QB Question

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Yesterday's note on the wealth of returning talent at quarterback in the Ivy League generated enough of a buzz that it seemed like a good idea to put a poll question up on the blog. In the upper left of the page you'll find a list of the quarterbacks at the seven schools not named Dartmouth. If you could pick one QB to lead your team, who would you choose? The poll ends Monday morning.

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The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers are out and the Ivy League once again leads the way. A release from the conference office point out:

"The Ivy League was the only Division I conference to have recognition given to all (eight) of its football teams."

A Dartmouth release notes that:

Of the 28 Big Green teams measured in the report, 21 received recognition from the NCAA for APR scores among the top 10 percent nationally. All of the teams were well above the penalty line of 925, with an average score of 996.5.

The official NCAA release about the APR can be found here.

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The Lehigh Football Nation blog uses the APR numbers to support an argument Patriot League (and some Ivy League) supporters have made for years. Rather than lowering the academic profile of football players, athletic scholarships would actually raise the academic profile of football players. From LFN:

Before merit-based aid:

Football Fordham University NY 2004 - 2005 949
Football Fordham University NY 2005 - 2006 942
Football Fordham University NY 2006 - 2007 942
Football Fordham University NY 2007 - 2008 949

After merit-based aid:

Football Fordham University NY 2008 - 2009 960
Football Fordham University NY 2009 - 2010 975

A 26 point jump in Fordham's multi-year APR number.

Could it be any more clear that football scholarships would allow Patriot League schools to get even more academically qualified students to come to their schools - and retain them?

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Harvard "released" its football schedule last week with this note:

As with the past two years' schedules, all children, 12 years old and under, will receive free admission to home football games with no limit to the number of children per family.

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Week Two opponent Sacred Heart has posted its 2011 preseason roster and amazingly there are just three quarterbacks listed as potential replacements for All-New England QB Dale Fink. Two are redshirt sophomores and one is a freshman listed as a quarterback/punter.

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ESPN.com has a very interesting story with the former Texas state trooper who poisoned two "Toomer Trees" at Auburn. It's a haunting piece.