioritize IQ and Power for most positions. Awareness and strength matter in almost every matchup.
Quarterbacks: Invest in IQ and Technique early to get boosts in Throw Accuracy and Awareness.
Running Backs: Go for Speed and Power to dominate both speed-based and contact plays.
Defensive Players: Split between Technique and buy CUT 26 Coins IQ for better tackling, coverage, and play recognition.