The National Football Foundation put out some figures this week that speak to the popularity of college football. Several caught my attention related to Georgia and the SEC.

Directly from their list:

*CBS Sports averaged its highest ratings since the sport returned to the network in 1996 with the SEC on CBS. The 4.4 rating represented a 29 percent increase over last year, and the network also landed the highest rated SEC Championship ever with the battle between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama earning an 11.1 rating or an 18 percent increase above the previous year's game between the same two teams.

*ESPN averaged 2.1 million households, 2.87 million viewers and a 2.2 rating per game this season, making it the most-viewed season for the outlet since 1994 and the highest-rated since 1999.

*The Southeastern Conference led all leagues in attendance, at 76,288 a game.

But what if God turns out to be a tax-and-spend liberal?

Anybody wondering how the Georgia General Assembly plans to deal with the steep decline in state tax revenues in the ongoing economic downturn -- a decline that has already forced furloughs of state employees and could soon force dramatic cuts in government services -- could have learned a couple of Sundays ago that divine intervention isn't off the table.

Newly minted Republican state Sen. Buddy Carter -- a former state representative who won a special election last month to fill former state Sen. Eric Johnson's Savannah-area seat (Johnson resigned to run for governor) -- said during his Nov. 22 swearing-in ceremony in Savannah's Wesley Monumental Methodist Church that in these tough times, "we (presumably including his legislative colleagues) should turn to God for strength and wisdom." He reprised the sentiment later in his speech, saying "let us look to God for strength and guidance."

It’s hard to remember life without the wonders of modern technology.

On Georgia’s open date today, I went to a wedding in Gainesville (good scheduling during a Bulldogs bye week). Before and after the vows were exchanged, I was able to easily keep tabs on what was going on around the world of college football and the SEC.

I listened to the Florida-Arkansas game on the drive from Athens. Both the Gators and Razorbacks broadcast crews were available on XM radio. I also flipped around to Duke-Georgia Tech and heard some of the Kentucky-Alabama game on the way back.

At the post wedding reception, I enjoyed a Saturday away from a press box. That meant a beautiful fall day, conversation with people other than sportswriters, good music and food and even a glass of wine. OK, I broke down and discreetly scanned a score update once on my cell phone.

Wow. So apparently there is nothing else going on in country right now because the U.S. Congress has the time to launch an investigation into the BCS system.

Yes you read that right. CONGRESS is investigating COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

Georgia’s very own Lynn Westmoreland said, “We shouldn’t have to argue about who the champion is. That should be decided on the field.”

Yeah it should be decided on the field not on the floor of the House of Representatives. What’s next? Is the Supreme Court going to be brought in as refs for the game? If the high court can decide a presidential election, why not a football game?