NCAA Football '12-13

[OttoVonBismarck]

I'd agree with Grumbler the Big Ten schools in general have similar academic standards for football players as Notre Dame.

I'll point out to the peanut gallery though that Stanford's are not the same, their academic standards for football are by far the highest in FBS and Notre Dame or any other school really doesn't come close. What also makes it hard for Stanford is their football players are 100% real students, they go to all classes with real students and have to be in a real major. Most of the other major FBS schools have created "specialized degree programs" for football players that basically help them to avoid as much as possible real class work, but at Stanford all the players are actually real students.

I spent 1 minute looking on ESPN and couldn't find it, but ESPN had a good article about 1.5-2 years ago about Stanford's academic requirements compared to the rest of FBS and it was pretty shocking even to me. I figured Stanford was stricter but they really give their football program little leeway. Their new coach basically said that is why they have to recruit nationally, they said players with talent to succeed at their level and the academic criteria aren't plentiful enough even in California so they basically have to recruit heavily all over the country.

[Eddie Teach]

Course Stanford has the advantage of being the most prestigious school with a FBS football program so they're a natural first choice for serious scholar-athletes. If other schools tried holding football players to that standard they'd be even less competitive.

[grumbler]

I'd agree with Grumbler the Big Ten schools in general have similar academic standards for football players as Notre Dame.

I'll point out to the peanut gallery though that Stanford's are not the same, their academic standards for football are by far the highest in FBS and Notre Dame or any other school really doesn't come close. What also makes it hard for Stanford is their football players are 100% real students, they go to all classes with real students and have to be in a real major. Most of the other major FBS schools have created "specialized degree programs" for football players that basically help them to avoid as much as possible real class work, but at Stanford all the players are actually real students.

I spent 1 minute looking on ESPN and couldn't find it, but ESPN had a good article about 1.5-2 years ago about Stanford's academic requirements compared to the rest of FBS and it was pretty shocking even to me. I figured Stanford was stricter but they really give their football program little leeway. Their new coach basically said that is why they have to recruit nationally, they said players with talent to succeed at their level and the academic criteria aren't plentiful enough even in California so they basically have to recruit heavily all over the country.

Stanford does have higher admissions standards, but also does have "jock stream" courses and degree programs, just like everyone else.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I'd agree with Grumbler the Big Ten schools in general have similar academic standards for football players as Notre Dame.

I'll point out to the peanut gallery though that Stanford's are not the same, their academic standards for football are by far the highest in FBS and Notre Dame or any other school really doesn't come close. What also makes it hard for Stanford is their football players are 100% real students, they go to all classes with real students and have to be in a real major. Most of the other major FBS schools have created "specialized degree programs" for football players that basically help them to avoid as much as possible real class work, but at Stanford all the players are actually real students.

I spent 1 minute looking on ESPN and couldn't find it, but ESPN had a good article about 1.5-2 years ago about Stanford's academic requirements compared to the rest of FBS and it was pretty shocking even to me. I figured Stanford was stricter but they really give their football program little leeway. Their new coach basically said that is why they have to recruit nationally, they said players with talent to succeed at their level and the academic criteria aren't plentiful enough even in California so they basically have to recruit heavily all over the country.

Stanford does have higher admissions standards, but also does have "jock stream" courses and degree programs, just like everyone else.

Which degrees would you identify as such?

[derspiess]

Which degrees would you identify as such?

I'm guessing if you had a team roster listing majors, you'd be able to figure that out pretty quickly.  Find the two most common majors & you've got your jock stream majors.

[grumbler]

Which degrees would you identify as such?

I'm guessing if you had a team roster listing majors, you'd be able to figure that out pretty quickly.  Find the two most common majors & you've got your jock stream majors.

Exactly.  But you don't even need that; you can just google for the answer. It's been addressed on the 'net several times since Harbaugh claimed it wasn't true.

[derspiess]

I always get a kick out of a player being highlighted during a game for having such a high GPA, and then hearing almost in passing that he's a Physical Education major.  I'm not knocking that as a major, per se-- we do need gym teachers.  But I'd rather hear about a dude with a 2.8 majoring in chemistry than someone with a 3.9 majoring in PE.

[grumbler]

But I'd rather hear about a dude with a 2.8 majoring in chemistry than someone with a 3.9 majoring in PE.

You won't find a lot of the former, because football takes so much time that it is difficult for students to take classes in complex majors during the season.  It kinda sucks that, to be competitive, players and teams have to devote so much time to practices and workouts, but there you are.

[CountDeMoney]

I'm not knocking that as a major, per se-- we do need gym teachers.  But I'd rather hear about a dude with a 2.8 majoring in chemistry than someone with a 3.9 majoring in PE.

That's a shitload of labs cutting into practice time.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Exactly.  But you don't even need that; you can just google for the answer. It's been addressed on the 'net several times since Harbaugh claimed it wasn't true.

Ah yes, the famed "I don't actually know the specifics of my assertion but I'm sure google supports me" argument.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I always get a kick out of a player being highlighted during a game for having such a high GPA, and then hearing almost in passing that he's a Physical Education major.  I'm not knocking that as a major, per se-- we do need gym teachers.  But I'd rather hear about a dude with a 2.8 majoring in chemistry than someone with a 3.9 majoring in PE.

PE isn't even 100% just a joke major though, it kind of depends on the circumstances. In a lot of States and schools a PE teacher is going to take the same education curriculum as any other education major, and then specialize in whatever it is that is required to get certified to teach PE. It's not a hard major, sure. But it isn't quite the same as a program tailor made for big time football students who are literally too stupid to even get through those sort of classes.

The programs I tend to think of are the ones like "Athletic Coaching Education" and things of that nature, which don't even require even the core education classes and don't even result in a course load that will qualify you for a teaching certificate in many states. Additionally, and telling about these programs, is they often have persons associated with the football program as the course instructors.

[Ed Anger]

The Duron Carter update:

After not hacking it at Ohio State, he couldn't hack it at Alabama. He is at Florida Atlantic now. 

[PDH]

Some of the better players Wyoming has had have gotten degrees in Engineering while playing/practicing.  That to me is insane.  Still, Wyoming doesn't get the five-star guys they get the guys who know this will be the highest level they make most likely so they better get a degree too.

[CountDeMoney]

The Duron Carter update:

After not hacking it at Ohio State, he couldn't hack it at Alabama. He is at Florida Atlantic now. 

And I'm sure he'll be the best Florida Atlanticist he can be.

[Ed Anger]

The wackiest one I saw fairly recently was Craig Krenzel:

Krenzel graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in molecular genetics and a GPA of 3.75. He did research as part of a selective oncology laboratory at the Ohio State University Medical Center.[1]