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APR. From the most recent batch of Academic Performance Rates available from the NCAA,
if a program finished in the top 10%, it got a score of 10. If a
program finished in the 40%-49% range, it got a score of 5. For example,
Boise State's most recently released
APR for football players was 70-80%, so it gets a score of
8.
Why this is important: After all, these are supposed to be
student-athletes out there playing. This is a good indicator for how
much emphasis a program places on academics rather than simply using
the football players for their on-the-field talents.
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Wins over the last three years. The number of wins over
Division-I teams a program has from 2004-2006 (wins over D-IAA
teams aren't counted.)
Why this is important: At the end of the day, this is all
that really matters to college football fans. Winning games makes
everything else forgivable.
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Quality wins over the last three years. How many wins from
2004 to 2006 does a program have over Division-I teams that finished
with a winning record or in a bowl game against a team that finished
.500?
Why this is important: This goes to show the consistency of
programs when compared to the above-average. Programs that
consistently win these games are always in the hunt for conference
titles and big bowl games.
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Players drafted over the last three years. The number of
players selected in the NFL Draft from 2005 to 2007 divided by two for
the score.
Why this is important: This is a bigger deal than you might
think. If
a blue-chip recruit is trying to decide between two schools, he'll
most likely go to the one with the better track record of sending
its players to the next level. If a big-time program has a low
score, that might mean less emphasis is put on player development
and readiness for the NFL.
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Conference winning percentage over the last three years. From
2004 to 2006, this is what percentage of conference games has a team won.
Conference championship games don't count in the conference winning
percentages (those count in the total wins and, more often than not,
in the Quality Win component.) Keep
in mind that some programs switched leagues; that's taken into
account. For the teams without a conference affiliation for a given
year, their overall winning percentages were used.
Why this is important: All teams shoot for conference titles
first and foremost. BCS bowl games and national titles are great,
but those require a certain amount of good fortune. Take care of
conference play and everything else will fall into place.
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Elite Wins. This is how many wins a program has from
2004 to 2006 over teams that finished a season with two losses or
fewer, or wins on the road or in a bowl or conference championship
game over teams that finished with three losses or fewer. An extra
0.5 is added for an Elite Win on the road or in a bowl over a team
that finished with one or two losses. If a team beats a team that
finished with three losses twice, it gets credit for two Elite Wins.
Why this is important: These are,
more often than not, the types of wins that make good programs
great, and are the wins the fans remember.
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Bad Losses. These are the number of losses a program has from
2004 to 2006 against teams that finished a season with three wins or
fewer. This number is subtracted from the overall score. An extra 0.5
is taken off a bad loss at home.
Why this is important: Lose to a bad team and the win the
week before gets quickly forgotten about. These are the losses that
suck the life out of a team and a season.
