Predicting the EA Sports College Football cover athlete: 11 stars fans would love

8. Michael Penix Jr.

This is an easy one. Penix was a Heisman Trophy finalist and one of the most exciting players in college football last year. The lefty led his Washington Huskies to within a quarter of a national title, wowing the country in two wins over Oregon and a College Football Playoff semifinal win over Texas.

Penix's willingness and ability to fit the ball into impossibly tight windows is emblematic of the way many gamers want to play the game. You may not ever be able to make the throws that Penix can in real life, but grab a controller and the world is at your fingertips.

Seeing Penix on the cover would be inspirational, as he's overcome four season-ending injuries to still become college football royalty, and it would be a fitting send-off for the Pac-12, which will exist only in our hearts and minds beginning next season.

7. Carson Beck

Georgia has become the preeminent program in the country over the past few years, so we have to include a Bulldog on our list. Tight end Brock Bowers would make a great choice if we were looking at former players, but as one of the preseason Heisman favorites on a team that will begin the year ranked in the top three, if not number one, quarterback Carson Beck gets the nod.

Beck recently made waves by purchasing a high-end Lamborghini (is there any other kind?), and while it's doubtful that he'll have any trouble footing the bill, this should help. The redshirt junior stepped in seamlessly for Stetson Bennett last year, leading the Bulldogs to an undefeated record and the No. 1 ranking until the SEC Championship, where UGA was knocked off by Alabama.

Even with the loss, it was impossible to argue that Georgia wasn't one of the four best teams in the country, but they were still left out of the playoff. With Beck returning and another boffo recruiting class on its way to Athens, the Bulldogs should have little trouble getting back to the playoff after one year away.