With the NFL draft in the rearview, our annual search for meaning during the football offseason enters its longest, most desolate stretch. Its starkness is rivaled only by midwest interstates.

The release of NCAA 2009 is one of those wells along the dusty path which will sustain us along the way. There have been several sneak peeks to come out this month.

"Alternate uniforms" are part of the game this year, and, yes, you can expect Georgia’s black jerseys to be an option. Now you can BLACK OUT your house. Put black drapes up, turn off the lights, dye the cat, dress like a Goth, crank up Soulja Boy, and prepare to run up 312 points against Temple on Varsity level.

As for the rest of the new features and changes, there’s a ton of them. We’ll only try to hit what seem to be the highlights:

• Bigger holes, cutback lanes, and open receivers, making the game feel more wide open than ever before
• Pre-play confusion and difficulty making adjustments when on the road against tough teams
• Interactive TD celebrations (could it be??? nah….)
• All-new authentic fields with new textures, lighting, and field degradation
• User Customizable Stadium Sounds & Music…band geeks should love this one.
• Return missed field goals
• CPU vs. CPU (watch mode)…the graphics are good enough, so why not? It’s probably better than most of the other sports on TV.
• Formation audibles, Smart routes, Bobble catches, Better passing control, Post play continuation
• Online Dynasty: up to 12 competitors can recruit head-to-head, customize schedules and play for up to 60 seasons

July can’t get here soon enough.

PS…no plain old X-Box version this time. 360 only.

UPDATE: Georgia will apparently carry the #1 ranking in the game for the 2008 season. Take that for meaningless preseason bluster, South Carolina fans.