I've heard talk about how impressive it is for people to win titles with the Shotgun and, to a lesser extent, Trips. That using a running formation (Notre Dame Box and Wishbone) to win a title is unusual. That just about everyone uses the Pro-Set because it's easiest.

My question is Why?
Why is the Pro-Set easiest? What are the advantages?
Is it the Fullback used as a blocking back? Is it two running backs as receivers being harder to account for? Wouldn't those make Wishbone and the Box easier?
What are the disadvantages of the others? Do they get sacked more?

I truly believe there are few if Any advantages in each.
3 Off and 2 Def formations have a huge advantage of having the AI(if that was the previous coach) practice them(Pro,I, Trips, 4-3 and Nickel).
Connected to that all others have a huge Disadvantage if you want to use them because if it was an AI team you are starting at Zero.
But , other than that, it all comes down to building formations IQ and Learning HOW to use the formations you choose to be most effective. This takes some experimenting. Lots of guys don't want to experiment. You can customize formations so TRY different makeup of the formations you use and see which work best for different situations.
I have had opposition stop my running game running an all Nickel D. I have had opposition stop my passing game with Only 4-3. And mine were NC contenders.
So it seems to me that if you recruit the right personnel for the job, grow them, build their formation iq, you can win with just about anything.

You can customize formations so TRY different makeup of the formations you use and see which work best for different situations.

What do you mean by this? Can you give me an example?
Are you talking about like one formation being DE and DT and another being DL User1 and another being DL User 2 and alternating or something?

I think he's talking about deciding if you want to assign your linebackers to the line or send them out into coverage. Do you want to blitz? And if you do blitz, do you send a linebacker or a DB? Things like that.

Exactly. What Bjs said.
I play 3-4. I expect a pass to a wr because I see his team has strong wr's that he mostly throws to.
Do I put all 4 lb's on the line ? Do I blitz 1 or some other player ? If so how often ? In which circumstances.
On offense , do I use my TE and or 2nd RB to block or send him out for passes. Experiment and find which works best.
Depending on the formation (both Off and Def) you use there are options in the formations. When do you use which to be most effective. Ideally , you have variable ones that you can just plug in depending on the opposition.
Obviously number 1 thing determining a win vs loss in this game is quality of players. But once you reach the top there usually is not that much(or even at lower levels when you face similar quality opposition) differing the two teams. Then it comes down to How you use them vs the opposition.

Posted by columbusbuck on 7/20/2017 5:15:00 AM (view original):
I've heard talk about how impressive it is for people to win titles with the Shotgun and, to a lesser extent, Trips. That using a running formation (Notre Dame Box and Wishbone) to win a title is unusual. That just about everyone uses the Pro-Set because it's easiest.

My question is Why?
Why is the Pro-Set easiest? What are the advantages?
Is it the Fullback used as a blocking back? Is it two running backs as receivers being harder to account for? Wouldn't those make Wishbone and the Box easier?
What are the disadvantages of the others? Do they get sacked more?

I think Pro Set is the most popular (I wouldn't say easiest) because it is a balanced offense that favors the pass a little better than I Form. The game engine treats the pass game nicely. Pro Set offers balance compared to the Shotgun and NDB. I personally rely on balance to play different human opponents each season. I have an all-pass game plan, heavy pass game plan, balanced, and heavy rush game plan that are all proven against elite coaches. I can't have that balanced effectiveness in several other formations.

My shotgun and NDB playbooks have significant limitations. When I was game planning versus certain coaches I knew I was at a significant disadvantage with my formation/game plans. If my shotgun gets held to a low pass percentage I struggle. There is no RB to pass to to increase my pass percentage.

If my NDB can't break a couple runs for TDs or I fumble a couple times I lose. Some games I would win on the stat sheet with NDB having 300-350 yards rushing, but I would fumble 3 times that basically gave points to a great opponent. Having an effective passing game could have helped cut down on those fumbles.

That is why I am impressed when I see a coach use an unbalanced formation or game plan and have success. The opponent knows what they will do but still can't stop it. To beat several great coaches with using one approach is pretty impressive.

The true advantage of using the I or Pro is not in the game sim. For me, why I chose the Pro is simply because of the numbers needed for recruiting. I like to to recruit 1QB, 1 RB, 1 WR, per year. stagger 2 OL to 3 OL every year. and 1 TE every other year. This recruit strategy typiclly bodes well for being able to stay within your 180 and getting 4 and 5 star recruits.

Trips on the other hand, you may need to recruit 2 wr's every year to keep your pipeline of talent going. Sometimes there are multiple bluechip WR's in your recruiting 180 sometimes there is only one. On rare occasion you won't have any in your 180. When anomalies in recruit distribution occur(and they do occur) this can really set you back for a couple seasons.

So, in summary, I feel that the I/Pro recruiting strategy is a safer more conservative way to go. Of course you need to have the balanced classes of 12,12,12,11 to do this. ***3 redshirts every year. for me its QB,WR,RB. Oh and I only keep 1 k/p. NEVER both.

I absolutely believe there are "built in" advantages (and therefore disadvantages" with different formations. I understand the engine to be built with a Pro Set or I-Formation as the basic offense. A 4-3 as the basic defense. The simulation logic is built to that, and then all other formations are "tweaked" to make them work.

Is the advantage/disadvantage significant? I think this is the debate question. It may be difficult, or impossible to establish the "facts". Everyone agrees that talent is king. FIQ is also important (varies with division). But, what is "equal" talent when comparing a Shotgun to Pro Set? What is "equal" talent when comparing a Shotgun to a 4-3? It truly takes a complete and OVERALL strategy to win with any formation/player combo. Who do you recruit? how do you play them? how do you grow them? how big are your class sizes? what is your depth at various positions? Do you play run? Do you play pass? When do you "gamble"? Fumbles are ALWAYS in the mix on running teams. Passing teams can get through a season with ZERO picks.

I am running an all run wishbone at D2. Been doing it for a while. I do have unbalanced classes on this team, which is actually a disadvantage IMO. It is also a disadvantage that everyone knows what is coming. I've implemented some unusual strategies to see what happens. No QB, no TE, and this season no WR (just had one that I did not cut). It appears to me that this is not going to work. Not so much because of no pass threat, but more because it "appears" there is an "out of position penalty" at TE that is hurting me. I'm going to give it 4 more seasons to pan out. I've also just grabbed a second team to try a slight variation on the same experiment.

All that being said.....I absolutely believe the sim logic for Pro Set and I Form, along with 4-3 is superior to the logic for other formations. If you are successful with the other formations, it takes a little more skill to overcome your opponent....as well as the built in issues. I know others will disagree, but none of us can prove our case. So it is a battle of opinions.

If you are right then I loves me some ND. All my teams have this formation as sole formation and I win NC's and contend . It is different from the I,Pro and Shotgun I used to run.

Thanks everyone for your input. It's been educational.