2010 - 2011 Bowl Games -- Graduation Rates

Here's a look at every one of the 35 bowl games this season and the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) for each of the teams.   The GSR is the NCAA's calculation of the graduation rate of student athletes, over a six year period, after initial college enrollment.  It's an eye-opener.

Here's a ranking of the bowls by the "fewest graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Meinke Car Care Bowl:  South Florida (44 GSR) vs. Clemson (60 GSR)
2. Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oklahoma State (59 GSR) vs. Arizona (48 GSR)
3. Little Caesars Bowl:  Toledo (65 GSR) vs. Florida International (46 GSR)

Here's a ranking of the bowl games by the "most graduated" amongst both teams:

1. Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Notre Dame (96 GSR) vs. Miami, FL (81 GSR)
2. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:  Army (85 GSR) vs. SMU (76 GSR)
3. TicketCity Bowl:  Northwestern (95 GSR) vs. Texas Tcch (69 GSR)

A PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS:  It's about time that the NCAA, BCS and the Bowls get together and factor in the Graduation Success Rates (GSR) of all of the bowl eligible teams -- especially when determining what 6-6 teams get into bowl games.  This year, there were two bowl eligible teams that were "overlooked" by the bowls;  Temple; 8-4 record (56 GSR) and Western Michigan University; 6-6 record (59 GSR).

The ND GO IRISH BLOG's proposal is as follows;

• Any team that has a record better than 6-6 automatically "qualifies" for a bowl, if there are enough spots.  

• All of the teams with 6-6 records would be ranked, for selection into bowl games, by their current GSR score for their football team.  The team with the highest GSR would be ranked #1 among the 6-6 teams.  If there were six spots available to teams with 6-6 records and there were 8 teams to pick from -- the six teams with the highest GSR would qualify for a bowl game.  The two teams with the lowest GSR would not be playing in a bowl game.

If these rules were in effect this bowl season -- the following would have happened:

• Temple, with their 8-4 record -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Western Michigan, with their 6-6 record and 59 GSR -- would be playing in a bowl game.
• Florida International, with their 6-6 record and 46 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• Tennessee, with their 6-6 record and 53 GSR -- would not be playing in a bowl game.
• UTEP, with their 6-6 record and 57 GSR -- would have been the last team qualifying for a bowl game.

Here's the 2010 - 2011 Bowl Game Schedule 

along with the GSR for the teams in each Bowl Game:

New Mexico Bowl -- December 18th

• UTEP:  57 GSR
• BYU:  62 GSR

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl -- December 18th

• Fresno State:  52 GSR
• Northern Illinois:  67 GSR

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl -- December 18th

• Troy:  75 GSR
• Ohio:  71 GSR

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl -- December 21st

• Southern Mississippi:  84 GSR
• Louisville:  63 GSR

  
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl -- December 22nd

• Utah:  62 GSR
• Boise State:  63 GSR

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl -- December 23rd

• San Diego State:  55 GSR
• Naval Academy:  92 GSR

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

• Hawaii:  46 GSR
• Tulsa:  66 GSR

Little Caesars Bowl -- December 26th

• Toledo:  65 GSR
• Florida International:  46 GSR

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl -- December 27th

• Georgia Tech:  49 GSR
• Air Force Academy:  86 GSR

Champs Sports Bowl -- December 28th

• North Carolina State:  56 GSR
• West Virginia:  72 GSR

Insight Bowl -- December 28th

• Missouri:  71 GSR
• Iowa:  79 GSR

Military Bowl -- December 29th

• Maryland:  64 GSR
• East Carolina:  63 GSR

Texas Bowl -- December 29th

• Illinois:  76 GSR
• Baylor:  64 GSR

Valermo Alamo Bowl -- December 29th

• Oklahoma State:  59 GSR
• Arizona:  48 GSR

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl -- December 30th

• Army:  85 GSR
• SMU:  76 GSR

New Era Pinstripes Bowl -- December 30th

• Kansas State:  69 GSR
• Syracuse:  76 GSR

Franklin American Mortgage Music Bowl -- December 30th

• North Carolina:  75 GSR
• Tennessee:  53 GSR

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl -- December 30th

• Washington:  82 GSR
• Nebraska:  68 GSR

Meineke Car Care Bowl -- December 31st

• South Florida:  46 GSR
• Clemson:  60 GSR

Hyundai Sun Bowl -- December 31st

• Miami, FL:  81 GSR
• Notre Dame:  96 GSR

Auto Zone Liberty Bowl -- December 31st

• UCF:  70 GSR
• Georgia:  68 GSR

Chick-fil-A Bowl -- December 31st

• Florida State:  64 GSR
• South Carolina:  57 GSR

TicketCity Bowl -- January 1st

• Northwestern:  95 GSR
• Texas Tech:  69 GSR

Outback Bowl -- January 1st

• Penn State:  84 GSR
• Florida:  67 GSR

Capital One Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan State:  55 GSR
• Alabama:  67 GSR

Gator Bowl -- January 1st

• Michigan:  72 GSR
• Mississippi State:  64 GSR

Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO -- January 1st

• Wisconsin:  65 GSR
• TCU:  71 GSR

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- January 1st

• Oklahoma:  44 GSR
• UCONN:  77 GSR

Discover Orange Bowl -- January 3rd

• Virginia Tech:  79 GSR
• Stanford:  83 GSR

AllState Sugar Bowl -- January 4th

• Arkansas:  55 GSR
• Ohio State:  63 GSR

GoDaddy.com Bowl -- January 6th

• Miami, OH:  79 GSR
• Middle Tennessee:  55 GSR

AT&T Cotton Bowl -- January 7th 

• Texas A&M:  57 GSR
• LSU:  67 GSR

BBVA Compass Bowl -- January 8th

• Pittsburgh:  69 GSR
• Kentucky:  63 GSR

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl -- January 9th

• Boston College:  90 GSR
• Nevada:  66 GSR

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game -- January 10th

• Auburn:  63 GSR
• Oregon:  54 GSR

The Athletic Facilities Race -- Today's Reality

This is a little off topic and then again it isn't -- this is the reality for today's NCAA Division 1 athletic programs and our University of Notre Dame.

The University of Tennessee is in the process of raising money for a new Football Training Center.  To say their plans might be a "little over the top" -- would be an understatement.  You've just go to love their justification for such a facility;

As the UT-Knoxville campus continues to grow as a research and teaching institution, the need for academic space has become increasingly important. In an effort to address this issue, the University Master Plan has called for the antiquated Stokely Athletic Center (SAC) to be demolished in order to allow for an academic facility to be built in its place.  As a result, the University of Tennessee Athletic Department (UTAD) must relocate approximately 110 coaches and administrators.

If you don't think college football is "big business" -- you may change your mind after watching this:

LINK:  TENNESSEE'S FOOTBALL TRAINING CENTER

Notre Dame Receives $1.3 Million from US Army

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded the University of Notre Dame's Colleges of Engineering and Science more than $1.3 million for the development of novel materials for improved battery technology.  The goal is to improve battery performance, reliability and safety for batteries that power military vehicles.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME "POWERS" THE US ARMY

Irish Basketball on TV Tonight -- 9:30 PM EST

Mike Brey's undefeated and 23rd ranked Fighting Irish Men's Basketball team is taking on John Calipari's 16th ranked Kentucky Wildcats on a so-called "neutral" floor tonight in Louisville, KY.  It's a matchup of "experience vs. talent" as Notre Dame's starting five (all seniors) take on Kentucky's talented freshman.  Be sure to tune in tonight at 9:30 PM EST on ESPN -- it's "OLD SCHOOL" versus "NEW SCHOOL."  Here's a few links to stories about tonight's game along with UND.COM's preview:

LINK:  ESPN CHICAGO -- PREVIEW

LINK:  WILDCATS THUNDER BLOG -- PREVIEW

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- PREVIEW

LINK:  UND.COM GAME NOTES -- PREVIEW