by Wally
Well, at least Notre Dame is getting the “college” part of college athletics right. (See article below.) Given Irish athletes’ tendency to do very well in the classroom, the cynical part of me (admittedly, a large portion) suggests that ND should start The All-Academic Football Conference with the other members being Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Stanford, Wake Forest, Navy, BC, Army, Air Force and the entire Ivy league to round it out. Slam dunk first place finishes and an automatic invite to a BCS bowl every year … right? Doh! Not so fast, Wally! You’re beloved Irish might be able to eek out a 4th or 5th place finish this year … behind Stanford, Northwestern, Navy, and Air Force. That would slot the Irish squarely into the Frozen Britches Bowl in Bangor, Maine. Okay, then maybe we should start this league when ND is really able to compete with Stanford and Navy on a regular basis. Geeeeez … wonder when that will be?
Here’s the article:
Notre Dame athletes rank No. 1 in GSR
University of Notre Dame athletic programs rank No. 1 in graduation rates, based on Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released by the NCAA — including first-place ratings in the sports of football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, and a close second in ice hockey.
Among the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, Notre Dame had the highest percentage of its sports with 100 percent scores (for the fifth time in six years), with a .863 figure (19 of 22).
In football, Notre Dame achieved a 96 GSR rating for the highest figure among FBS schools. Notre Dame ranked first with a score of 96. Duke and Northwestern were tied at second with scores of 95. Rice is next with a score of 93, and the U.S. Naval Academy is fifth at 92.
In men’s basketball, Notre Dame achieved a perfect 100 GSR rating, with only BYU, Illinois, Marshall, Utah State, Wake Forest and Western Kentucky also reaching the top slot. In women’s basketball, Notre Dame also achieved a 100 GSR rating, as one of 30 Division I-A football-playing institutions with a perfect score.
Casey —
Great shot of the Dome by the way … thanks. Hey, being the IT challenged guy that I am, can you PLEASE send me detailed step by step instructions on how to change my “avatar”?
I’m getting tired of Touchdown Jesus … probably because there aren’t any TDs … but I need a new look … kinda going through a mid-life blogger’s crisis. Plus i have a new crusade 🙂
Haha – are you also shopping for a new ride?
No … just send the instructions please.
Man, you are impatient. Mid-life stuff is tangible right now. 🙂
How can such smart students be so stupid on the field?
When it comes to football, you should really be asking that question regarding Duke players.
A better more targeted question for ND players is “How can such smart kids who are also HIGHLY rated athletes, be so stupid on the field?” Remember the stat I tossed out just before the season? ND’s starting line-up … talent-wise … was ranked like #3 in the country. And look what we got.
I actually think the biggest problem this year … right now … with many of the upperclassmen … is purely EFFORT and LEADERSHIP. They’re bright and most of them talented, but they’re willing to accept something less than excellence, and in many cases, mediocrity. They’ve certainly become accustomed to losing … they’ll tell you to a man that it disgusts them … but how else can you explain the outcome vs Navy. We got the crap knocked out of us by a group of young men who simply wanted it more … a lot more.
To a lesser extent, we’re seeing transition pains … e.g. Kelly’s system is trying to fit a square peg (Crist) into a round hole (spread offense). You could also probably say that about our O-line too, and I have a few more choice words for that group of underachievers.
O-line. The curse of smokin Joe Moore. ND hasn’t had a decent O-line since Davie canned him.