Sniff, sniff. Do you smell that?

It smells like football.

What better way to start off another fun-filled football season than with a near-victory over Florida State.

Now that golf has played all its majors, and boring baseball might once again go on strike, this time of year is much more exhilarating.

With college football under way and the NFL pounding away with its benchwarmers in preseason action, I am once again reminded of how important football is to the sports world.

As I prepared for my first sports column of this year, I couldn’t quite figure out why this particular football season has me so aroused. Maybe it’s because last year’s football season sort of loomed underneath the unfamiliar feeling America was experiencing due to the terrorist attacks.

Football, especially the NFL, seemed to be more of a distraction from what was going in the world than the powerful entity that overtakes the thoughts and dreams of football fans everywhere.

It also made me realize there is something more that has me dreaming about football when I doze off in class.

Ever since I was young, I’ve been playing John Madden’s games on all of my video game systems starting with Sega Genesis and on up into PlayStation. It was always fun, but it did tend to get boring.

Things are different now.

I devised a plan that involved me moving in with new roommates who already owned some key things that I couldn’t afford – a computer and a PlayStation 2.

And when one roommate came home with the latest installment of “NCAA Football 2003” a few weeks ago, I was impressed. Just a short week later came “Madden NFL 2003.”

I’ve never done crack before, but I’m guessing “Madden” and crack are equally addictive.

The first thing that attracted me to the particular game was the attention to detail. For example, in my season with the Oakland Raiders, their home stadium, Oakland Coliseum, is as it is in real life – with the Oakland A’s baseball diamond in the middle of the field.

Part of the way through the season, around when baseball would normally end, the field changed to the normal Raider field with logos painted on and everything.

With the realism of the team’s playbooks, different players’ strengths and weaknesses and the near life-like graphics, the game allows fans to have football in their life any day of the week.

I didn’t used to like to sit and watch others play a game, but with “Madden” on the screen, I can watch two or three games before I realize I’m watching a video game.

And now that Al Michaels, the long-time play-by-play announcer who has welcomed Madden into “Monday Night Football,” is calling the games, the entire football experience is complete when watching or playing.

Some of the options include simulating up to 30 straight seasons. The game is set up to begin this coming season with every team playing its exact real-life schedule. So I decided to simulate this coming season to see what “Madden” thinks will play out.

Some of the beautiful highlights from the simulated season have the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots beginning the season 0-4, the Chicago Bears’ success from last year being a one-time thing and the Raiders once again dominating.

The Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs are all great teams in this simulation, as well, proving you just never know.

The fact is, “Madden” not only excites people about football, it educates. Fans can learn more about offensive and defensive sets and plays while playing “Madden” then they would sitting at the TV all day on a football Sunday.

It can bring friends closer with fierce competition. Then again, it can tear friends apart – if you’re not careful.

Most importantly, that smell of football in the air can remain all year `round with “Madden” in your household.

Just remember, freshmen, “Madden” comes first. Homework, class and showers come second.

Kyle Moss

is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.