Here's a look at the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of each of the 70 teams playing in BOWL GAMES this postseason. Here's a link to the GSR for African American student-athletes -- on the same teams.
It's a sad commentary when a great number of the teams playing in the Bowl Games graduate less than 6 of every 10 of their players over a six-year period. Until the NCAA truly does something about this -- they should suspend the term "student-athlete" when talking about many of these schools' athletes.
Here's a quick overview of a few of the highlights and lowlights -- followed by a look at every one of the 35 Bowl Games and the respective GSR rates of the the opponents:
TOP FIVE TEAMS PLAYING IN BOWL GAMES:
#1: Notre Dame: 97
#2: Northwestern: 94
#3: Rutgers: 89
#3: Vanderbilt: 89
#5: Stanford: 87
#5: Penn State: 87
Sad Fact #1: Only 9 Teams out of the 70 Teams in Bowl Games graduate at least 8 out of every ten of their players in a six-year period.
BOTTOM FIVE TEAMS PLAYING IN BOWL GAMES:
#70: Florida International: 43
#69: Oklahoma: 48
#68: California: 54
#67: Georgia Tech: 55
#67: South Carolina: 55
Sad Fact #2: 16 of the 70 teams in Bowl Games graduate less than 6 out of every 10 of their players in a six-year period.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS / LOWLIGHTS:
- The largest disparity of graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is the Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame (97) vs. Florida State (56)
- The lowest graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is IRONICALLY the Bridgepoint Education Bowl: California (54) vs. Texas (57)
- The highest graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is the AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati (79) vs. Vanderbilt (89)
GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL -- Dec. 17
- Temple: 60 GSR
- Wyoming: 64 GSR
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL -- Dec. 17
- Ohio: 71 GSR
- Utah State: 77 GSR
R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL -- Dec. 20
- San Diego State: 56 GSR
- Louisiana-Lafayette: 56 GSR
BEEF 'O' BRADY'S ST. PETERSBURG BOWL -- Dec. 20
- Florida International: 43 GSR
- Marshall: 77 GSR
S.D. COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL -- Dec. 21
- TCU: 78 GSR
- Louisiana Tech: 75 GSR
MAACO LAS VEGAS -- Dec. 22
- Arizona State: 64 GSR
- Boise State: 74 GSR
SHEARTON HAWAII BOWL -- Dec. 24
- Nevada: 70 GSR
- Southern Miss: 78 GSR
ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL -- Dec. 26
- Missouri: 66 GSR
- North Carolina: 75 GSR
LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL -- Dec. 27
- Western Michigan: 61 GSR
- Purdue: 59 GSR
BELK BOWL -- Dec. 27
- Louisville: 66 GSR
- North Carolina State: 56 GSR
MILITARY BOWL -- Dec. 28
- Toledo: 64 GSR
- Air Force Academy: 84 GSR
BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL -- Dec. 28
- California: 54 GSR
- Texas: 57 GSR
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL -- Dec. 29
- Florida State: 56 GSR
- Notre Dame: 97 GSR
VALERO ALAMO BOWL -- Dec. 29
- Washington: 76 GSR
- Baylor: 62 GSR
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL -- Dec. 30
- BYU: 57 GSR
- Tulsa: 63 GSR
NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL -- Dec. 30
- Rutgers: 89 GSR
- Iowa State: 63 GSR
FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY -- Dec. 30
- Mississippi State: 62 GSR
- Wake Forest: 81 GSR
INSIGHT BOWL -- Dec. 30
- Iowa: 83 GSR
- Oklahoma: 48 GSR
MEINEKE CAR CARE OF TEXAS BOWL -- Dec. 31
- Texas A&M: 59 GSR
- Northwestern: 94 GSR
HYUNDAI SUN BOWL -- Dec. 31
- Georgia Tech: 55 GSR
- Utah: 62 GSR
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL -- Dec. 31
- Cincinnati: 79 GSR
- Vanderbilt: 86 GSR
KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL -- Dec. 31
- Illinois: 76 GSR
- UCLA: 59 GSR
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL -- Dec. 31
- Virginia: 68 GSR
- Auburn: 63 GSR
TICKETCITY BOWL -- Jan. 2
- Houston: 57 GSR
- Penn State: 87 GSR
OUTBACK BOWL -- Jan. 2
- Michigan State: 62 GSR
- Georgia: 65 GSR
CAPITAL ONE BOWL -- Jan. 2
- Nebraska: 67 GSR
- South Carolina: 55 GSR
TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL -- Jan. 2
- Ohio State: 67 GSR
- Florida: 76 GSR
ROSE BOWL GAME -- Jan. 2
- Wisconsin: 66 GSR
- Oregon: 63 GSR
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL -- Jan. 2
- Stanford: 87 GSR
- Oklahoma Sate: 65 GSR
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL -- Jan. 3
- Michigan: 71 GSR
- Virginia Tech: 79 GSR
DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL -- Jan. 4
- West Virginia: 75 GSR
- Clemson: 62 GSR
AT&T COTTON BOWL -- Jan. 6
- Kansas State: 62 GSR
- Arkansas: 56 GSR
BBVA COMPASS BOWL -- Jan. 7
- SMU: 72 GSR
- Pittsburgh: 65 GSR
GODADDY.COM BOWL -- Jan. 8
- Arkansas State: 73 GSR
- Northern Illinois: 73 GSR
ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME -- Jan. 9
- LSU: 77 GSR
- Alabama: 69 GSR
