Shacknews is reporting that Electronic Arts has signed an exclusive six year publishing deal with the NCAA Football league. EA now owns the exclusive rights to the NFL, NCAA Football and the Arena Football League. Currently, the only North American football league not associated with EA is the Canadian Football League (CFL). It will be interesting to see whether or not publishers will make a move to sign some sort of deal with the CFL. The first title under the new NCAA agreement will be NCAA Football 2006.

Here’s a clip from the Business Wire press release:

“When we began our analysis of the videogame landscape, it became apparent that EA SPORTS was best positioned from a marketing and development perspective to maximize the sales opportunities for college football,” said Pat Battle, CEO of The Collegiate Licensing Company.

“Electronic Arts has been a tremendous partner, and we are thrilled that the EA SPORTS team has renewed its commitment to the college market. We look forward to seeing how EA will continue to grow its NCAA Football franchise through innovative game play, unique marketing programs and its dedicated sales force.“