ESPN Grade launched in August as a new way to think about college football polls -- uniting on-field outcome with educational results. Since the NCAA released the next set of graduation statistics, it's time for a midseason ESPN Grade update.
A top-25 football program's ESPN Grade is calculated by combining its ranking in The Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, then adding its position in a top 25 sorted by football graduation rates.
So if a university is fifth in one poll, sixth in the other and 10th in graduation rates, its ESPN Grade would be 5 + 6 + 10 = 21.
Only teams receiving a vote in either the AP or Coaches Poll are ranked in ESPN Grade -- it's an academics-adjusted ranking of the power teams, not of all teams in college football.
Statistics come from the Graduation Success Rate as calculated by the NCAA. (Look up any college's GSR.) Statistics employed are from October 2014, the most recent available.
Both the NCAA and the federal Department of Education calculate graduation rates by allowing six academic years, because many students don't complete college in the traditional four years. That means the most recent stats gauge freshmen who entered college as early as 2007.
This is the most generous metric of athletic graduation, granting credit for transfers both in or out. NFL early entrants have little impact on graduation rates -- the most recent year for which statistics have been released had 53 early entrants, about half of one percent of upperclassman scholarship players.
At the end of the season, ESPN Grade will produce a final ranking. Factoring in graduation rates could produce a different No. 1 than will be named by the new College Football Playoff.
Game day, commencement day: Both matter. ESPN Grade takes the next step, integrating win-loss performance with diploma performance.
Alabama
ESPN Grade: 15
AP Poll Rank: 4 | Coaches Poll Rank: 4 | Graduation Rank: 7
The Crimson Tide continue to show it's realistic to post good degree-completion rates even with some players leaving early for the NFL.
Notre Dame
ESPN Grade: 17
AP Poll Rank: 8 | Coaches Poll Rank: 8 | Graduation Rank: 1
In 2012, the Irish were first to rank No. 1 in football on the field and No. 1 in FBS school graduation rate at the same time.
TCU
ESPN Grade: 17
AP Poll Rank: 6 | Coaches Poll Rank: 7 | Graduation Rank: 4
TCU's 2011 Rose Bowl win joins Stanford's 2011 Orange Bowl and 2013 Rose Bowl wins as the biggest recent victories by programs with excellent grad rates.
Mississippi State
ESPN Grade: 20
AP Poll Rank: 1 | Coaches Poll Rank: 1 | Graduation Rank: 18
Football grad rate of 66 percent is unimpressive but exceeds the 57 percent grad rate for all students from the same frosh class.
Auburn
ESPN Grade: 23
AP Poll Rank: 3 | Coaches Poll Rank: 3 | Graduation Rank: 17
The Tigers have bounced back nicely from a 2006 scandal in which football players got A's for "classes" that required no work.
Oregon
ESPN Grade: 23
AP Poll Rank: 5 | Coaches Poll Rank: 5 | Graduation Rank: 13
The Ducks should offer athletes several different wild color combinations for commencement robes.
Florida State
ESPN Grade: 25
AP Poll Rank: 2 | Coaches Poll Rank: 2 | Graduation Rank: 21
Seminoles alumni and boosters should be embarrassed by the diploma numbers of this front-runner for a CFP berth.
Michigan State
ESPN Grade: 27
AP Poll Rank: 7 | Coaches Poll Rank: 6 | Graduation Rank: 14
University of Michigan is the state's prestige campus, but Michigan State football matches the Wolverines for graduation rate.
Baylor
ESPN Grade: 31
AP Poll Rank: 10 | Coaches Poll Rank: 10 | Graduation Rank: 11
Baylor is doing better than ever on athletic revenue but needs to improve classroom results.
Ohio State
ESPN Grade: 32
AP Poll Rank: 13 | Coaches Poll Rank: 11 | Graduation Rank: 8
The buzz is over the 31-3 record since Urban Meyer took the whistle, but the Buckeyes' positive grad rate means more in the long run.
Nebraska
ESPN Grade: 34
AP Poll Rank: 15 | Coaches Poll Rank: 14 | Graduation Rank: 5
The Cornhuskers' program is consistently respectable on commencement day.
Kansas State
ESPN Grade: 36
AP Poll Rank: 9 | Coaches Poll Rank: 9 | Graduation Rank: 18
Kansas State promises "a world-class student-athlete experience" but graduates only 66 percent of its football players.
Arizona State
ESPN Grade: 37
AP Poll Rank: 11 | Coaches Poll Rank: 12 | Graduation Rank: 14
Good news: Sun Devils football's highest graduation rate in years. Bad news: The number is 69 percent.
UCLA
ESPN Grade: 39
AP Poll Rank: 18 | Coaches Poll Rank: 18 | Graduation Rank: 3
UCLA's 88 percent on commencement day makes the dismal performance of crosstown rival USC, 58 percent, look even worse.
LSU
ESPN Grade: 41
AP Poll Rank: 14 | Coaches Poll Rank: 15 | Graduation Rank: 12
Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is among the nicest tutoring facilities in college sports.
Clemson
ESPN Grade: 43
AP Poll Rank: 19 | Coaches Poll Rank: 19 | Graduation Rank: 5
The whole school has a high graduation rate -- 83 percent, compared to 73 percent for the University of South Carolina. This carries over to football.
Georgia
ESPN Grade: 43
AP Poll Rank: 17 | Coaches Poll Rank: 17 | Graduation Rank: 9
A decade ago, the Bulldogs' football diploma rate was under 50 percent. Steady improvement since.
Duke
ESPN Grade: 44
AP Poll Rank: 22 | Coaches Poll Rank: 20 | Graduation Rank: 2
Duke is on a 17-5 streak at football -- that's not a misprint -- and ranks a strong No. 2 for football graduation rate.
Ole Miss
ESPN Grade: 50
AP Poll Rank: 12 | Coaches Poll Rank: 13 | Graduation Rank: 25
Ole Miss is the cellar-dweller among football powers in football graduation rate. Where's the plan to improve classroom results?
Oklahoma
ESPN Grade: 56
AP Poll Rank: 16 | Coaches Poll Rank: 16 | Graduation Rank: 24
No ifs, ands or buts: The Sooners' football classroom performance is embarrassing.
West Virginia
ESPN Grade: 59
AP Poll Rank: 24 | Coaches Poll Rank: 25 | Graduation Rank: 10
WVU always struggles in the U.S. News rankings; this year it is No. 168 among universities, but its football grad rate ranks well.
Utah
ESPN Grade: 60
AP Poll Rank: 20 | Coaches Poll Rank: 22 | Graduation Rank: 18
Utah has 25 staffers in football coaching, four in football academics, which might explain strong record, weak graduation rate.
Wisconsin
ESPN Grade: 63
AP Poll Rank: 25 | Coaches Poll Rank: 24 | Graduation Rank: 14
Four-year football graduation rate average of 67 percent is unimpressive for such a well-regarded university.
Arizona
ESPN Grade: 64
AP Poll Rank: 21 | Coaches Poll Rank: 21 | Graduation Rank: 22
University of Arizona, the state's prestige campus, trails Arizona State for football graduation rate.
Marshall
ESPN Grade: 68
AP Poll Rank: 23 | Coaches Poll Rank: 22 | Graduation Rank: 23
Because Marshall is mainly a commuter school, graduation rates are soft across the board regardless of athletics.