ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A study of this year's bowl-bound schools reveals a record-narrow gap between the graduation rates of white and African-American players.
According to the annual report released Monday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, 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.
The four teams in the inaugural College Football Playoff - Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State - all had good academic records. Alabama is graduating 80 percent of its football players, Ohio State 78 percent, Oregon 70 percent and Florida State 65.
