Robert Peele: Reward academic achievement on the field
The NCAA gets a lot of flak and probably most is deserved. The sanctioning body for college sports could do a better job of policing big-time sports programs. It’s a monumental task, but it has to do it.
Be that as it may, we have to give the NCAA props for the rule that allows a team with “only” five wins to get a bowl invite.
Duke had a chance for a bowl if the Blue Devils could have beaten Miami in the season finale. Sadly, the Devils lost that game.
Duke under coach David Cutcliffe deserves credit for doing things the right way. Because of the high academic success of the student-athletes on the football team, the Devils could have gotten a bowl bid despite a less-than-stellar season on the field.
There ought to be a formula applied to all the teams, so that the teams performing best in both the classroom and on the field were the only ones eligible to contend for season’s honors. That’s how things should be. Maybe someday.
Robert Peele
Rocky Mount
This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Robert Peele: Reward academic achievement on the field."