By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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You didn’t just play NCAA Football, you felt it. Every day was gameday.

Very few people get to play college football. For much of the last decade, even fewer have had the chance. In the 2013, the last college football video game was released: NCAA Football 14, with Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on the cover. The discontinuation of the series was the end of an era as each annual edition had become a beloved extension of the passion and pageantry that captivates so many. The slogan for EA Sports is, Its in the game, and with this one you were a part of the college football experience.

You didn’t just play NCAA Football, you felt it. Every day was gameday.

The game was a time machine that took all of us to our favorite places. With a press of the power button and a dimming of the lights, it could quickly turn a Friday afternoon into a Sunday night, blending an entire weekend with friends into two 12-game seasons with a program whose campus location nobody knew. A few games in and everybody was an expert on specific offensive schemes. For a lot of us, that was and remains the extent of our advanced football “knowledge”.

You didn’t need athleticism or size, talent or dedication to play NCAA Football; you just needed a controller. With golden hands you could win the Golden Boot.

Name, image and likeness issues regarding student-athletes ultimately cancelled the EA Sports series after 21 variations. For many in the digital community and many college football fans, the news was crushing. For the last seven years-plus, fans have been clamoring for the game’s return. Without new updates, the ’14 edition, along with previous versions, have become gold on the gaming circuit. Even as new systems have been introduced, older consoles have remained valuable because of their ability to play those games.

On Tuesday, news broke that nearly broke the internet: NCAA Football was returning.

The Twitter account @EASports shared an image with the phrase “College Football is coming back”. Within five hours, that singular post had nearly 200,000 likes and 150,000 retweets. Newsfeeds everywhere were abuzz about a video game series that had not been updated in eight years. From celebrities to current and former college football stars, the reintroduction of NCAA Football quickly went viral. Correspondingly, official program feeds were even making celebratory posts. National media accounts were taking part.

Who knows when the new video game will be released, but, clearly, the nation is ready. When people now talk about college football’s return, they may mean to the palm of their hands.

Early February has come with a college football celebration — and for good reason. A little over a week before Valentine’s Day, NCAA Football has given new meaning to XOXO.

Reports are that the future game will not utilize direct player likeness as previous versions did, though school specifics will obviously be included. Upcoming name, image and likeness legislation pertaining to student-athletes may very well change the status quo, however, with ameutarism and college sports soon set to be updated and revamped. A number of different progressions could impact player compensation and, depending upon the circumstances, entities like video games.

There is a lot yet to be determined, but the pre-game party is officially on. Fans are ready and waiting. Conversations are already ongoing. Call it virtual tailgating. Even before the new game is built, the old games have set a special standard. Current demand has been years in the making. The hype, especially with the rise of the next-gem systems PlayStation 5 and XBOX X Series, is at an all-time high.

Some video games are more than just video games and NCAA Football has been just that. The series is set for a historic return. College football will soon again be complete.