Hard work on the football field and in the classroom has allowed ASU to claim a top 10 spot in one poll, after being snubbed out in others.
The Bowl Championship Series Academic standings ranks the top 25 BCS football teams in accordance to their scholastic and athletic proficiencies. ASU placed 10th in the poll released last week.
The poll was put together by the New American Foundation in accordance with ESPN and was based on the football team's performance and academic progress rate. The poll also put emphasis on a school-by-school graduation rate comparison of African American and Caucasian athletes.
Boston College ranked first, with University of Cincinnati second and Auburn University third.
Although 14 other colleges recorded higher graduation rates, it was ASU's ability to produce an even number of White and Black athlete graduates that set them apart from the competition, said Lindsey Luebchow, NAF policy analyst and poll creator.
"The reason why (ASU) does so well in this poll is the fact that Black and White players are graduating at the same rate," Luebchow said. "At most schools, White players are graduating at a much higher rate than the Black ones."
The general student population at ASU has a 54.9 percent graduation rate and a 14 percent gap from White to Black students, while the football team has a 50 percent graduation rate with no racial discrepancy, according to the poll.
But in either case, football players often put the game first and the books second, leading to a lower graduation rate for most university athletes, Luebchow said.
"The likelihood of making it in the NFL is very low, so for anyone, a college degree is necessary to live a comfortable life," she said. "Players that leave without a degree don't have much of a chance in this day and age."
The largest problem plaguing the inconsistent graduation rates among athletes, lies within a school's tendency to treat them as valuable commodities first, and students second, she added.
"It's not a professional enterprise and it's not a commercial enterprise like schools are treating it," Luebchow said. "It's about what happens when (athletes) leave their school."
For sophomore linebacker Mike Nixon, school and football go hand in hand.
"I don't go to school to play football or play football to go school," said 24-year-old Nixon. "I balance things out and keep going."
Nixon was drafted after high school to play minor league baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but abandoned his hopes for the big leagues to pursue a degree in political science and graduate from law school.
"If I have a future in football, that's great, but I want something to fall back on," Nixon said.
Jean Boyd, ASU's associate athletic director, is in charge of making sure the players maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average so they acquire a degree to fall back on.
"It's critical that these young guys use their college for the experience of networking and learning how to search for a career," Boyd said. "We look to help them maximize this experience."
Six years ago, Boyd helped design a program that awards "scholar ballers" — a term placed on athletes that reach a 3.0 GPA or significant scholastic improvements.
This year, 30 players were awarded the "think man" patch for upholding a 3.0 GPA, he said.
Graduate student and starting center Mike Pollak said he credits Boyd for pushing the players to pursue an academic career.
"We've got one of the greatest academic advisors in the nation," Pollak said. "Even the coaches are there, making sure the guys are in class and doing what they're supposed to do."
After graduating with a communication degree last spring, Pollak said he's eager to make it through graduate school and defy social norms.
"A lot of people have stereotypes of this dumb jock, but a lot of us are out here getting our degree in four years," he said. "That shows that we care about finishing our college career."
Reach the reporter at: daniel.oconnor@asu.edu.
