Non BCS Schools

[OC Mustang]

We have low standards for football players? Ummm, where are you getting that bull [deleted]? The 2008 freshman football class had an average 3.65 GPA.

Numbers can be made to say anything. 3.6 GPA with over half the team as engineers, then I am impressed. If it's accounting, I am reasonably impressed. Even if it's history, I am fairly impressed.

If it's some gridiron-friendly major that SMU doesn't have yet, then I think the accusation of low standards, though hardly proven, at least warrants a thoughtful look-see.

[Stallion]

Well if they aren't I will-you can get just about anyone into TCU including several in recent years who did not project at Texas State schools. Not saying that TCU gets non-qualifiers but if they meet NCAA minimums-TCU can and will get them in. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous. TCU of course has had several who were not admitted for failure to meet NCAA minimum qualification standards-TCU offered though and patiently waited to see if they would qualify. Want to deny that?

[Mustang By Conversion]

BYU has very high academic requirements. Their average ACT score for atheltes is a 24, according to an associate AD I know. Average HS GPA is roughly a 3.5, same source.

Not only academic, but honor code requirements that make recruiting non-LDS (Mormon) players very difficult. Of the non-BCS schools I say BYU has the hardest time due to academic and honor code standards.

BYU will play in a BCS game this year against a BCS school.

[tristatecoog]

Was that 3.65 GPA from high school? If so, show me avg SAT scores. While flawed, it's a better standardized measuring stick.

SMU was in the top 5-10 in terms of SAT scores about 10 years ago. I'm not sure where they stand now.

[The PonyGrad]

I was noticing there are now 4 non-BCS schools in Rivals Top 50 Recruiting Classes-TCU is probably higher than just about any non-BCS school in a decade. Perhaps we are seeing some improvement in the ability of non-BCS schools to compete as the Boise Sts, Utahs and Hawaiis have made it to a BCS bowl. Not sure if it agree with that conclusion just yet but interesting. Certainly the MWC is raising its game in both national competitiveness and recruiting and legitimately argue that they have cauught at least the worst of the BCS conferences

Notre Dame is a non BCS school, albeit their playing ground is a little different.

Actually, the BCS makes special accomodation for ND, so I would say they are a BCS school though not in a BCS conference.

[EastStang]

Navy and AFA have been competitive at times with the right coach. Not only do they have academic limits, but height and weight limits as well. (David Robinson notwithstanding). Army has just stunk for a long time. My West Point friends tell me that Navy has lax rules compared to Army which allow big linemen into school and of course David (I grew 6 inches over the summer) Robinson.

[PoconoPony]

I recall that Navy, commencing last year, instituted a policy whereby athletes could forego their military committment and enter or tryout for professional teams. Cannot remember the technical details; however, it involved a cadet who graduated last spring who was allowed to go directly to an NFL camp after graduation. At the time, Army officials indicated they would not follow or adhere to the Navy release. I cannot recall any commentary on the matter from Air Force. Obviously, this is a major recruiting sales pitch/break through for Navy to go after better talent.

[Water Pony]

How many schools from non-bcs conferences have had success while at the same time having high academic standards? I'm not counting Notre Dame. Other than the Shaun King Tulane team. Teams like Fresno State, Boise State, Utah, TCU, UAB, Marshall, ECU, Hawaii, etc all have pretty low standards for football players.

Great question and challenge. Lower standards should not be the objective. Raising the performance on state schools, both BCS and non-BCS, should be the goal.

In non-BCS, Navy and Air Force are closest to high academic performers. BYU and TCU are both good at FB and academics. Other SMU peers or better are Rice and Tulane with Tulsa, a private school, not too far behind.

Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are very strong academically, but have the benefit of being at the BC$ trough.

[PoconoPony]

Stanford has had time in the lime light. According to Scout.com they currently have the 12th best recruiting class for 2009.

[PoconoPony]

Forgot to mention Boston College as a high academic school with a sustained top 25 football team for a number of years.

[J.T.supporta]

Forgot to mention Boston College as a high academic school with a sustained top 25 football team for a number of years.

he said NON bcs schools

[FroggieFever]

Well if they aren't I will-you can get just about anyone into TCU including several in recent years who did not project at Texas State schools. Not saying that TCU gets non-qualifiers but if they meet NCAA minimums-TCU can and will get them in. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous. TCU of course has had several who were not admitted for failure to meet NCAA minimum qualification standards-TCU offered though and patiently waited to see if they would qualify. Want to deny that?

Those of us whom work for TCU athletics find this laughable - speaking from your [deleted].

[Lebanese4Life]

What about Vanderbilt?

[Stallion]

Froggie Fever go sell stupid somewhere else. I've documented on this board so many marginal TCU athletes committed to TCU that it would be a very very long llst. You had at least 2-3 guys in the last year that TCU was trying to get in who didn't qualify. Every year a couple of more slip through who many didn't think would qualify. That's about average and you know it or you are clueless. I'm sorry did you really think all those December Big 12 de-commits (always with marginal academic recruits) really wanted to go to TCU-yeah right.

[OC Mustang]

A couple of things...

Academies (AFA, Navy, Army) recruit differently. In the relatively recent past, Stallion tried to explain their recruiting strategies that offset the stringent requirements they have. Stallion, I am sure, can explain this better than I can; to wit, net-net, they don't have the player number limits that most universities have.

Now...Vanderbilt. Ah Vanderbilt.
a) it's in the SEC
b) it's in the SEC
c) its academics run circles around SMU's or TCU's, so whatever selling point SMU or TCU makes to a recruit or player regarding his academic choices and cache when he's out of school, Vanderbilt can top that claim by an order of magnitude...AND...it's in the SEC.