by FOXSports.com

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Coaching legends like Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno will be competing against new coaching stars such as USC's Pete Carroll and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis for the championship trophy.

So many questions need to be answered before the first fall Saturday of college football arrives, packed with intriguing matchups, countless traditions and historic rivalries.

WhatIfSports.com's Gridiron Dynasty allows fans to satisfy their need for college football and dreams of being a top college football coach. Gridiron Dynasty is closest most fans will ever get to all of the pressure, thrill, stress and elation that can come from calling the shots on gamedays.

Gridiron Dynasty puts the user completely in charge of his/her own college football team. Coaches face the good, bad and ugly of being in charge — from dealing with prima donna recruits and balancing academic and athletic issues to preparing for the next game and handling the pressures of winning placed on you by the administration.

In Gridiron Dynasty, users start at Division III and compete against other fans from across the country as they work and their way to the elite Division I schools, building programs - and maybe even winning a championship or two along the way.

How to Play

Coaches first need to find an open Division III job and begin recruiting to play. High school stats and ratings in 12 categories are listed for each potential recruit, from athleticism to game instinct. As if finding the perfect high school player for a coaching system is not difficult enough, coaches have a limited budget to make phone calls, send assistants on scouting trips, travel across the country to meet with recruits or host campus visits, all while competing against hundreds of other Gridiron Dynasty coaches from different schools, conferences and divisions.

After the recruiting period has ended, coaches set practice plans for each unit and prepare for the season. The team then plays 13 simulated games in an entire season, including games with two non-conference opponents and a game with each of the other 11 teams in the conference. Games are simulated each day with the first half played in the morning and, after teams have the opportunity to make adjustments, the second half is played later in the afternoon. Throughout the season, coaches can set depth charts, playing time distributions and offensive and defensive specific gameplans by down, distance and situation, from a shotgun spread or option attack to a base 3-4 or 5-2.

At the end of the regular season, conference champions advance to the playoffs or bowl games and the selection committee decides which at-large teams will be playing in the postseason and be given a chance to win a national championship.

After the season, the job continues with graduations, transfers and even players leaving early for pro football. Plus, based on success, consistency, loyalty and reputation, coaches may have other schools at different levels seeking their services.

How it Works

The WhatIfSports.com college football simulation engine uses player ratings and interactions to simulate each game down to the second. Comprehensive research on the collegiate game has uncovered the exact probabilities of nearly every occurrence in a game and Gridiron Dynasty creates the most accurate simulation available by utilizing some of the world's most extensive and detailed statistical modeling.

Any fan who has ever dreamed of leading his favorite school or alma mater to become the next great college dynasty can receive that chance.