Update, July 29: Some impressive research by Oklahoma State has resulted in an overturned penalty. Via OSU release:
Detective work saves Oklahoma State from NCAA practice time penalty
The Cowboys were set to lose one day of practice per week this season, until someone discovered an overlooked factor.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The National Collegiate Athletic Association confirmed today that the Oklahoma State University football program Academic Progress Rate (APR) has been amended to a 930 and the school no longer faces any APR restrictions for the 2014-15 academic year.
Earlier this summer, OSU athletic department officials discovered the recent graduation of student-athlete from the 1990s, which resulted in the addition of a delayed graduation point to push the Cowboys above the threshold for restrictions.
... When the NCAA released its APR data on May 14, OSU football had an average score of 929.41 over the past four years and an average score of 943.54 over the past two years. The Cowboys had been facing a two hour loss of countable athletic activity and the loss of a practice day after falling less than one point short of the NCAA’s minimum APR requirement.
That’s pretty amazing. The internet reacts:
Whoever that Oklahoma State player was from the ‘90s should have his jersey number retired.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) July 29, 2014 This APR news really is amazing. Someone who went to college in the 90s graduated so a bunch of kids born in the 90s can now practice.
— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguy) July 29, 2014 T. Boone keeps Nearly Graduated Student-Athletes From The 1990s in a vault by his vault, for deployment when necessary
— Jason Kirk (@JasonKirkSBN) July 29, 2014 Original, May 14: Oklahoma State is the latest to fall victim to academic progress rate (APR) penalties, according to NewsOK and ESPN’s Brett McMurphy. The Cowboys’ football team will reportedly lose a day of practice each week in the upcoming season because it barely missed out on reaching the four-year APR threshold set by the NCAA.
OSU’s APR over the past four years finished at 929.41, just below the threshold of 930 (929.5). It’s actually an improvement from last year, when the Cowboys scored a 926 over the four-year period, but the NCAA raised the APR minimum from 900 to 930 for four years.
The team appears to have recognized the problem:
One factor impacting OSU over this four-year reporting period was players who remained on scholarship, yet focused on NFL Draft preparation in their final semester, while not completing their classwork. Dealing with those situations could become a focal point moving forward.
This isn’t the first time the OSU program has been linked to poor academics. It came under particular scrutiny in a controversial Sports Illustrated report that detailed a struggle to keep certain players eligible.
As for the on-field impact, SI’s Andy Staples detailed how the school could get around the sanctions.
Just asked an ACC coach what he would do if he had to lose a day of practice. He said Friday is the most logical.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) May 14, 2014 What most teams do Friday could be moved to Thursday (which already has a shorter practice) or Saturday, where it would be fresh.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) May 14, 2014 And maybe it won’t affect OSU as much as it would some other programs:
FWIW, OSU probably practices less/spends less time in its facility than any program in the Big 12. Wonder if we'll see that change to adapt.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) May 14, 2014 Still, this is a major penalty for a “Power 5” team, since the big schools typically can avoid APR sanctions. With the Cowboys breaking in a new quarterback, replacing seven starters on defense and opening with Florida State, they’ll need all the practice time they can get.
An MS Paint update of @TomahawkNation's Oklahoma State two-deep tracker after this news: http://t.co/ShtqAvmJd8 pic.twitter.com/ZcxxHsEx8w
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