As we enter July, with just two months to go until the season begins, it doesn’t take much to get college football fans talking. In fact, as sad as it is, even flawed player rankings for a video game will generate some buzz. Just like this post…

Last week, all player ratings for EA Sports’ NCAA Football 12 video game were released. While the Penn State team created in NCAA 12 is fairly accurate, the game always has its share of mistakes as well.

Speculation is as much a part of college football as bowl games and marching bands, and until the BCS (and even since) it determined who the National Champion would be each year. With that in mind, I think it’s only right that we consider what would happen if NCAA 12 was real life.

If that were the case, then:

• Matt McGloin would be head and shoulders above Rob Bolden at quarterback, though Bolden would have the strongest arm on the team (94 Throw Power).

• Reserve WR Brandon Moseby-Felder would be the fastest player on the team with a 96 Speed rating. WR Devon Smith (85 Speed) and RB Stephfon Green (95 Speed) are currently considered the fastest in real life.

• QBs Rob Bolden and Kevin Newsome (91 Speed) would both be faster than both RB Silas Redd and WR Devon Smith.

• LB Mike Yancich (now a TE in the real world), LB Mike Mauti, LB Khairi Fortt, 245 lb. QB Paul Jones, and every defensive back on the roster would also be faster than Devon Smith.

• LB Glenn Carson, DE Pete Massaro, and RB Jonathan Duckett would all be black. They are not.

• OL Johnnie Troutman would be Penn State’s only preseason All-American.

• Projected starters Matt Stankiewitch (OL), Nick Sukay (S), Eric Lattimore (DE), and Anthony Fera (K/P) would not be on the team, along with RB Brandon Beachum and a few other reserves. Former DT Brandon Ware would still be a Nittany Lion, as would graduated S Andrew Dailey.

• The starting kicker would be a junior from East Norriton, PA. There is nobody on the active roster that fits this description.

• Derek Moye would be from Allentown, 316 miles from his hometown of Rochester, PA.

• Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez (82 Speed rating, 965 yards rushing in 2010) would barely be faster than Matt McGloin (80 Speed rating, 6 yards rushing in 2010).

• Terrelle Pryor (96 overall) would still be Ohio State’s quarterback. Also, four of OSU’s five top-rated players were involved in “TatGate”.

Here are the overall ratings for projected starters and contributors for the 2011 Penn State Nittany Lions:

QB: McGloin (85), Bolden (80), Newsome (78), Jones (74)

RB: Redd (90), Green (88), Dukes (78), Duckett (72)

FB: Suhey (85), Zordich (77)

WR: Moye (91), Brown (85), Smith (80), Drake (77), Moseby-Felder (75), Kersey (?) (73)

TE: Haplea (83), Cadogan (79), Szczerba (76)

OL: Troutman (92), Barham (90), Okoli (90), Howle (85), Urschel (85), Pannell (83), Farrell (82)

DE: Massaro (84), Crawford (84), Stanley (80), Latham (79)

DT: Still (86), Hill (85), Hailes (79), Jones (77)

LB: Stupar (87), Carson (82), Mauti (86), Hodges (80), Fortt (77)

CB: Lynn (92), Morris (89), Powell (82), Wallace (76), Thomas (74)

S: Willis (88), Astorino (88), Obeng-Agyapong (82)

K/P: #28 (?) (77), Butterworth (85)

A few other nuggets on Penn State and NCAA 12:

• Penn State is ranked 29th overall, according to Tradition Sports Online.

• Penn State is one of only two teams to have an A- or better on both offense and defense, one of just 13 teams to have an overall rating of A or above, and one of only ten teams to have the highest prestige ranking. Those stats are also from TSO.

• If you want to see the ratings for each individual player, Pastapadre.com has the instructions and link.

• Some brief game footage that includes Penn State can be found here.