Mastering the Empty Bunch Tight Formation in College Football 26

If you’ve been looking for a versatile and explosive offensive scheme in College Football 26, the Empty Bunch Tight Baylor offense deserves your attention. Built to attack every coverage, this formation thrives on spacing, precision route concepts, and the ability to audible into multiple looks. Whether you’re grinding ranked games or building out your ultimate squad with the help of buy College Football 26 Coins, this guide will break down the essential setups, adjustments, and reads so you can shred zone, man, and even heavy blitzes.

Formation Basics

The Empty Bunch Tight set naturally creates mismatches because of its condensed alignment. You can run it in two ways:

1. Standard package (with RB) - lets you audible into other formations for flexibility.

2. Gadget at HB package - replaces the running back with a fourth wide receiver, giving you four WRs and one TE on the field.

Your base play should be Wide Corners. This provides a strong foundation while giving you reliable hot routes and audibles like Shallow Drags, Spacing, Sweep, and Clear Deep. From here, the adjustments you make will determine how you attack coverages.

Beating Zone Coverage

Zone defenses are everywhere in ranked play, but this scheme has several setups that consistently pick them apart.

Double Corners Concept

· Streak the inside receiver in the bunch.

· Streak the opposite outside receiver.

· Put the tight end on a return route.

· Stem the single WR (opposite bunch) into a corner route.

This creates two deep corner options, seam streaks to pull safeties, and a quick return route as a checkdown. Against Cover 3 and Cover 4, you’ll often hit the long corner towards the sideline for chunk gains.

Post-Slant Combo (Wide Corners)

· Put the outside WR on a post.

· Flat route or wheel your tight end.

· Streak the slot WR.

· Slant the single WR.

This works best when the bunch is on the short side. The flat pulls down defenders, while the slant and post attack the middle. Against Cover 4, wait for the post to clear zones for an easy completion.

Shallow Drags Flood

· Outside WR → slot fade.

· Tight end → short drag.

· Slot WR → corner route (stem him up if needed).

Now you have a layered flood concept. The drag gives you a fast outlet, while the slot fade and corner route stretch deeper zones. Against Cover 2, the corner clears the flats, letting you throw underneath or over the top.

Attacking Man Coverage

Empty Bunch Tight is just as dangerous against man-to-man because of sharp cutting routes and spacing.

Quick Drags and Corners (Shallow Drags stock)

This play works immediately out of the huddle. The dual drags create natural rubs, while the outside corners provide sideline shots. Even pressed coverage struggles, as the drags typically create separation.

Slant-Post-Fade Combo (Wide Corners)

· Tight end → whip route.

· Slot WR → fade.

· Outside WR → post.

· Single WR → slant.

This combination is lethal versus press. The whip punishes tight defenders, the slant consistently wins inside, and the slot fade can bomb one-on-one coverage if there’s no deep safety.

Beating Blitzes

Cover 0 blitzes can be scary against empty sets, but this offense is built to punish aggressive defenses.

· Block your tight end to pick up extra rushers.

· Keep a slant or drag as a hot read.

· Use the quick post or fade over the middle once the blitz leaves no safety help.

Because defenders are isolated, sharp slants and quick corners become instant wins. Throw quickly, and you’ll turn their pressure into a big play.

Match Coverage Counters

Match defenses, where defenders pattern-match instead of sitting in zones, can be tricky. The Clear Deep play is your answer:

· Drag the inside WR on the bunch side.

· Stem up the opposite in-route.

· Let the tight end run his streak.

The drag forces match defenders underneath, while the tight end streak often gets wide open once the safety is forced to respect the in-route. Against match, this setup consistently generates chunk plays or even touchdowns.

Key Tips for Success

· Hash mark awareness matters. Many setups work better with the bunch on the short side, since it creates more space for corner and post routes.

· Mix checkdowns with deep shots. Don’t always force the big play-your drags, flats, and return routes are safe outlets.

· Audible smartly. With a running back on the field, you can easily audible to other shotgun formations if the defense adjusts too aggressively.

· Quick hike plays win. Shallow Drags and stock concepts are excellent when you need tempo.

Final Thoughts

The Empty Bunch Tight Baylor offense in College Football 26 is one of the most complete passing schemes in the game. Between its ability to torch every coverage, punish blitzes, and create consistent checkdowns, it gives you answers no matter what the defense calls. Master these setups, pay attention to your hash mark positioning, and you’ll have an offense that feels unstoppable. Whether you’re practicing in play now or building out your squad with cheap CFB 26 Coins, this playbook provides all the tools you need to stay ahead of the competition.