FanHouse Academic Progress Rate

Whee I'm a plane I'm a plane.... what do you mean that doesn't count for course credit?

The APR has been a frequent topic of discussion on the Fanhouse and elsewhere, but this is the first year that the NCAA's squad size adjustments have gone away. As a result, multiple teams are getting hurt by it, some badly. The latest is Pac-10 struggler Washington State. The Cougars announced yesterday that they were going to be playing six scholarships down in 2008.

What's more, the APR penalty isn't going away any time soon. From the article:

Sterk said the department has been planning for the sanctions, and said it shouldn't negatively affect the team's ability to sign players. However, he is still concerned that the problem won't go away for some time.

"It'll be a lingering number because (the NCAA APR) has a four-year rollover," Sterk explained. "If you look at it, we've had a blip last year with people leaving. We'll have to deal with it and move on."

Put this in perspective: when teams are caught with major NCAA violations they lose a few scholarships for a period of a few years and basically proceed as if nothing ever happened. Washington State, a middling BCS team, has just been hit with a penalty equivalent or worse.

APR has teeth, and it's one thing Myles Brand and the NCAA should be lauded for. Now, about everything else...

After years of pressure from academics and university presidents, the NCAA began to increase penalties for failing to meet academic standards with the Academic Progress Rate (APR). The fallout from such standards, just might be trickling down to coaches, especially in the Big 12.

At Nebraska, first year head coach Bo Pelini is stressing the importance of class attendance.

"It's a big deal now," said Nebraska senior linebacker Tyler Wortman. "We have people checking on everybody, making sure you're in class."

It's common to see members of Nebraska's academic support staff -- and sometimes even Pelini himself -- making the rounds on campus to make sure players are in class.

Academics have always been important at Nebraska, which boasts a nation-leading total of 255 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans. Pelini, however, appears to be ramping up the accountability for student-athletes. And it's hard to argue with Pelini's bottom-line:

"It's not up for debate," Pelini said. "If you don't want to go to class, turn pro."