Of all the wish lists and other ideas for game improvements I've considered over the years, I had honestly never thought of online dynasties; at least, not seriously. It seemed like sort of a pie in the sky fantasy to me.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the EA studios to preview the current NCAA. In talking to Kendall Boyd, I noticed that when somebody brought up the idea of online dynasties, there was a little twinkle in his eye. He seemed to be saying that no, we don’t have the capability to do it now, but just wait. Obviously, those were not his exact words, only what I got out of it.

Well, fast forward to a year later. EA has announced that there will be 12-team online dynasties in the upcoming game, replete with full recruiting against the other players. Immediately after the announcement, there are already online leagues being formed. Past leagues from the PC days being re-formed. Friends from the late 90’s are coming together to rehash those old times.

This is the power of next-gen online content. In the case of dynasty mode, I expect to see a huge increase in the number of dynasties being posted on our forums. The reason for this is that online dynasties effectively erase the vast majority of shortcomings people experience in solo play.

Tired of having to set strict recruiting rules, yet still ending up with a superior class because the CPU teams don’t adequately chase the diamonds in the rough? Problem solved. Now there will be 11 other people that also are looking for the diamond in the rough. Sort of gives new meaning to what a diamond in the rough is doesn't it?

Do you win every game? Of course that was never a problem for me, but for the majority of us an unbeaten record will now at least include a few wins over human opponents, which makes runing the table a lot more satisfying.

The thing I like about the idea of an online dynasty is that you can join a league that fits your preferences. Some of the most enjoyable leagues might be a league where everybody takes a team in the MAC, for instance. Seriously, I get all giddy just thinking about something like that.

Have a group of friends who think the SEC is the only conference that matters? Create an SEC league. How about a league of horrible teams from around the country all being built up from the ground up in tandem? Call it the 107 through 119 league.

For a guy like me, a league with teams in multiple conferences works best because I work a lot and can’t schedule all of my games during waking hours. Three to five games per dynasty season against human opponents will be about all I can handle.

I expect the forums will now be teeming with people who are seeing the real beauty of dynasty mode for the first time because of this new mass-appeal feature. And to use the oldest phrase in the gamers’ arsenal of clichés...I can’t wait.

I still have questions that I want answered. Will there be a web page created for each online league to keep track of standings and stats? Now that would really be cool.

What if the league goes sour and you want to finish your dynasty off line? Is that possible? We’ll know the details soon enough.  In the meantime, stay tuned to Operation Sports for the latest info on this and other features of NCAA Football 09.