ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Ohio State fares pretty well in a study of the graduation rates of football players among this year’s bowl-bound schools.
The annual report released Monday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport also reveals a record-narrow gap between the graduation rates of white and African-American players.
OSU graduates 78 percent of the players in its football program, second only to Alabama’s 80 percent among the four semifinalists for the College Football Playoff. Oregon’s graduation rate was 70 percent; Florida State’s was 65 percent.
According to the average graduation success rate for black football players at bowl schools is 67 percent compared to 85 percent for whites. The 18-point gap is the smallest in the study’s history.
All bowl-bound schools also received a score higher than 930 — equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate — in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate.