If you hang around hardcore sports gamers long enough, the topic of conversation inevitably seems to lead to some kind of "what if" scenario. I am sure many of you have thought about combining the franchise mode of one game with the stellar graphics and on-field game play of another plenty of times. And that near-perfect complete game is just what could happen if EA ever combined its NCAA Football series with its Head Coach franchise.

If you think NFL coaches have complete control of their teams, then you need to see what the college game could offer to Head Coach fans. For starters, the recruiting alone could be a whole game to many. What is offered regularly in the NCAA series could be expanded tenfold.

Imagine the athletic director telling you that the heat is being placed on him because you are not well liked by the boosters, or that the program is losing games and money and you are on the hot seat. Your salary could also mean something in this game. Getting paid too much and not performing could mean the end for you, unless that money is guaranteed and then you may be in a Charlie Weis-Notre Dame situation where the school lets you stick around a bit longer to see if you can right the ship.

Righting the ship at some smaller schools would give you a few more years possibly, finicky ADs and all.

NCAA Head Coach: Where Bliss Would Truly Be

All the micromanagement would be at your fingertips in this game. You would have star athletes that you made promises to coming to you nonstop with demands and cries of how they need the ball more. You would have walk-on players that earn a spot in your heart and grab the headlines with a big play against your rivals, which you need to beat to secure your tenure at your favorite school.

Then one day, if you play your cards right and build up that little program, the big time might come calling, say an Ohio State or eventually Joe Pa. Do you sell your recruits and school out for the big bucks and fame? Or do you stay loyal and maintain what you have built up over the years? You could even lie and pull a Nick Saban by saying you are staying and then leave it all behind for supposedly greener pastures. Just know that the trust factor with future recruits may be damaged if you do this once or twice in your career.

But once you land that star athlete, you better make sure he is happy. If he does not want to return kicks, you best either convince him he needs to or find out how to use him to help you win. After all, when he leaves you will need him to help pitch your school to future potential recruits.

And one way to ensure those recruits feel they are being showcased is to design plays just for them. NCAA Head Coach would offer the most exciting and unique play editor and creator in any football game ever.

You have seen all the variations of the Triple Wing or the Wildcat by now, but imagine throwing in your own wrinkle that opponents would have to game plan for each weekend. You could name the formation after your school or a star player perhaps -- I hear that is a popular thing with the kids these days.

Imagine a screen like this...but only better.  That'd be NCAA Head Coach.

Endless Possibilities Indeed

The possibilities are endless here because this is one of the major differences between the college and pro games. The play calling and diversity of what you can run on offense in NCAA is so unique and exquisite that you will spend hours designing plays I would imagine.

When not doing all that, you could be traveling for recruiting trips and attending pep rallies at your campus. You could even institute pride stickers, and be in charge of giving them out each week to your players. Perhaps you would conduct interviews with the press and schedule meetings with the president and athletic director of your school to see what direction things are heading, and to discuss that new weight room you have been asking for.

Finally, it is up to you to decide how to run a college program and all the bells and whistles that come with it. All eyes will be blinking in your direction when you redshirt that star QB in the making. There also might be a time when you need to talk your halfback out of transferring or going pro before his junior year. And when you get that call on your cell telling you that your safety needs to get his grades up or sit before the championship game, you need to decide what has to be done, or risk the consequences placed on you and your university by the NCAA.

All that goes along with having a large role in making your team's schedule and accepting endorsement offers to get your name and school's brands out there. Will you be known as the Hayden Fox or the Hayden Fry of college football? This is the type of game I have been waiting for; the one that takes what NCAA Football already has, and just expands upon and magnifies all the things some would call mundane, but I would call greatness.

I really believe the sky would be the limit with this title. Possibilities for the college die-hards are near endless and replay value would be through the roof. Now the only problem is that someone actually has to make the game.