A little college football collection of thoughts...and then...

Every once in a while, even in the off-season, we need to pop in on the American football world and see what's going on in that world...starting with the fate of a program near and dear to ACT 2's heart:

Savannah State might return to Division II, which would be for the best
SB Nation

The Tigers have strapped finances and little success on the field to show for their FCS jump. Read the full story

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And of course, we haven't had any conference transfer shenanigans in quite a while, so let's consider the following proposal...

Why not merge Conference USA and the Sun Belt like this?
SB Nation

This setup looks more fun and easy to remember than what we have now. Read the full story

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The end of spring football means it's time to re-evaluate how the big boys are looking going into the fall, and ESPN has a piece (with multiple links beyond if you're really interested!) that sums up much of the major college spring ball news:

The biggest positive spring takeaway for each Top 25 team

ESPN

The college football season is still about four months away, but post-spring hopes are running high across the country.

Here's a look at the biggest reasons for optimism for each team in Mark Schlabach's post-spring top 25.
As for the spring ball takeaways,...    Read the full story

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One of the best stories in the world of CFB is the friendship between Florida State WR Travis Rudolph and autistic Montford Middle School student Bo Paske. It started with a simple gesture on Rudolph's part - when the team visited Montford, he noticed a young man eating lunch alone and decided to sit down by him. It was captured on Instagram and made Paske's mother delighted; a friendship ensued, and the whole thing went viral.

       Tragedy entered the story last week when Rudolph's 55-year old father was accidentally shot and killed. So when the NFL Draft came, and Travis was missing family for this momentous occasion, he brought his newest friend over to watch the draft with him. The fact that he wasn't drafted was probably to his advantage, as it freed him to sign with any team where his best option was; he signed with the New York Giants almost immediately following the end of the draft. 

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The article shares the bond they have, and emphasizes one of the coolest parts of the sports world: the majority of these athlete/struggling youngster bonding stories you see and hear are real. They last far beyond the press coverage, and often they avoid the press altogether. The only reason Rudolph's outreach to Paske is public knowledge is because the boy's mother brought it to the attention of the world through her Instagram, not because the athlete or the university promoted it. The same is true in most sports and with most teams and with most players. As with the rest of life, 90% of them are good people, and they come to recognize that the benefits of celebrity and money they receive because of their athletic prowess are to be shared with the world, even if they're not doing so because of Christian beliefs and teachings directly. 

But those Christian beliefs and teachings have permeated the culture to such an extent that they are assumed by all but the most sociopathic to be the "right way to live" or to get along with the rest of society. The devil may influence HOW people behave, but they know how they should behave.

And when Christ said, 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age," in Matthew 28:19-20, we have thought that meant a Bible in every human being's hands. But "observing all that I have commanded you" may only mean this: the concept that His Holiness has pervaded every element of life throughout the planet. God's Creation is evident everywhere you look, including inside of yourself. And when young men like Travis Rudolph realize they are role models, His glory shines through them in every action.