Books and bowls

Boise State may have been eliminated from a BCS bowl game this season, but when it comes to book smarts, the Broncos could be knocking on the door of an academic BCS national championship.

Last Tuesday, an organization called Higher Ed Watch unveiled its first-ever “Academic Bowl Championship Series” poll, which ranked the current BCS top 25 teams around the country in college football using academic, instead of athletic indicators.

The Broncos finished fourth in the Academic BCS poll, behind Cincinnati and Auburn who finished second and third respectively and Boston College, who topped the list.

Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Southern California, West Virginia and Arizona State rounded out the top 10 behind BSU.

In an effort that was sparked by ESPN’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback, Higher Ed Watch took advantage of all of the collegiate data that is available on college athletes’ academic performance, something that regular sports fans often know very little, if anything at all about.

The criteria inludes things like graduation rates and the NCAA’s “Academic Progress Rates.”

“It was tough for us to find any more information on college athletes, so we had to go with what we had,” Lindsey Luebchow, who devised the rankings, said. “It’s an interesting study and one that gives people a different perspective on their teams.”

There are just two data points available for college athletes. The group that put together the study had less to work with than those who calculate the actual BCS formula from week to week.

It obviously works much differently than the actual BCS rankings used each week throughout the college football season.

The athletic BCS poll adds in factors such as strength of schedule, conference schedule, home record, road record, opponent’s rank, points scored and points allowed. This BCS uses a difficult, complicated and often controversial formula to determine its rankings.

The academic BCS is much more simple and uncomplicated, simply highlighting those schools whose athletes excel in the classroom and not just on the field.

“Graduation rates are the most important data on academic quality that we have, as they count football players who actually left school with a degree in hand,” Luebchow said in an online blog about the academic BCS. “In addition, graduation rates are disaggregated by race, which gives us the opportunity to look at how well teams are supporting their black and white players respectively. The education attainment gap and achievement gap are major education policy concerns nationally.”

Since the poll was released early last week it has been controversial in its own way. Higher Ed Watch has found that the poll is not a solid indicator of which schools excel the most academically.

The formula used may be simple, but some have argued that some school’s athletes choose more difficult majors and that factor should be calculated into the formula, which it is not.

Take for example the University of Missouri’s starting quarterback, Chase Daniels. He is a business finance major and his Tigers are No. 15 in the academic BCS. Then there is BSU quarterback Taylor Tharp, who is a communication major, or Wisconsin quaterback Tyler Donovan, who will major in agricultural journalism. Only time will tell whether or not the poll will calculate the various majors.

Some of the steps that can be taken to improve the academic BCS over time are factors such as an accounting of the courses taken by the athlete, with statistics like GPA’s or course requirements.

They may also look at a better measure of academic progress that includes a minimum GPA and places more emphasis on the actual completion of courses rather than simply having enrolled, because currently the APR puts an equal weight on both.

The academic BCS does have it faults just like the BCS itself, but the Broncos have overcome all of that and established itselves on the national level.

“We have a smart bunch of kids, who work hard to be where they are,” Boise State Head Coach Chris Petersen said. “These guys work hard so that when it comes time to hit the practice field, or hit the playing field they’re ready to go.”

Academic BCS Rankings

1. Boston College
2. Cincinnati
3. Auburn
4. Boise State
5. Virginia
6. Virginia Tech
7. Clemson
8. USC
9. West Virginia
10. Arizona State
11. Illinois
12. Wisconsin
13. South Florida
14. Georgia
15. Missouri
16. Florida
17. Kansas
18. Tennessee
19. Oklahoma
20. Brigham Young
21. LSU
22. Ohio State
23. Oregon
24. Texas
25. Hawaii

* The Academic BCS was compiled based on the BCS top 25 poll of Nov. 25.

TATE CASTLETON
Assistant Sports Editor

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