"Best" College Football Teams: Graduation Rate of AA Athletes

[AKA2D '91]

THE UNIVERSITIES WITH THE BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS ARE DOING A POOR JOB OF GRADUATING BLACK ATHLETES

The nation's best college football teams are fighting to stay atop the Bowl Championship Series rankings so that they will be invited to a major bowl game this January. But this year's high-ranking teams have done very little to ensure the academic success of their black athletes.
According to JBHE research, of the 10 highest-ranked teams in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, only two have a graduation rate for their black players that is higher than 50 percent. More than 60 percent of the black players at the University of Southern California go on to earn a diploma. At the University of Georgia, 51 percent of the black players graduate. The lowest graduation rate for black players among the top-ranked teams is the University of Tennessee. There, only 26 percent of the black football players graduate.

Here is a listing of the 10 highest-ranked teams in the Bowl Championship Series ratings, ranked by their graduation rate for black football players.

1. University of Southern California (61%)
2. University of Georgia (51%)
3. University of Miami (47%)
4. Florida State University (43%)
5. University of Michigan (36%)
6. Louisiana State University (34%)
7. University of Texas (33%)
8. University of Oklahoma (28%)
9. Ohio State University (28%)
10. University of Tennessee (26%)