Academic Bowl Championship Series Rankings: Penn State Football Tops Academic Poll (SLIDESHOW)

According to a poll recently released by the New America Foundation, the Penn State football program ranked first in academic performance among team's currently ranked in the top 25 of the final BCS standings.

According to New America's website, four factors are calculated in the rankings:

The football team's graduation rate relative to the school overall; the difference between black and white graduation rates on the team; the difference between black and white graduation rates at the school overall; and the difference between the graduation rates of black players on the football team and the school's overall black student population.

Penn State was followed in the rankings by Mountain West conference schools (for now) Boise State and TCU, respectively. Stanford, who topped last season's Academic Bowl rankings, dropped to fourth.

Although the legacy of longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno appears to be irreparably tarnished by the child abuse scandal -- and potential cover up -- involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, this ranking shows the side of the program that had been championed before the scandal broke.

Kayla Webley of Time.com contends that "Winning the top honors in the academic bowl further proves the success of Paterno's "grand experiment," which was his idea that major-college athletes could contend for national championships while excelling in the classroom."

Alabama and LSU, who will play one another to another to decide the BCS National Championship on January 9th, ranked 5th and 13th in the poll, respectively.

You can view where the other schools in the final BCS top 25 ranked below:

Comments

[atlblackops]

10:27 AM on 08/20/2012

Really?!!? Wow! This ranking is a sham, and no one cares anyway.

[UnRed]

10:59 AM on 12/10/2011

"Academics"?? First, these are such small numbers that statistics aren't really important. Second, it assumes that all schools are equal in *terms of* academics, and they are not; it is much more difficult to graduate from Cal than it is a party-school, for instance. Third, it penalizes schools who attract top athletes who then leave early for the NFL.

Comparing gpa's would be a better measure of academics than graduation rates but the only *true* measure would be a standardized test across all players from all schools. Anything else is rather meaningless.

[jackflash23]

12:24 AM on 12/10/2011

If Boise State is 2nd, then these academic rankings mean nothing. Boise State is one of the worst schools academically in D1 football. They have a reputation for taking many of the kids who couldn't qualify at any of the major BCS schools.

[Noah da Ninja]

10:44 AM on 12/10/2011

exactly, as soon as I saw that I kind of discounted this whole list. Plus I wonder how many black non-athletes go there. Probably helps with the graduation rate

[Just walkin the dog here]

03:57 PM on 12/09/2011

Hummmph. I would have thought my San Diego State Aztecs would have been on the list. Oh, wait that is the list of "best parties".

[Troy Reddick]

01:45 PM on 12/09/2011

Where will these graduates work? If and when they find gainful employment is more indicative to success rather than merely graduating.

[cookerman45]

07:27 AM on 12/09/2011

street smarts is what counts.

[Spartan112]

06:42 AM on 12/09/2011

Whooooooo! We're 24... we're 24!

[dwilson424]

10:36 AM on 12/09/2011

Michigan 22nd

[luapmi2]

05:38 AM on 12/09/2011

Must be painful to be some of the most intelligent and live in a sex-crime factory.

[Nick Matolyak]

08:53 AM on 12/09/2011

A sex crime factory, as in one person who worked there is a pedo.

[Kevin Fogarty]

09:08 AM on 12/09/2011

Assinine comment. A stellar academic record accomplished by decades of student/athletes and that is what you have to say? Shows complete ignorance on your part. At least show the ability to vent your anger toward the proper people, and departments of the school. You are like many sheep led by the nose that this is a University wide problem, when in reality it involves less than ten people at PSU.

[luapmi2]

04:15 PM on 12/09/2011

just wait..Joe knew everything....he should be doing time

[bullseye4pam]

11:17 PM on 12/08/2011

Those schools must have some awesome tutors!

[Uncle Bill]

11:17 PM on 12/08/2011

Pray tell what racial classifications have to do with academic performance.

[gomphiasis]

10:48 AM on 12/09/2011

It has to do with socioeconomic background and corresponding cultural values, not "race"; one wonders what the anthropology departments at the 25 universities mentioned above would have to say about the metrics of the "Academic Bowl Championship Series".

[Uncle Bill]

11:02 AM on 12/09/2011

True- wouldn't it be better if the breakdown was along those lines, instead of over- and under-inclusive categories like race?