Might as well beat the NCAA to publicly outing these major-college football programs.
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| Mack Brown's record at Texas: 70 wins, 19 losses, 27 percent graduation rate. (Getty Images) |
The Association would have us believe all of the above are about to be put on double-secret probation. Or something close to it. The NCAA basically said so this week when it got to the heart of the matter of academic performance. Fall below a 50 percent graduation rate, and programs could lose scholarships, postseason berths and, worst case, NCAA membership.
How's that feel, Flubbed Four? Embarrassed enough? All four of those programs graduated no more than 40 percent of their players -- oops, sorry, student-athletes -- according the latest grad rates. The NCAA already has said 30 percent of I-A falls below its new Academic Performance Rate (APR) standard that approximates those current NCAA grad rates.
Those four might or might not be in that group when warnings are issued sometime soon, but their recent track record isn't good. And there will be more.
Later this month or early February, the NCAA will start sending out letters to schools that fall below the APR cut line of 925 (approximately 50 percent). By 2006, offenders could start losing scholarships (up to 10 percent in each sport).
Then a postseason ban. Imagine Texas being told it can't go bowling.
The next punishment stage is essentially a new version of the NCAA's death penalty -- loss of membership.
"We're talking about rather strong penalties here," NCAA president Myles Brand said, adding, "We're talking about the level of major infraction penalties."
And it might just work. For once, the NCAA has some legislation with teeth -- or at least the red-cheek factor. If nothing else, the "offenders" will be chagrined. The NCAA plans a very public process in notifying and penalizing schools that fall below 925.
The idea being: Imagine Texas letting things slip to a postseason ban. Supposedly, it won't.
Schools' grad rates will be tracked term-by-term, year-by-year instead of the antiquated federally mandated six-year window, which was akin to looking at a distant star. Sometimes many coaches, presidents and athletic directors ago.
The APR is more accurate in that it takes into account transfers going in and out of the program who leave in good academic standing.
