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Prodigal Love for the Prodigal Son
By C.H. Spurgeon
"And kissed him." Luke 15:20
In the Revised Version, if you will kindly look at the margin, you will find that the text there reads, "and kissed him much." This is a very good translation of the Greek, which might bear the meaning, "Kissed him earnestly," or "Kissed him eagerly," or "Kissed him often." I prefer to have it in very plain language, and therefore adopt the marginal reading of the Revised Version, "Kissed him much," as the text of my sermon, the subject of which will be, the overflowing love of God toward the returning sinner. The first word "and" links us on to all that had gone before. The parable is a very familiar one, yet it is so full of sacred meaning that it always has some fresh lesson for us. Let us, then, consider the preliminaries to this kissing. On the son's side there was something, and on the father's side much more. Before the prodigal son received these kisses of love, he had said in the far country, "I will arise and go to my father." He had, however, done more than that, else his father's kiss would never have been upon his cheek. The resolve had become a deed: "He arose, and came to his father."
A bushelful of resolutions is of small value; a single grain of practice is worth the whole. The determination to return home is good; but it is when the wandering boy begins the business of really carrying out the good resolve, that he draws near the blessing. If any of you here present have long been saying, "I will repent; I will turn to God;" leave off resolving, and come to practicing; and may God in his mercy lead you both to repent and to believe in Christ! Before the kisses of love were given, this young man was on his way to his father; but he would not have reached him unless his father had come the major part of the way. When you give God an inch, he will give you an ell. If you come a little way to him, when you are "yet a great way off" he will run to meet you. I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eye of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God's love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees him. I do not suppose that the prodigal traveled very fast.
I would imagine that he came very slowly — "With heavy heart and downcast eye, With many a sob and many a sigh." He was resolved to come, yet he was half afraid. But we read that his father ran. Slow are the steps of repentance, but swift are the feet of forgiveness. God can run where we can scarcely limp, and if we are limping towards him, he will run towards us. These kisses were given in a hurry; the story is narrated in a way that almost makes us realize that such was the case: there is a sense of haste in the very wording of it. His father "ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him;" — kissed him eagerly. He did not delay a moment; for though he was out of breath, he was not out of love. "He fell on his neck, and kissed him much." There stood his son ready to confess his sin; therefore did his father kiss him all the more. The more willing you are to own your sin, the more willing is God to forgive you. When you do make a clean breast of it, God will soon make a clear record of it. He will wipe out the sin that you do willingly acknowledge and humbly confess before him. He that was willing to use his lips for confession, found that his father was willing to use his lips for kissing him. See the contrast. There is the son, scarcely daring to think of embracing his father, yet his father has scarcely seen him before he has fallen on his neck.
The condescension of God towards penitent sinners is very great. He seems to stoop from his throne of glory to fall upon the neck of a repentant sinner. God on the neck of a sinner! What a wonderful picture! Can you conceive it? I do not do you think can; but if you cannot imagine it, I hope that you will realize it. When God's arm is about our neck, and his lips are on our cheek, kissing us much, then we understand more than preachers or books can ever tell us of his condescending love. The father "saw" his son. There is a great deal in that word, "saw." He saw who it was; saw where he had come from; saw the swineherd's dress; saw the filth upon his hands and feet; saw his rags; saw his penitent look; saw what he had been; saw what he was; and saw what he would soon be. "His father saw him." God has a way of seeing men and women that you and I cannot understand. He sees right through us at a glance, as if we were made of glass; he sees all our past, present and future. "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him." It was not with icy eyes that the father looked on his returning son. Love leaped into them, and as he beheld him, he "had compassion on him;" that is, he felt for him. There was no anger in his heart towards his son; he had nothing but pity for his poor boy, who had got into such a pitiable condition. It was true that it was all his own fault, but that did not come before his father's mind. It was the state that he was in, his poverty, his degradation, that pale face of his so wan with hunger, that touched his father to the quick. And God has compassion on the woes and miseries of men.
They may have brought their troubles on themselves, and they have indeed done so; but nevertheless God has compassion upon them. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." We read that the father "ran." The compassion of God is followed by swift movements. He is slow to anger, but he is quick to bless. He does not take any time to consider how he shall show his love to penitent prodigals; that was all done long ago in the eternal covenant. He has no need to prepare for their return to him; that was all done on Calvary. God comes flying in the greatness of his compassion to help every poor penitent soul. "On cherub and on cherubim, Full royally he rode; And on the wings of mighty winds Came flying all abroad." And when he comes, he comes to kiss. Master Trapp says that, if we had read that the father had kicked his prodigal son, we should not have been very much astonished. Well, I should have been very greatly astonished, seeing that the father in the parable was to represent God. But still, his son deserved all the rough treatment that some heartless men might have given; and had the story been that of a selfish human father only, it might have been written that "as he was coming near, his father ran at him, and kicked him." There are such fathers in the world, who seem as if they cannot forgive. If he had kicked him, it would have been no more than he had deserved.
But no, what is written in the Book stands true for all time, and for every sinner, — "He fell on his neck, and kissed him;" kissed him eagerly, kissed him much. What does this much kissing mean? It signifies that, when sinners come to God, he gives them a loving reception, and a hearty welcome. If any one of you, while I am speaking, shall come to God, expecting mercy because of the great sacrifice of Christ, this shall be true of you as it has been true of many of us: "He kissed him much."
I. First, this much kissing means MUCH LOVE. It means much love truly felt; for God never gives an expression of love without feeling it in his infinite heart. God will never give a Judas-kiss, and betray those whom he embraces. There is no hypocrisy with God; he never kisses those for whom he has no love. Oh, how God loves sinners! You who repent, and come to him, will discover how greatly he loves you. There is no measuring the love he bears towards you. He has loved you from before the foundation of the world, and he will love you when time shall be no more. Oh, the immeasurable love of God to sinners who come and cast themselves upon his mercy!
This much kissing also means much love manifested. God's people do not always know the greatness of his love to them. Sometimes, however, it is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. Some of us know at times what it is to be almost too happy to live! The love of God has been so overpoweringly experienced by us on some occasions, that we have almost had to ask for a stay of the delight because we could not endure any more. If the glory had not been veiled a little, we should have died of excess of rapture, or happiness. Beloved, God has wondrous ways of opening his people's hearts to the manifestation of his grace. He can pour in, not now and then a drop of his love, but great and mighty streams. Madame Guyon used to speak of the torrents of love that come swooping through the spirit, bearing all before them. The poor prodigal in the parable had so much love manifested to him, that he might have sung of the torrents of his father's affection. That is the way God receives those whom he saves, giving them not a meager measure of grace, but manifesting an overflowing love. This much kissing means, further, much love perceived. When his father kissed him much, the poor prodigal knew, if never before, that his father loved him. He had no doubt about it; he had a clear perception of it. It is very frequently the case that the first moment a sinner believes in Jesus, he gets this "much" love.
God reveals it to him, and he perceives it and enjoys it at the very beginning. Think not that God always keeps the best wine to the last; he gives us some of the richest dainties of his table the first moment we sit there. I recollect the joy that I had when first I believed in Jesus; and, even now, in looking back upon it, the memory of it is as fresh as if it were but yesterday. Oh, I could not have believed that a mortal could be so happy after having been so long burdened, and so terribly cast down! I did but look to Jesus on the cross, and the crushing load was immediately gone; and the heart which could only sigh and cry by reason of its burden, began to leap and dance and sing for joy. I had found in Christ all that I wanted, and I rested in the love of God at once. So may it be with you also, if you will but return to God through Christ. It shall be said of you as of this prodigal, "The father saw him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him in much love."
II. Secondly, this much kissing means MUCH FORGIVENESS. The prodigal had many sins to confess; but before he came to the details of them, his father had forgiven him. I love confession of sin after forgiveness. Some suppose that after we are forgiven we are never to confess; but, oh, beloved, it is then that we confess most truly, because we know the guilt of sin most really! Then do we plaintively sing — "My sins, my sins, my Savior, How sad on you they fall! Seen through your gentle patience, I tenfold feel them all. I know they are forgiven, But still their pain to me Is all the grief and anguish They laid, my Lord, on you." To think that Christ should have washed me from my sins in his own blood, makes me feel my sin the more keenly, and confess it the more humbly before God. The picture of this prodigal is marvelously true to the experience of those who return to God. His father kissed him with the kiss of forgiveness; and yet, after that, the young man went on to say, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son."
Do not hesitate, then, to acknowledge your sin to God, even though you know that in Christ it is all put away. From this point of view, those kisses meant, first, "Your sin is all gone, and will never be mentioned any more. Come to my heart, my son! You have grieved me sore, and angered me; but, as a thick cloud, I have blotted out your transgressions, and as a cloud your sins." As the father looked upon him, and kissed him much, there probably came another kiss, which seemed to say, "There is no soreness left: I have not only forgiven, but I have forgotten too. It is all gone, clean gone. I will never accuse you of it any more. I will never love you any the less. I will never treat you as though you were still an unworthy and untrustworthy person." Probably at that there came another kiss; for do not forgot that his father forgave him "and kissed him much," to show that the sin was all forgiven. There stood the prodigal, overwhelmed by his father's goodness, yet remembering his past life. As he looked on himself, and thought, "I have these old rags on still, and I have just come from feeding the swine," I can imagine that his father would give him another kiss, as much as to say, "My boy, I do not recollect the past; I am so glad to see you that I do not see any filth on you, or any rags on you either. I am so delighted to have you with me once more that, as I would pick up a diamond out of the mire, and be glad to get the diamond again, so do I pick you up, you are so precious to me."
This is the gracious and glorious way in which God treats those who return to him. As for their sin, he has put it away so that he will not remember it. He forgives like a God. Well may we adore and magnify his matchless mercy as we sing — "In wonder lost, with trembling joy We take the pardon of our God; Pardon for crimes of deepest dye; A pardon bought with Jesus' blood; Who is pardoning God like you? Or who has grace so rich and free?" "Well," says one, "can such a wonderful change ever take place with me?" By the grace of God it may be experienced by every man who is willing to return to God. I pray God that it may happen now, and that you may get such assurance of it from the Word of God, by the power of his Holy Spirit, and from a sight of the precious blood of Christ shed for your redemption, that you may be able to say, "I understand it now; I see how he kisses all my sin away; and when it rises, he kisses it away again; and when I think of it with shame, he gives me another kiss; and when I blush all over at the remembrance of my evil deeds, he kisses me again and again, to assure me that I am fully and freely forgiven." Thus the many kisses from the prodigal's father combined to make his wayward son feel that his sin was indeed all gone. They revealed much love and much forgiveness.
III. These repeated kisses meant; next, FULL RESTORATION. The prodigal was going to say to his father, "Make me as one of your hired servants." In the far country he had resolved to make that request, but his father, with a kiss, stopped him. By that kiss, his sonship was owned; by it the father said to the wretched wanderer, "You are my son." He gave him such a kiss as he would only give to his own son. I wonder how many here have ever given such a kiss to anyone. There sits one who knows something of such kisses as the prodigal received. That father's girl went astray, and, after years of sin, she came back worn out, to die at home. He received her, found her penitent, and gladly welcomed her to his house. Ah, my dear friend, you know something about such kisses as those! And you, good woman, whose boy ran away, you can understand something about these kisses, too. He left you, and you did not hear of him for years, and he went on in a very vicious course of life. When you did hear of him, it well-near broke your heart, and when he came back, you hardly knew him. Do you recollect how you took him in? You felt that you wished that he was the little boy you used to press to your bosom; but now he was grown up to be a big man and a great sinner, yet you gave him such a kiss, and repeated your welcome so often, that he will never forget it, nor will you forget it either. You can understand that this overwhelming greeting was like the father saying, "My boy, you are my son. Despite all that you have done, you belong to me; however far you have gone in vice and folly, I own you. You are bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh."
In this parable Christ would have you know, poor sinner, that God will own you, if you come to him confessing your sin through Jesus Christ. He will gladly receive you; for all things are ready against the day that you return. "Spread for you the festal board, See with richest dainties stored, To your Father's bosom pressed, Yet again a child confessed; Never from his house to roam, Come and welcome, sinner, come." The father received his son with many kisses, and so proved that his prayer was answered. Indeed, his father heard his prayer before he offered it. He was going to say, "Father, I have sinned," and to ask for forgiveness; but he got the mercy, and a kiss to seal it, before the prayer was presented. This also shall be true of you, O sinner, who are returning to your God, through Jesus Christ! You shall be permitted to pray, and God will answer you. Hear it, poor, despairing sinner, whose prayer has seemed to be shut out from heaven! Come to your Father's bosom now, and he will hear your prayers; and, before many days are over, you shall have the clearest proofs that you are fully restored to the divine favor by answers to your intercessions that shall make you marvel at the Lord's loving-kindness to you. Further than this, you shall have all your privileges restored, even as this wandering young man was put among the children when he returned. As you see him now in the father's house, where he was received with the many kisses, he wears a son's robe, the family ring is on his finger, and the shoes of the home are on his feet. He eats no longer swine's food, but children's bread.
Even thus shall it be with you if you return to God. Though you look so foul and so vile, and really are even more defiled than you look; and though you smell so strongly of the hogs among which you have been living that some people's nostrils would turn up at you, your Father will not notice these marks of your occupation in the far country with all its horrible defilement. See how this father treats his boy. He kisses him, and kisses him again, because he knows his own child, and, recognizing him as his child, and feeling his fatherly heart yearning over him, he gives him kiss after kiss. He kisses him much, to make him know that he has full restoration. In this repeated kissing we see, then, these three things: much love, much forgiveness, and full restoration.
IV. But these many kisses meant even more than this. They revealed his father's EXCEEDING JOY. The father's heart is overflowing with gladness, and he cannot restrain his delight. I think he must have shown his joy by a repeated look. I will tell you the way I think the father behaved towards his son who had been dead, but was alive again, who had been lost, but was found. Let me try to describe the scene. The father has kissed his son, and he bids him sit down; then he comes in front of him, and looks at him, and feels so happy that he says, "I must give you another kiss," then he walks away a minute; but he is back again before long, saying to himself, "Oh, I must give him another kiss!" He gives him another, for he is so happy. His heart beats fast; he feels very joyful; the old man would like the music to strike up; he wants to be at the dancing; but meanwhile he satisfies himself by a repeated look at his long-lost child. Oh, I believe that God looks at the sinner, and looks at him again, and keeps on looking at him, all the while delighting in the very sight of him, when he is truly repentant, and comes back to his Father's house.
The repeated kiss meant, also, a repeated blessing, for every time he put his arms round him, and kissed him, he kept saying, "Bless you; oh, bless you, my boy!" He felt that his son had brought a blessing to him by coming back, and he invoked fresh blessings upon his head. Oh, sinner! if you did but know how God would welcome you, and how he would look at you, and how he would bless you, surely you would at once repent, and come to his arms and heart, and find yourself happy in his love. The many kisses meant, also, repeated delight. It is a very wonderful thing that it should be in the power of a sinner to make God glad. He is the happy God, the source and spring of all happiness; what can we add to his blessedness? And yet, speaking after the manner of men, God's highest joy lies in clasping his wilful Ephraims to his breast, when he has heard them bemoaning themselves, and has seen them arising and returning to their home. God grant that he may see that sight even now, and have delight because of sinners returning to himself! Yes, we believe it shall be even so, because of his presence with us, and because of the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. Surely that is the teaching of the prophet's words: "The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty; he will save he, will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing." Think of the eternal God singing, and remember that it is because a wandering sinner has returned to him that he sings. He joys in the return of the prodigal, and all heaven shares in his joy.
V. I have not got through my subject yet. As we take a fifth look, we find that these many kisses mean OVERFLOWING COMFORT. This poor young man, in his hungry, faint, and wretched state, having come a very long way, had not much heart in him. His hunger had taken all energy out of him, and he was so conscious of his guilt that he had hardly the courage to face his father; so his father gives him a kiss, as much as to say, "Come, boy, do not be cast down; I love you." "Oh, the past, the past, my father!" he might moan, as he thought of his wasted years; but he had no sooner said that than he received another kiss, as if his father said, "Never mind the past; I have forgotten all about that." This is the Lord's way with his saved ones. Their past lies hidden under the blood of atonement. The Lord says by his servant Jeremiah, "The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve." But then, perhaps, the young man looked down on his foul garments, and said, the present, my father, the present, what a dreadful state I am in!" And with another kiss would come the answer, "Never mind the present, my boy. I am content to have you as you are. I love you."
This, too, is God's word to those who are "accepted in the Beloved." In spite of all their vileness, they are pure and spotless in Christ, and God says of each one of them, "Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you. Therefore, though in yourself you are unworthy, through my dear Son you are welcome to my home." "Oh, but," the boy might have said, "the future, my father, the future! What would you think if I should ever go astray again?" Then would come another holy kiss, and his father would say, "I will see to the future, my boy; I will make home so bright for you that you will never want to go away again." But God does more than that for us when we return to him. He not only surrounds us with tokens of his love, but he says concerning us, "They shall be my people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."
Furthermore, he says to each returning one, "a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." Whatever there was to trouble the son, the father gave him a kiss to set it all right; and, in like manner, our God has a love-token for every time of doubt and dismay which may come to his reconciled sons. Perhaps one whom I am addressing says, "Even though I confess my sin, and seek God's mercy, I shall still be in sore trouble, for through my sin, I have brought myself down to poverty." "There is a kiss for you," says the Lord: "Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure." "But I have even brought disease upon myself by sin," says another. "There is a kiss for you, for I am Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord that heals you, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases." "But I am dreadfully down at the heel," says another. The Lord gives you also a kiss, and says, "I will lift you up, and provide for all your needs. No good thing will I withhold from those who walk uprightly."
All the promises in this Book belong to every repentant sinner, who returns to God believing in Jesus Christ, his Son. The father of the prodigal kissed his son much, and thus made him feel happy there and them. Poor souls, when they come to Christ, are in a dreadful plight, and some of them hardly know where they are. I have known them talk a lot of nonsense in their despair, and say hard and wicked things of God in their dreadful doubt. The Lord gives no answer to all that, except a kiss, and then another kiss. Nothing puts the penitent so much at rest as the Lord's repeated assurance of his unchanging love. Such a one the Lord has often received, "and kissed him much," that he might fetch him up even from the horrible pit, and set his feet upon a rock, and establish his goings. The Lord grant that many whom I am addressing may understand what I am talking about!
VI. And now for our sixth head, though you will think I am getting to be like the old Puritans with these many heads. But I cannot help it, for these many kisses had many meanings: love, forgiveness, restoration, joy, and comfort were in them, and also STRONG ASSURANCE. The father kissed his son much to make him quite certain that it was all real. The prodigal, in receiving those many kisses, might say to himself, "All this love must be true, for a little while ago I heard the hogs grunt, and now I hear nothing but the kisses from my dear father's lips." So his father gave him another kiss, for there was no way of convincing him that the first was real like repeating it; and if there lingered any doubt about the second, the father gave him yet a third. If, when the dream of old was doubled, the interpretation was sure, these repeated kisses left no room for doubt. The father renewed the tokens of his love that his son might be fully assured of its reality. He did it that in the future it might never be questioned. Some of us were brought so low before we were converted, that God gave us an excess of joy when he saved us, that we might never forget it. Sometimes the devil says to me, "You are no child of God."
I have long ago given up answering him, for I find that it is a waste of time to argue with such a crafty old liar as he is; he knows too much for me. But if I must answer him, I say, "Why, I remember when I was saved by the Lord! I never can forget even the very spot of ground where first I saw my Savior; there and then my joy rolled in like some great Atlantic billow, and burst in mighty foam of bliss, covering all things. I cannot forget it." That is an argument which even the devil cannot answer, for he cannot make me believe that such a thing never happened. The Father kissed me much, and I remember it full well. The Lord gives to some of us such a clear deliverance, such a bright, sunshiny day at our conversion, that henceforth we cannot question our state before him, but must believe that we are eternally saved. The father put the assurance of this poor returning prodigal beyond all doubt. If the first kisses were given privately, when only the father and son were present, it is quite certain that, afterwards, he kissed him before men, where others could see him. He kissed him much in the presence of the household, that they also might not be calling in question that he was his father's child. It was a pity that the elder brother was not there also.
You see he was away in the field. He was more interested in the crops than in the reception of his brother. I have known such a one in modern days. He was a man who did not come out to week-evening services. He was such a man of business that he did not come out on a Thursday night, and the prodigal came home at such a time, and so the elder brother did not see the father receive him. If he lived now, he would probably not come to the church-meetings; he would be too busy. So he would not get to know about the reception of penitent sinners. But the father, when he received that son of his, intended all to know, once for all, that he was indeed his child. Oh, that you might get those many kisses even now! If they are given to you, you will have, for the rest of your life, strong assurance derived from the happiness of your first days.
VII. I have done when I have said that I think that here we have a specimen of the INTIMATE COMMUNION which the Lord often gives to sinners when first they come to him. "His father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him much." You see, this was before the family fellowship. Before the servants had prepared the meal, before there had been any music or dancing in the family, his father kissed him. He would have cared little for all their songs, and have valued but slightly his reception by the servants, if, first of all, he had not been welcomed to his father's heart. So is it with us; we need first to have fellowship with God before we think much of union with his people. Before I go to join a church, I want my Father's kiss. Before the pastor gives me the right hand of fellowship, I want my heavenly Father's right hand to welcome me. Before I become recognized by God's people here below, I want a private recognition from the great Father above; and that he gives to all who come to him as the prodigal came to his father. May he give it to some of you now! This kissing, also, was before the table communion.
You know that the prodigal was afterwards to sit at his father's table, and to eat of the fatted calf; but before that, his father kissed him. He would scarcely have been able to sit easily at the feast without the previous kisses of love. The table communion, to which we are invited, is very sweet. To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, in symbol, in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, is, indeed, a blessed thing; but I want to have communion with God by the way of the love-kiss before I come there. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." This is something private, ravishing, and sweet. God give it to many of you! May you get the many kisses of your Father's mouth before you come into the church, or to the communion table! These many kisses likewise came before the public rejoicing. The friends and neighbors were invited to share in the feast. But think how shamefaced the son would have been in their presence, if, first of all, he had not found a place in his father's love, or had not been quite sure of it. He would almost have been inclined to run away again. But the father had kissed him much, and so he could meet the curious gaze of old friends with a smiling face, until any unkind remarks they might have thought of making died away, killed by his evident joy in his father.
It is a hard thing for a man to confess Christ if he has not had an overwhelming sense of communion with him. But when we are lifted to the skies in the rapture God gives to us, it becomes easy, not only to face the world, but to win the sympathy of even those who might have opposed themselves. This is why young converts are frequently used to lead others into the light; the Lord's many kisses of forgiveness have so recently been given to them, that their words catch the fragrance of divine love as they pass the lips just touched by the Lord. Alas, that any should ever lose their first love, and forget the many kisses they have received from their heavenly Father! Lastly, all this was given before the meeting with the elder brother. If the prodigal son had known what the elder brother thought and said, I should not have wondered at all if he had run off, and never come back at all. He might have come near home, and then, hearing what his brother said, have stolen away again. Yes, but before that could happen, his father had given him the many kisses.
Poor sinner! you have come in here, and perhaps you have found the Savior. It may be that you will go and speak to some Christian man, and he will be afraid to say much to you. I do not wonder that he should doubt you, for you are not, in yourself, as yet a particularly nice sort of person to talk to. But, if you get your Father's many kisses, you will not mind your elder brother being a little hard upon you. Occasionally I hear of one, who wished to join the church, saying, "I came to see the elders, and one of them was rather rough with me. I shall never come again." What a stupid man you must be! Is it not their duty to be a little rough with some of you, lest you should deceive yourselves, and be mistaken about your true state? We desire lovingly to bring you to Christ, and if we are afraid that you really have not yet come back to God, with penitence and faith, should we not tell you so, like honest men? But suppose that you have really come, and your brother is mistaken; go and get a kiss from your Father, and never mind your brother. He may remind you how you have squandered your living, painting the picture even blacker than it ought to be; but your Father's kisses will make you forget your brother's frowns. If you think that in the household of faith you will find everybody amiable, and everyone willing to help you, you will be greatly mistaken.
Young Christians are often frightened when they come across some who, from frequent disappointment of their hopes, or from a natural spirit of caution, or perhaps from a lack of spiritual life, receive but coldly those upon whom the Father has lavished much love. If that is your case, never mind these cross-grained elder brethren; get another kiss from your Father. Perhaps the reason it is written, "He kissed him much," was because the elder brother, when he came near him, would treat him so coldly, and so angrily refuse to join in the feast. Lord, give to many poor trembling souls the will to come to you! Bring many sinners to your blessed feet, and while they are yet a great way off, run and meet them; fall on their neck, give them many kisses of love, and fill them to the full with heavenly delight, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.


text:
Home > Tim Hudak	> Taking Tim Hudak's Call
Taking Tim Hudak's Call
I received a call this afternoon from Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Tim Hudak, ostensibly to thank me for endorsing him in my post last Saturday. I have been hearing that Hudak is an easy to like kind of guy, and it couldn't be more true. I have never seen him in action, but based on one phone call I have no doubt he's a guy who knows the politicians art of working a room.
The conversation moved quickly and smoothly, ranging from what kind of dog I had (she was being noisy), to my thoughts on the future of the auto industry, human rights commissions, the past and future of the Ontario PC party and my local PC MPP, Gerry Martiniuk, whom is a Tim Hudak supporter. The conversation involved me desperately trying to scribble the odd note, scribble being the operative word. Here's a brief recall of the conversation.
Hudak seems to consider the HRCs a big issue, and he had examples at hand of the abuse of the system, including an Ontario town (I can't recall which one) that has had a eight HRC complaints against them by one citizen, one of his complaints being there isn't a sidewalk in front of his house (next year he'll complain he has to shovel the snow on his new sidewalk).
On blogs, Hudak pointed out that the press gallery is shrinking dramatically at Queen's Park. The net result being there are not enough reporters covering the government and are thus less able to hold their feet to the fire. It's the blogs that are picking up the slack, and as such, the blogs are becoming more important.
As for the race for leader, he and I both agreed it was a good race, that saw some ideas emerge from all candidates. It was a healthy process, and Hudak is confident he can win. On the vote itself, he said they had scrutineers in every riding on Sunday, they felt the vote was going well, and about 3o% of party members voted Sunday. The rest will have the opportunity to vote Thursday, the results, of course, will be announced Saturday.
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get in some question I had prepared, such as inquiring about his four steps to solve the doctor shortage. His ideas are: expanding capacity at medical schools, flexible retirement for physicians, recognize foreign credentials and increase incentives for Canadians studying abroad to return to Canada to practice. However, I feel a big part of the problem is David Peterson/Bob Rae's old ban on extra billing, and was curious if he'd given any though to rescinding that.
e-health Ontario is another area I would have liked to quiz him, as well as: Caledonia; his favourite Led Zeppelin song (that says a lot about the man); Mike Harris: help or hindrance?; flat tax; the $1,000 newborn baby fund; the HST; who runs PerezHudak.com, and will any known rap artists be smacking him around in the near future?; his solutions for the manufacturing crisis.
While I didn't get to ask him all that, I did get to tell my son he had been talking to the man who could be the next Premier of Ontario, I had a good excuse for not getting the vacuuming done, and I had a pleasant conversation with a genuinely nice man. I believe he would be an excellent leader, and like Joanne before me, "my interest in Ontario politics has gone from mope to hope and excitement." And yes, I too am starting to think the PC party might have a chance.
Brian Gardiner	Tim Hudak	baby fund, Blue Like You, Bob Rae, Caledonia, David Peterson, Gerry Martiniuk, HRC, HST, Human Rights Comissions, Human Rights Tribunals, Joanne's Journey, Led Zeppelin, manufacturing crisis, Mike Harris, Ontario Human Rights Commision, Ontario Politics, PC, PC leadership, PC leadership convention, PC leadership vote, perezhudak.com, Premier of Onatrio, Progressive Conservative, Queens Park, Queens PArk press corp, Tim Hudak
Joanne (T.B.)
June 23rd, 2009 at 07:34	| #1
I'm glad you had such a positive experience chatting with Tim!
I have a feeling that if Tim Hudak ever became Premier of this province, he would be very plugged into the grassroots opinion, and very accessible.
Blue Blogging Soapbox Blogging Tories Site of the Week "I Have a File"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Artwork of Geoffrey from Path of Radiance.
Artwork of Geoffrey from Radiant Dawn.
The commander of Crimea's Royal Knights. He, his elder sister Lucia, and his close friend Bastian are Queen Elincia's most trusted and ardent supporters.
Geoffrey (Japanese: ジョフレ Geoffray) is a playable character in both Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and its sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. He is the general of the Crimean Army and the commander of the Crimean Royal Knights. He is the younger brother of Lucia and close friends with Bastian. He grew up with Elincia and has since developed feelings for her.
Geoffrey is the last playable paladin. He has high movement and canto for most of his available chapters; only severely restricted by chapter 25. He has excellent health and defense bases, making him a mobile physical tank. His base resistance is mediocre but at his join time, Pure Waters are readily available. The Knight Ward also boosts his defense and resistance, so he can be a well-rounded tank. He has enough strength, skill, and speed to offensively contribute without any investment, but on higher difficulties, he may struggle to double attack. His respectable Lance rank lets him use the Brave Lance, Silver Lances, and Spears; however, he cannot use axes which are more powerful. While bows are significantly less useful, he has a C rank which gives him accurate 2-range options with Laguz and Killer Bows.
Geoffrey has excellent growths all around, having above average growths in strength, skill, speed, defense, and resistance. His luck is his only weak growth. Though his base level is high, Paragon lets him take some advantage of his growths, quickly cap his level, and turn him into a powerful mobile endgame unit.
Geoffrey's Paragon should not be removed until he caps his level. Geoffrey is an practical candidate of the last Occult scroll, as he will likely have no more use of Paragon around then, and Sol improves his bulk even further. Resolve is also a good skill for him thanks to his bulk and respectable offensive bases. He works well with most other skills, though earlier skills like Adept and Wrath are better used on units with higher availability and space for skills.
Geoffrey has a fire affinity which gives him a useful attack and accuracy boost; this helps compensate for his lack of axes. His only partners are Calill and Elincia, so he should support both. Calill's dark affinity gives more attack, giving both units a valuable +3 attack at A support. Elincia's heaven affinity gives only accuracy which is significantly less useful, and she does not benefit much from Geoffrey's attack boost since she is not a useful combat unit.
Note: The above stats are Geoffrey's default stats. If a Radiant Dawn game was started via a data transfer from Path of Radiance, any stat Geoffrey capped in Path of Radiance will result in a boost to his base in the stat in question in Radiant Dawn.
Geoffrey is a paladin available for only a few chapters through most of the game, until endgame. He is usable for chapter 2-3, part of 2-E, all of 3-9, and 4-5 to endgame. He is the most powerful unit of the Crimean Royal Knights, having good offense, mobility, and bulk. Path of Radiance Geoffrey does not cap any stats on average, though if lucky or given stat boosters, he can feasibly cap strength, skill, speed, or defense. Radiant Dawn Geoffrey would benefit from any of these transfers significantly, especially from speed.
Due to Paragon, he can level up easily and frequently, and can easily promote by 3-9. His growths are generally weak, having only a decent growth in strength and skill, but he caps them very quickly, so bonus experience can help fix his other stats. However, Geoffrey is no longer usable until chapter 4-5, the last chapter before endgame, where he will be far underleveled. At this point, he will need significant babying or significant BEXP to catch up; note that Paragon does not decrease BEXP required. Even if caught up, his class as a Silver Knight is one of the weaker endgame classes due to lack of Hammer access and weak stat caps (especially speed). Ultimately Geoffrey is a valuable temporary unit in 2-3 and 3-9 but is often best left alone afterwards.
Geoffrey has innate paragon which helps him level up more frequently early on and promote earlier, learning Sol. Due to his availability, it is most practical to remove paragon in 3-9 and either teach it to a different Crimean Royal Knight unit, or carry the scroll to a unit that joins Ike's group in 3-11, as otherwise the benefits of Paragon will be wasted until endgame.
Geoffrey has a valuable fire affinity which boosts attack and accuracy. As his availability is one of the worst in the game, his support situation is awkward. Kieran, Makalov, Astrid, and Marcia are all similar classes and appreciate the attack boost, but supporting them with Geoffrey is not practical as the bonuses will not apply after chapter 3-9, until 4-5.
Geoffrey is playable as a SpotPass character, released in the Path of Radiance character set. Geoffrey is also present as an enemy in the first and third installments of the Smash Brethren DLC series; additionally, Geoffrey appears as an ally in Smash Brethren 2.
Like all male bonus units in Awakening, Geoffrey has access to all base class and advanced class skills available to standard male units.
Geoffrey's chivalrous nature and loyalty to Queen Elincia ensured that all of Crimea supported their marriage.
— Geoffrey, in Path of Radiance.
— Geoffrey, in chapter 24 of Path of Radiance.
— Geoffrey, in Radiant Dawn, whenever Elincia is on the map.
— Geoffrey, in Radiant Dawn, whenever Elincia is not on the map.
— Geoffrey, in part 2 chapter 3 of Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, in part 3 chapter 9 of Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, in Smash Brethren 1 in Awakening.
— Geoffrey, as an NPC in Smash Brethren 2 in Awakening.
— Geoffrey, in Smash Brethren 3 in Awakening.
— An unused quote intended to be Geoffrey's retreat quote in Path of Radiance.
— Geoffrey's retreat quote in Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Tashoria in part 2 chapter 3 in Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Ludveck in part 2 final chapter in Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Roark in part 3 chapter 9 of Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Izuka in part 4 chapter 5 of Radiant Dawn.
— Geoffrey's SpotPass parley quote in Awakening.
— Geoffrey, in a SpotPass battle in Awakening.
— Geoffrey's SpotPass recruitment quote in Awakening.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Gerome in Smash Brethren 1 in Awakening.
— Geoffrey, when fighting Gerome in Smash Brethren 3 in Awakening.
Geoffrey is currently featured on two cards in Fire Emblem Cipher.
"Glory to the Queen!": [Always] During either player's turn, if you have 1 or more allies that have Leveled Up or Grew this turn, for each of those allies, all of your allies in the Front Row get +10 power. However, allies that Leveled Up or Grew while this unit was not on the Battlefield are not counted.
Commander of the Royal Guards: [Trigger] [Once per turn] When another ally levels up or performs a growth, you can select an enemy in the back row and move it ( : This skill is inactive unless this unit was Class Changed).
Guarding Blue Spear: [Always] During your opponent's turn, your ally "Elincia" gains +20 attack.
For more detailed strategic information on these cards, see their TCG wiki article on Geoffrey .
English Geoffrey Of French, English and Germanic origin, meaning "God's peace". From a Norman French form of a Germanic name. The second element is Germanic frid "peace", but the first element may be either gawia "territory", walha "foreign" or gisil "hostage".
Japanese ジョフレ Officially romanized as Geoffray.
Portrait of Geoffrey from Path of Radiance.
Portrait of Geoffrey from Radiant Dawn.
Artwork of Geoffrey from Awakening.


Did You Account for the Offending Tail?
My face was blank as I stared at him because I was not completely sure whether I should laugh or cry, and I felt too off-kilter to do either.
His promotional spiel was of the sort that inspires incredulity. Let's face it, to stand before a congregation, seated in a church that has obvious infrastructural challenges, and make an appeal for contributions toward the building of a 30 million dollar edifice, not their own… well – that takes a 'special' kind of gumption.
How could a sane adult be so utterly oblivious?
The day I turned 13, she gave me a gift. It was a book entitled, Everything A Teenage Girl Should Know.
The hardback version. I have always been an avid reader, and this was the kind of book designed to survive numerous rounds of reading and re-reading. Perfect.
Mom and I never had the talk. That conversation which some refer to as being about 'the birds and the bees', although I still have no idea what birds and bees have to do with human sexuality – but, I digress. This was Mom's way of getting an uncomfortable conversation out of the way with as little discomfort as possible. I am sure she must have known that I had covered most of that ground in the fifth grade and I was already into my third year of high school when I celebrated my thirteenth birthday.
As a seasoned educator, Mom would have had to know that much of the information in this new book was old news to me, so she must have had some other reason but I thought nothing more of it at that time.
More than 25 years later, it finally dawned on me that the answer had been staring me in the face the whole time.


A new homework policy for Palo Alto students -- with rules outlining specific amounts of time kids should be spending on homework -- is likely to be adopted by the Board of Education next month.
A draft of the policy, and accompanying regulations, was the subject of lengthy discussion at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.
Under the suggested rules, high school students should devote about seven to 10 hours per week to homework, long-term projects and test review. Students in AP classes should expect higher workloads.
Middle school students should spend 60 to 80 minutes per night, and elementary students should spend up to 10 minutes in first grade and up to 50 minutes in fifth grade, the proposed regulations say.
Weekend homework for high-school students should not exceed a regular day's worth, and both winter and spring breaks should be homework-free, they say.
The policy is the product of a 28-member parent-teacher advisory committee that also included school administrators and two high school students. The committee held 39 focus group sessions with parents and staff at every school site, and with students at all middle and high schools.
The focus groups yielded consensus on what constitutes "effective homework practices" and, conversely, characteristics of "ineffective" homework practices.
For example, a high priority among those polled was for homework to be "relevant" and meaningful," at the right degree of difficulty.
Board members said the proposed policy, crafted by committee members with a wide range of views, exceeded their expectations.
The proposal will come back to the board June 12 for a final vote.
School officials said several possible "pinch points" remain to be ironed out with principals, including a no-homework policy over spring break, group projects that require students to meet outside of class and the suggested time frames for homework.
"I had an opportunity to float it out at the school sites and I don't feel like we got a lot of pushback on it, but I would have liked a little more time to talk about it," Associate Superintendent Charles Young said of the time frames.
Young said the policy and regulations, once approved, "will guide the work at school sites," but added that "this could look different at each school site."
The recommended time frames should be seen as "guidelines or averages," he said.
"We can let the (school) sites work on it, give them an opportunity to see what they look and feel like -- put it out there and test it."
It will be up to principals to implement the policy.
Board members quizzed Young on how success of the new policy will be measured and student feedback gathered.
"How are we going to take this policy and turn it into a practice that's going to make a difference -- not just be a one-time deal but be systemic?" board member Barbara Klausner asked.
Several members asked for a clear policy for partial credit on late homework, noting that an automatic "zero" on late work provides no incentives for students to make it up. A "no-credit" policy tends to hurt the very students who need the most help, they noted.
Board members also focused on problems surrounding group projects that must be done outside school hours and the ability of a student to get a homework assignment outside of school, in case he or she missed it in class.
"Let us work on this and we'll come back with suggestions," Superintendent Kevin Skelly said.
The proposed new policy and regulations replace a shorter existing policy and list of rules, which leave homework policy decisions up to the principal and staff of each school.
These guidelines are what I held my son to during this Palo Alto school days. There were times when he didn't get everything done that was assigned to him. I insisted that he have a good evening meal with our family and plenty of sleep. If that mean not all of his homework (most of which was busywork and not essential to his learning the subject matter) got done, that's just the way it was. His teachers didn't like it, but too bad.
This is just a policy to ease the guilt of the district. It takes my son a lot longer than her peers to do his homework and he needs to study a lot longer than most in order to retain the material. They've been preaching this for a long time. At Jordan this year, there were multiple times when he had 2 tests in the same day and/or 4 tests in the same week and that did not include "finals week".
I support the idea of this policy but I do not know how it will be enforced. Homework is not to be given over holiday periods right now, for example, but my Paly student was given a very important exam the Monday after the holiday period so even though homework was not technically assigned, students would have not done well if they had not used up their holidays studying.
I would particularly welcome the end to busywork - no more coloring, cooking or posters in high school! Yeah!
Midtown resident - teachers are not supposed to give tests or have projects due the week after Winter Break.
No! Not enough homework! My child must be challenged to the point of breaking to prove he's better than the other children. No less homework, more homework!
I applaud the school district on instituting this policy. I'm an outsider to your community, but I can tell you where the major pitfalls will come. First, you will need to decide what to do for the student who is able to learn but cannot complete most of the work in the defined time frame because of poor handwriting or problems with auditory processing. You will also need to figure out how multiple teachers are going to share the time in the upper grades and how to prioritize for the slow working student. I have some ideas on my website, www.thehomeworktrap.com, and wish you good luck with your efforts.
I think it's great that all of you adults have your opinions, but being a student I think i can have a valid point as well. There is much too much homework, students already work very hard all day, school here is very challenging, competitive, and stressful. Most students aren't concerned with learning, but are concerned with grades, what college they get into, and other academic achievements. Parents push their children much too hard, I do not see happy children around me, so who cares what college they go to if they are going to be unhappy.
I applaud the attempts that the community makes to change high school policies, but I don't think this could ever be successfully implemented at a high school level. However, I completely agree with the sentiment here. I have 5 projects due next Thursday and Friday combined and have had up to 4 tests in one day with up to 7 tests in a week and it can be very stressful. I think many of the teachers try to make students pay attention by assigning busy work, but my peers and I have sadly learned the important technique of BSing most assignments and forgetting all non-graded info immediately.
I don't think this will truly do anything. Teachers will still assign as much homework as they would like, there really is no way of enforcing it. Teachers can claim that a certain homework assignment will only take 30 minutes, but every student works at a different pace, some may complete it in 10 minutes and it might take other over an our to complete it. There really is no way the stress and competitiveness of Paly will be lowered by a weak rule. What really needs to happen is to eliminate all final exams. They are absolutely pointless. They do not help you understand the material better and do not test you on what you have learned throughout the year. Rather, they test you on how well you can memorize information the week before the test. Furthermore, it is absurd for your grade to be determined so greatly by one test. It is absolutely unfair for someone who has been working tremendously hard all year and is receiving a good grade, to be marked down substantially (maybe an A to a B) just because of one test.
This is just lip service. The homework guidelines are completely unrealistic: "Under the suggested rules, high school students should devote about seven to 10 hours per week to homework, long-term projects and test review. . . Middle school students should spend 60 to 80 minutes per night."
They are suggesting TWO hours per day for homework. That's about 17 minutes per class - way off base.
And my middle school student has on average, 3 hours per homework each night.
Sure, they have No Homework Nights once per month a Jordan, but some teachers still assign tests the day after a No Homework Night. Or they assign homework the day prior and it's not due until the day after No Homework Night. They just are not allowed to assign new homework. Out of the entire year, my child has only had one No Homework Night where he could actually relax and have no studying or homework/test the next day.
Their disclaimer: "Students in AP classes should expect higher workloads." Honors classes and upper lane math included.
As for the chronic poster who complains on these threads about cooking, coloring, and other busy work in high school, I have a child who is a senior and he has never encountered such. Your child must have had odd teachers.
The guideline are not unrealistic, they are healthy. At 10 to 13 years old, middle school students shouldn't be doing 3 hours of homework a night. Even in high school, the students at Paly have just 3 classes 2 days of the week and 4 classes 2 days of the week. That gives each teacher the opportunity to assign about 30-40 minutes of homework each night. A lot of homework is given so the student can rack up extra points toward their grades and has very little to do with learning.
BTW - the cooking, coloring and posters have been primarily in language classes (especially French) with the occasional weird project assigned for science and history.
Who will decide what is "relevant" and "meaningful?" Not non-educators - I hope! This determination must only be made by teachers. Not students! Not parents (having no practical/professional experience in the classroom)!
In 2012-13, there should not be any assignments due after winter break because the fall semester ends at the start winter break.
The recent Gunn course catalog does contain suggested length of homework time for each course. Many honors and upper lane math/science courses have high workload numbers.
Most Gunn teachers do not give extra credit/busy work assignments and deduct points for late work. Kids need to learn time management skills and that actions have consequences. IRS does not give you a "do over" for late tax returns.
@paly parent: I agree with you and would welcome the homework guidelines they are setting! I just don't think it will happen because the teachers will have to scale back too much and I don't think they will. I think it's completely ridiculous that they are working our children so hard.
Sometimes my children have had Paly teachers they have learned a lot from, yet the class is not overly difficult (not easy, but not torture). These are ideal teachers. Somehow, many teachers equate exceedingly excessive workloads with teaching and preparing students for college. . . these are teenagers, not mature adults yet. It is wrong to give middle school students high school workloads and high school students, college workloads. . . then "college is easy". And a childhood is lost. No more childhood fun after elementary school. We are forcing them to grow up too fast and not learn to relax and enjoy life. Don't misunderstand; I am very competitive and am not asking for all the free time we had back in the 70s. But we have gone to the other extreme.
People complain we need to be competitive with Asia. But Asia wants to be like America. They sent students here so they can go back and be stars in Asia. There should be an in-between.
7 to 10 hours for high school students?
Even if you try to instate this no teachers will do it. Teachers love busywork.
I easily spend 3 times as much as that on homework each week ever since freshman year.
Back on the homework topic - why do teachers assign busywork? Or projects which emphasize design skills or video production skills instead of actual learning in the subject?
Maybe if kids weren't taking 4 AP classes, they wouldn't have so much homework. How about parents, counselors, and teachers moderating student course loads? AP classes are college-level. Is it any surprise these kids are overworked?
I think 80 minutes of homework is too much for a middle schooler. They should be involved in outside sports, hobbies and family time inside of more desk time after a long day at school.
A few years ago, a friend with a middle school child figured out a kids schedule with 3 hours of homework - school until 3:05, ride bike home, have a snack, etc. and its 4:30. Soccer/baseball/volleyball/music etc., 6:00 to 6:30. Dinner, talk to family, etc. 7 pm. 3 hours of homework and its 10 pm. Time for relaxing, showering, reading, etc. 0 hours. That doesn't include time for scouts, religious ed, etc. And kids that age should get 10-11 hours of sleep, so they should be in bed by 9 or 10, so getting enough sleep is out of the question.
Growing up in a small midwestern town with my older bro, we fell in love with learning precisely because we had gobs of free time to do whatever we wanted to explore the world. We caught bugs, played with electronics, made up stories, put on plays, got a 2400 modem and started a bulletin board. Our parents modeled exploration, and we ate it up. We learned a lot in school too of course, despite (because of?) the fact it was easy and stress free.
That was good old time when kids had free time and learnt at their own pace. I am all for those leisurely times for children. However, the world became so competitive that unless you are willing to go to community college after school, you have to "align" with its pace and demands.
I welcome the homework initiative, but we need to go to the culprit of it - the colleges and universities that require higher and higher GPAs, unique life experiences and backrounds, school activies, sports, APs and what not. These days to get in Stanford or Harvard you have to be straight A student with plenty of AP classes, play sports at 1 st division level, president of a school club, a winner of spelling bee and a start up founder. This must change.
Posted by agree with "Mom"
The goal of school should be to make children WANT to learn and to be lifelong learners. It should give them the toolkits to learn: language, math, etc., but it's nothing if they lose the spark to build.
Does 3 hours of homework every day help them do that?
College comes with lots of homework, but typically kids spend far less time in class than in high school.
The goal should rather be to teach them how to focus in a way that they can accomplish what the homework is supposed to achieve during the school day, skills that will serve them well in their future lives.
High school years are precious days when kids have enough knowledge, freedom, and time on their hands to pursue interests in a way they may never have for the rest of their lives. It's possible to let them have that freedom without sacrificing academic standards.
"These days to get in Stanford or Harvard you have to be straight A student with plenty of AP classes, play sports at 1 st division level, president of a school club, a winner of spelling bee and a start up founder. This must change."
You (or anyone else) are unlikely to change Harvard or Stanford anytime soon. But luckily you don't need to for your children to succeed. A by-product of the selectivity of the "top" schools is that even more great kids go to more different schools than ever before. Check out Schools that Change Lives and other info about great schools that live at the US News top 20.
Some kids/families want to do what it takes to go to a Top 20 school. That's fine, and good luck to them. But others do not. And as a wise person put it, it matters less where you go than what you do once you get there.


text:
class GLTFCommon;
class GltfPbrVK;
class GltfDepthPass;
class GltfBBoxPassVK;
class SwapChainVK;

static const int cNumSwapBufs = 2;

#define USE_VID_MEM true

class Vulkan_Renderer
#ifdef USE_QT10
    : public QVulkanWindowRenderer
#endif
{
  public:
#ifdef USE_QT10
    Vulkan_Renderer(QVulkanWindow* w);

    void initResources() override;
    void initSwapChainResources() override;
    void releaseSwapChainResources() override;
    void releaseResources() override;

    void startNextFrame() override;

  private:
    QVulkanWindow* m_window;
    QVulkanDeviceFunctions* m_devFuncs;
    float m_green = 0;
#else
    Vulkan_Renderer(void* w);
#endif

  public:
    struct State {
        float time;
        Camera camera;
        Camera light;
        float depthBias;
        float exposure;
        float iblFactor;
        float spotLightIntensity;
        float glow;
        int toneMapper;
        bool bDrawBoundingBoxes;
        bool bDrawSkyDome;
        bool bGammaTestPattern;
    };

    void OnCreate(DeviceVK* pDevice);
    void OnDestroy();

    void OnCreateWindowSizeDependentResources(SwapChainVK* pSC, std::uint32_t Width, std::uint32_t Height);
    void OnDestroyWindowSizeDependentResources();

    void LoadScene(GLTFCommon* gltfData, void* pluginManager, void* msghandler);
    void UnloadScene();
    void OnRender(State* pState, SwapChainVK* pSwapChain);

  private:
    DeviceVK* m_pDevice;

    CommandListRingVK m_CommandListRing;
    DynamicBufferRingVK m_ConstantBufferRing;
    StaticBufferPoolVK m_StaticBufferPool;

    // Initialize helper classes
    ResourceViewHeapsVK m_Heaps;
    UploadHeapVK m_UploadHeap;
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Can Auburn Do It Again? 2014 SEC Preview
The SEC is entering unfamiliar territory in 2014. For the first time in nearly a decade, the nation's premier college football conference will not have the defending national champion. Florida State ended the conference's 7-year streak of dominance when it defeated Auburn in last year's national championship game, but don't consider it the end of an era. The league is as good as ever and will certainly boast a plethora of national playoff contenders.
However, the loss did reveal a chink in the SEC's armor. No longer is the conference a sure thing where you can automatically pencil in its champion for a title game slot. Florida State is still out there, and a strong case can be made that the Pac-12 is a deeper league.
Plus. the SEC is experiencing a significant turnover at quarterback. Gone are guys like Aaron Murray, James Franklin, Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw, Zach Mettenberger, and A.J. McCarron. Mississippi's Bo Wallace is the most experienced quarterback in the conference. The new guys are going to have some big shoes to fill, and it puts the conference's teams at a disadvantage if they have to go against someone like Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota.
There are plenty of other questions facing the conference, as well.
Was Auburn a one-year wonder, or can the Tigers do it again? What about their in-state rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide? How will they respond after getting handled by Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and having to replace A.J. McCarron?
Was Missouri's SEC title a one-time thing, or are the Tigers for real? Can South Carolina finally get over the hump and win the league, even without Jadeveon Clowney and Shaw? Can Georgia stay healthy?
Texas A&M lost Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans. Will the Aggies still be potent on offense without them? Can their defense be less sieve-like?
Can Ole Miss take the next step and be a conference contender? Can Mississippi State live up to the hype and make some noise?
How about longtime league powers Tennessee and Florida? Can they get back to their winning ways? Will Vanderbilt remain relevant without coach James Franklin?
For much of 2013, it was business as usual for Alabama. The Crimson Tide were their usual dominant selves, starting out 11-0 and at the top of the polls. However, the season didn't end as planned. A stunning loss to archrival Auburn–in which Auburn scored a late TD to tie it then returned a missed field goal 109 yards to win the Iron Bowl in dramatic walk-off fashion–was followed by a crushing 45-31 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
The "Pick Six" was just the latest in a number of amazing moments in Auburn's miracle season. The Tigers went worst-to-first and had a number of incredible finishes along the way. A fortuitous deflection off a tip on 4th-and-18 with 36 seconds left led to a Hail Mary touchdown to give the Tigers a victory over Georgia and set up that clash against Alabama. In the SEC title game, the Tigers put up over 500 yards rushing against the best defensive line in the SEC. They fell short against Florida State, but the ride was one that will be remembered for ages.
Missouri answered the skeptics who felt the Tigers couldn't compete in the SEC. Gary Pinkel's squad finished 12-2 on the year, winning the SEC East and giving Auburn all it could handle in the SEC championship game. Michael Sam was the league's defensive player of the year and anchored the best defensive line in the conference.
South Carolina has been consistently good the past few years but has been unable to get over the hump and take that next step in the SEC. The Gamecocks went 11-2 and finished fourth in the country, yet they failed to win their division and didn't play in the SEC championship game. The Gamecocks handed Missouri its only conference loss of the regular season and beat Clemson for the millionth year in a row, but an upset at the hands of Tennessee handed the division title to Missouri.
LSU churned out another 10-win season, finishing the year 10-3 and handing Auburn its only conference defeat. Zach Mettenberger threw for over 3,000 yards with 22 touchdowns; Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. had big years with each posting over 1,100 receiving yards. The defense was good but not up to LSU's usual standards, especially when it came to run defense.
Texas A&M couldn't quite match its breakout 2012 season. Johnny Manziel was as spectacular as advertised, but a young, porous defense held the Aggies back as they finished 9-4.
Another team that couldn't quite deliver on the hype was Georgia, although that wasn't through any fault of their own. The Bulldogs were decimated by injuries; top receiver Malcolm Mitchell was lost for the season in the first game, and eventually star quarterback Aaron Murray and standout running back Keith Marshall were lost as well. Even then, the Bulldogs even nearly defeated Clemson and would have beaten Auburn if not for that incredible Hail Mary touchdown.
Vanderbilt continued its relevance, ending the season on a five-game winning streak that allowed the Commodores to finish 9-4 and ranked in the top-25.
Ole Miss & Mississippi State started the year slow, but a late season surge allowed the Bulldogs to become bowl-eligible. The Bulldogs nearly beat Auburn, lost by ten to Texas A&M, and hung tough against Alabama.
Tennessee has fallen on hard times since replacing Philip Fulmer. Butch Jones was brought in to rebuild the once-mighty program, and his year showed plenty of promise. The Volunteers signed a top-ten recruiting class, beat South Carolina, and narrowly lost to Georgia. Tennessee still failed to make a bowl game, but a really young team took its lumps while preparing for a bright future.
New Kentucky coach Mark Stoops made headlines with a top-notch recruiting class, but the Wildcats are a major rebuilding project. Kentucky was still dreadful on the field, as the Wildcats won just two games and went 2-10. However, there were signs of progress. It's going to take awhile, but for the first time in eons, there is hope at Kentucky.
After the whole Bobby Petrino/John L. Smith fiasco, Arkansas brought in Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema to turn the program around. What happened in 2013 wasn't what Hog fans had in mind as the Razorbacks were a lowly 3-9. The season started off promising, with Arkansas winning its first three games. Then, Bielema's wife posted her infamous "#karma" tweet after a controversial Wisconsin loss. Turns out she was right, as karma struck swiftly; Arkansas lost nine straight.
At least the Razorbacks can use off-field distractions and a new coach as an excuse. Florida was coming off an 11-win season and started the year 4-1, but injuries and ineffective offense were the culprits as the Gators dropped their last seven games to finish 4-8. The low point was a 26-20 loss to FCS Georgia Southern, a game in which two Florida players blocked each other on the same play.
SEC East
#454410708 / gettyimages.com
Georgia is Dangerous
Aaron Murray is gone, so Hutson Mason gets his chance at quarterback for Georgia. He was unspectacular in the season-opening win against Clemson, but he won't have to be with the playmakers the Bulldogs have on offense. This unit is loaded and explosive. Todd Gurley is a beast–the junior posted 293 all-purpose yards and 4 touchdowns against Clemson–and on the short list of Heisman contenders. Keith Marshall returns from an ACL injury, and freshman Nick Chubb rushed for 70 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown run, in Saturday's game. Mitchell is still working himself back from injury, but with Chris Conley, Michael Bennett, and Justin Scott-Wesley, the Dawgs have plenty of playmakers at receiver.
Jeremy Pruitt was brought over from Florida State to replace the departed Todd Grantham as defensive coordinator, and he'll have to shore up a shaky secondary. Georgia's front seven has the potential to be really good, though. Linebacker Jordan Jenkins had 12 tackles for loss and five sacks last season, and defensive end Ray Drew tallied 8 tackles for loss with 6 sacks.
If Georgia can survive its first two games, then the schedule shapes up pretty nicely. The Bulldogs have already beaten Clemson, and they'll next have to go to a South Carolina team that had hype but got blown out in its opener against Texas A&M. A road contest against Missouri won't be easy, and who knows what Florida is going to do this year, but other than those games and a home game against Auburn, Georgia should be clear favorites in every game.
Is this the Year South Carolina Puts it All Together?
The Gamecocks lost a lot of star power in the offseason, starting with number one overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, but plenty of other players return to a deep, experienced team. Quarterback Connor Shaw is gone, but his replacement, Dylan Thompson, has seen significant playing time filling in for Shaw over the years. Running back Mike Davis is a star (1,183 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns; 342 receiving yards), and while the Gamecocks lost top receiver Bruce Ellington, every other receiver returns.
South Carolina's defense was hard hit as well. Aside from Clowney, linemen Kelcy Quarles and Chaz Sutton are both gone. There are plenty of blue-chip recruits waiting in the wings, but none are proven. It's much the same situation in the secondary; the top three cornerbacks are gone, and the replacements are inexperienced but have a high upside. The safeties are experienced, though, and the linebackers should be among the conference's best. The unit got torched by Texas A&M, but considering the insane numbers the Aggies have put up–especially against Alabama–maybe that says more about the Aggies' offensive prowess than South Carolina's defensive deficiencies.
South Carolina's early schedule does them no favors. They already received a shellacking from Texas A&M, have to face a tough East Carolina team, then host Georgia. If they can get past that, however, they should be in good shape. They get Missouri at home. A road trip to Auburn will be tough, but road games against Florida and Clemson are winnable. The opener was disheartening, but if the Gamecocks can rebound from that and beat Georgia, they'll be the favorites in the SEC East.
Can Missouri Defend Its Title?
People are discounting Missouri after last year's surprising run to the SEC championship game, but as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend!" Don't count the Tigers out. Sophomore Maty Mauk is the starting quarterback after a promising freshman season that saw him show plenty of promise in filling in for injured starter James Franklin. Mauk threw 11 touchdowns against 2 interceptions last year, but he'll need to vastly improve his completion percentage (51.1 percent). In the season opener against South Dakota State, he completed nearly two-thirds of his passes, so that's promising.
Running back Henry Josey is gone after running for 1,166 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2013, but Russell Hansbrough is back after rushing for almost 700 yards. He ran for 126 yards on 20 carries in the opener. Senior Marcus Murphy also returns after contributing 600 rushing yards of his own in 2013, so the running game should be in good hands. It will need to be because the top three wideouts needs to be replaced.
Mizzou boasted perhaps the conference's best defensive line last year with ends Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, the league's defensive player of the year. Those two are gone, but Markus Golden and Shane Ray are back after combining for 11 sacks last season. The secondary is a bit of a concern. Braylon Webb is a standout at safety, but the cornerbacks are relatively unproven.
It's tough to see Missouri repeating as division champs with how freakishly good Georgia looks and the fact that Mizzou has to travel to South Carolina, but the Tigers should still be pretty good. A road contest against Texas A&M will be tough but not quite as daunting (the Tigers are familiar with College Station from their Big 12 days), but every other game but those three is winnable. Nine wins seems pretty likely, and it's not outside the realm of possibility that Mizzou pulls an upset or two.
Florida's Offensive Woes
Kurt Roper was hired from Duke to revamp the Florida offense. The Gators will benefit from the return of quarterback Jeff Driskel, who missed most of 2013 due to injury. Mack Brown (no, not THAT Mack Brown) and Kelvin Taylor each ran for 500 yards last year, but Quinton Dunbar is the only returning player who caught more than 20 passes and had more than 130 receiving yards. There are plenty of guys who were highly recruited in high school, but Florida's offensive struggles the pass few years temper any optimism.
Florida's defense should once again be good. The unit is full of high-upside guys, and the secondary ought to be outstanding. Florida always recruits well, and even with last year's debacle of a season, the defense was still one of the better ones in the country.
Schedule-wise, there is no way Florida goes 4-8 again. Aside from the annual rivalry game with Florida State, the non-conference schedule is a joke: Idaho, Eastern Michigan, and Eastern Kentucky. The Gators do have to play Alabama, but they get South Carolina and Missouri at home. Florida should get to a bowl game, but with that offense, it's hard to see the Gators doing much more than that.
Tennessee's On the Way Back, Just Not This Year
Justin Worley returns after missing time last year due to injury, and he played pretty well in the opener, throwing for 273 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. He has plenty of young, talented receivers to work with. Josh Smith, Jason Croom, and Marquez North all showed promise as freshman last season, and when you add junior Pig Howard, Tennessee has a nice group of receivers to throw the ball to. Running back Rajion Neal and his 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground must be replaced, but Marlin Lane rushed for 500 yards last year. A big concern is an offensive line that has just six games of starting experience combined.
The defensive line must be rebuilt as well. It's awfully young and lacking in experience, which is a huge concern in the SEC. Linebacker is also a position full of youth and inexperience, but middle linebacker A.J. Johnson is a steadying force. The secondary should be in good shape, though.
Tennessee figures to be much-improved, but a brutal schedule combined with rebuilding both lines means that progress wont' show up on the scoreboard. Getting past Utah State was huge and impressive–the Aggies have been one of the best mid-major teams in the country over the past couple years–but Tennessee now has to contend with another quality mid-major in Arkansas State. After that, the Volunteers have to go to Oklahoma and Georgia. They also have road trips to Ole Miss and South Carolina along with a home game against Alabama. Six wins and a bowl trip is certainly doable, though.
Can Vanderbilt Sustain Success Without James Franklin?
Former Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason was hired to replace James Franklin, and while it's just one game, the debut was not promising. Vanderbilt got destroyed at home by Temple, 37-7. The Commodores were pretty much inept on offense and committed seven turnovers. You know that saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none? Well, Vanderbilt used three in the opener and produced zero offensive points. Patton Robinette say some action last year but was hit-or-miss. Johnyy McCrary was 0-for-3 against Temple with a pair of interceptions while Stephen Rivers threw for 186 yards but completed less than 50 percent of his passes.
The running game should be okay, but the passing game must make do without star receiver Jordan Mathews and number two wideout Jonathan Krause. The top returning target is running back Jerron Seymour, who had 19 catches for 126 yards; the top wideout caught 15 passes for 123 yards.
Mason was instrumental in turning Stanford's defense into one of the most feared units in the country, and he should have some pieces to work with at Vanderbilt. He is transitioning from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4, so expect some growing pains. The linebacking corps will be the strength of the defense, as the secondary must undergo a rebuilding year after all four starters from last year graduated.
There is no way Vanderbilt wins nine games again, but a bowl game isn't out of the question, assuming the Temple game was an aberration and not a sign of things to come. The Commodores have most of their toughest games at home, and road games against Kentucky and Mississippi State are winnable.
Just Keep Making Progress
Kentucky has plenty of potential, but this is a young team that will make its share of mistakes. Patrick Towles won the starting job and had a nice performance in his 2014 debut, albeit against Tennessee-Martin. The receiving corps is deep and gained plenty of experience after being thrown into the fire last year, and the running backs are an intriguing mix of youth and experience. Nebraska transfer Braylon Heard rushed for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns on just two carries in the opener.
Kentucky's defense was awful last season and should struggle again this year. Ends Alvin Dupree and Za'Darius Smith combined for 16 sacks, but the middle of the line is suspect. The secondary returns plenty of experience, but that's not necessarily a good thing since they were among the worst in the country.
The Wildcats should surpass last year's total of two wins, but not by much. Ohio, Vanderbilt, and Louisiana-Monroe appear to be the only somewhat winnable games remaining on the schedule, and even those could go against Kentucky.
SEC West
Roll Damn Tide
A.J. McCarron is gone, but that shouldn't cause too much trouble for the Crimson Tide. Not to take anything away from McCarron, but Alabama's offense isn't predicated on other-worldly quarterback play. Senior Blake Sims beat out Jacob Coker for the starting job, and he was solid if unspectacular in a season-opening win over West Virginia. With players like running backs T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry, and Kenyan Drake, and receivers Amari Cooper, Christion Jones, and DeAndrew White, Sims won't have to be amazing, just smart.
Alabama's defense is consistently among the best in the country and full of future NFL talent, but some cracks have started to appear of late. Texas A&M has shredded the Tide 'D' the past two seasons, and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight scorched it in the Sugar Bowl. Even more concerning, West Virginia–4-8 a year ago–had little trouble moving the ball at will against Alabama as Clint Trickett finished with 365 yards passing. Heading into the season, secondary was a major concern, and the unit's performance against West Virginia did little to ally those concerns.
Still, this is Alabama and Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are without question one of the best teams in the country and the favorite to win the SEC. Alabama has to go to Ole Miss and LSU but gets A&M and Auburn at home. Getting out of the SEC West, let alone the SEC, isn't easy, but one has to like 'Bama's chances.
Start of Something Special or Just a Fluke?
Auburn took a little while to get going, but once things clicked, the Tigers offense was pretty much unstoppable. Quarterback Nick Marshall returns and is a potential Heisman candidate. The senior threw for 1,976 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns. Star running back Tre Mason is gone, but Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant both rushed for over 600 yards last year. The offensive line returns four players with starting experience, too, so this rushing attack should be as devastating as ever. If there is a weakness to this offense, it's in the passing game. Marshall originally started his career as a defensive back, so he isn't as practiced as most quarterbacks. He has improved immensely, though, and does have his top returning targets back, including big-play wideout Sammie Coates and the hero of that Georgia game, Ricardo Louis.
Auburn's defense suffered some significant losses, and their production must be replaced. Star lineman Dee Ford is now in the NFL, and corner Chris Davis–who returned that field goal against Alabama–is gone as well. Gus Malzahn and his staff have recruited well, but all that potential isn't proven yet. The pieces are certainly there, but the defense needs to gel in a hurry as Auburn faces a brutal schedule. A Thursday night game against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas has trouble written all over it. The Tigers have to face Georgia from the East–in Athens, no less–travel to Ole Miss, and end the season at Alabama. They do get LSU, South Carolina, and Texas A&M at home, although none of those are easy games.
Post Johnny Football
Well that was quite the debut. Granted, it's only one game, but it looks like Texas A&M is going to do just fine without Johnny Manziel. All his replacement, Kenny Hill, did in his first collegiate start was break Manziel's single game passing yardage record with a 511 yard, 3 touchdown performance against South Carolina. The Aggies piled up 780 yards in their 52-28 win over the Gamecocks.
Hill will have plenty of help. A trio of experienced running backs, led by junior Trey Williams, should provide a competent ground game, and despite losing receiver Mike Evans to the NFL, A&M has plenty of options at receiver. Malcome Kennedy caught 14 passes for 137 yards in the season opener, and four other wideouts had at least 50 yards receiving. Throw in a talented, experienced offensive line, and the A&M offense will be as potent as ever.
The thing that held the Aggies back in 2013 was a porous defense, and that was the major question mark heading into this season. The unit was full of freshmen and sophomores who were unproven, and it showed. The defense did get better as the year went along, so it should be improved this year. How much so, will determine how far the Aggies go this year. The Aggies did give up two long passing touchdowns to South Carolina and 28 points overall, so the jury is still out.
Winning the opener against South Carolina was huge, and A&M shouldn't have much difficulty until the second-half of the season when they have to play at Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and at Alabama followed by a season-ending stretch of at Auburn then home games against Missouri and LSU. However, if the Aggies can play at that level all season, the sky's the limit.
Rebuilding in Baton Rouge (So Another 10-win Season?)
LSU lost a lot on offense, at least in the passing game. The Tigers must replace last year's starting quarterback along with both starting wideouts. Sophomore Anthony Jennings won the starting job and threw for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions in the season opener against Wisconsin. However, he only went 9-for-21. The receivers are in the same boat: young and talented, but devoid of experience. The leading returning receiver, Travin Dural, had 7 catches for 145 yards in 2013. The running backs are experienced, though. Kenny Hilliard rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, and Leonard Fournette arrived on campus with all sorts of hype.
The defense suffered losses along the line and at linebacker, but luckily, five-star recruits seems to grow on trees in Baton Rouge. The secondary is deep, talented, and experienced, but the pass rush must improve. Rush defense is still a concern after Wisconsin rushed for 268 yards. Granted, the Badgers boast one of the best rushing attacks in the country, but that spells trouble since LSU will be facing some pretty good ground games in the SEC.
Make no mistake, the Tigers are talented, but the bevy of youth and having to break in a new quarterback will result in some growing pains. LSU likely won't contend for the conference crown but should be a top-15 team again. Watch out for the Tigers next year, though.
Young, Talented Rebels Look to Take Next Step
With the most experienced quarterback in the SEC, a boatload of top-tier talent, and a nasty defense, expectations are high in Oxford for the Ole Miss Rebels. Senior Bo Wallace threw for nearly 3,500 yards a season ago with 18 touchdowns, but he must improve his consistency and take fewer sacks. If he can do that and stay healthy, Ole Miss has the makings of a good offense. A trio of returning tailbacks combined for 1,600 yards last year, and while star receiver Donte Moncrief is gone, Laquon Treadwell is back after a promising freshman season. He'll be joined by Vince Sanders, a senior who was limited in 2013 by injuries.
Former number one recruit Robert Nkemdiche anchors a defense brimming with talent. Safety Cody Prewitt had six interceptions a year ago while linebacker Serderius Bryant tallied 12.5 tackles for loss. There are experienced players or blue-chip recruits all over the two-deep roster for Ole Miss, and this defense should be one of the most exciting in the conference.
Meeting last season's total of eight wins shouldn't be a problem, but surpassing it will be a challenge. The Rebels would have to take a game from Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, or LSU. Ole Miss did beat LSU last season, but that was at home. The Rebels have to go to LSU and A&M, which won't be easy. Both Auburn and Alabama come to Oxford, but asking Wallace & Co. to keep up with Auburn or move the ball consistently against Alabama is probably too much.
A Heisman Contender in Starkville
Quarterback Dak Prescott gets the keys to the Mississippi State offense and has been generating some Heisman hype. While that is unwarranted, it is easy to see why people are high on the dual-threat quarterback. He rushed for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns last year despite not being the full-time starter, and he also threw for nearly 2,000 yards with 10 touchdowns (albeit against 7 interceptions). The Bulldogs have plenty of good, experienced receivers, led by Jameon Lewis (64 receptions, 923 yards in 2013), and junior running back Josh Robinson rushed for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns last year in a backup role.
The strength of this team, though, is its defense. It was really good a year ago, and pretty much everyone is coming back. Linebacker Benardrick McKinney had 7 tackles for less and 3.5 sacks as a sophomore, and returning corners Taveze Calhoun and Jamerson Love combined for 6 interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
The Bulldogs have a pretty nice schedule, too. There are seven winnable games, and then they get Texas A&M and Auburn at home. Going to LSU and Alabama is impossible, but a home upset and maybe knocking off Ole Miss on the road means an 8-9 win season, which would be rather welcome in Starkville.
Just like Bielema's Wisconsin teams, Arkansas could run the ball. Alex Collins ran for over 1,000 yards as a freshman while junior Jonathan Williams returns after posting 900 yards of his own. The offensive line is experienced, so expect the run game to be strong again. The passing game struggled, though, as Brandon Allen completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw for only 1,500 yards with 13 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Tight end Hunter Henry returns after a solid freshman season, but two-of-the-top-three receivers from last year are gone.
Arkansas' defense was atrocious in 2013. The silver lining is that plenty of young players saw significant playing time a year ago, so between a year's worth of experience and a defensive coaching staff that was overhauled in the offseason, the defense should be better.
Even with improvement, it'll be tough for the Razorbacks to show it with a tough schedule. Arkansas already got drubbed by Auburn to open the season, and the Hogs still have to go Texas Tech and play mid-major power Northern Illinois. Arkansas' home slate includes Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss, and they have to go on the road to Texas A&M, Missouri, and Mississippi State. It's shaping up to be another long year in Fayetteville.
East Champion
The Bulldogs just have too much firepower. Todd Gurley is arguably the best player in the conference, and that defense will be good enough. The secondary is shaky, yes, but the passing games in the SEC are going to be affected by all the new quarterbacks around the league. South Carolina should be solid on both sides of the ball, but they just can't match Georgia big play for big play. Same with Missouri. Nobody in that division has as much potential as Georgia.
West Champion
This is a tough one because there are a number of teams that can stake a legitimate claim here. Alabama has the talent, pedigree, and track record. So does LSU. Texas A&M can score on anybody.
What it's going to come down to is that these teams are going to beat up on one another. Alabama has shown themselves vulnerable to some high-powered spread offenses while A&M hasn't been able to hold up defensively. Auburn is the one team that can really go toe-to-toe offensively with A&M, and they've proven they can beat Alabama. The Tigers emerge as the last one standing.
Conference Champion
Another tough call, but Georgia is just a more well-rounded team. There are fewer questions in the passing game, and the defense is more proven. In a shootout, Georgia has the weapons to hang with Auburn. Plus, the Bulldogs would have won last year if not for a miracle touchdown off a deflection. Georgia's due for some good luck.
Posted by Adam Stevinson | Sep 2, 2014 | GuysGirl
Adam Stevinson
Adam Stevinson is a Colorado native and proud graduate of Colorado State University. Baseball was always his first love growing up, and Adam is a die-hard Rockies fan. The Rockies' run to the pennant in 2007 was the greatest sporting experience of his life, and yes, Holliday touched the plate. Adam's love of sports extends beyond baseball to include football (both college and the NFL), tennis, and curling. An avid gamer, Adam practically grew up with games. Some of his earliest memories involve watching his brother play Zelda and Metal Gear on the NES. The first game Adam was ever able to defeat his brother was Goldeneye on the N64, and it's been downhill for The Bro ever since. The Xbox 360 is his preferred console with FPS his genre of choice. Halo is his favorite game. When he's not engaged in virtual combat or bemoaning the current lack of competence amongst Colorado sports teams, Adam can most likely be found reading, either military history or thrillers. He has a passion for history and loves learning about how the past has shaped the present. Other hobbies include movies, softball, trivia, skiing, and exploring this breathtaking state. He will never turn down a game of ping pong.


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Dev Bootcamp, the original "coding bootcamp," is shutting down, the company announced on Wednesday. The company's last cohort of students, who begin the program next week, will graduate in December and receive job search help before the school permanently shuts down.
Why it matters: Early coding bootcamps like Dev Bootcamp launched a boom in alternative education for programing skills, with some of the school's own alumni going on to found their own successful programs, like App Academy. Ultimately, the coding bootcamp craze highlighted not only the need to rethink computer science and programming education in traditional colleges, but also the increasing demand for workers with these technical skills.
Since launching in 2012, we've been striving to find a viable business model that would enable us to further our vision of high-quality, immersive coding training that is broadly accessible to a diverse population, while also covering the critical day-to-day costs of running our campuses.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Dev Bootcamp eventually grew to six cities in total.


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