I've undoubtedly said this before, but it pisses me off that "student athletes" are ranked by their football eligibility rather than their academic standing by by sports wags; be they print, broadcast, podcast, blog or internet poster wags.
A first year student is a freshman. A second year student a sophomore (wise-ass, if you will), a third year student a junior and a fourth year student a senior.
A graduate student is exactly that, be they first, second or tenth year.
As I recall, just before I entered college freshman were not eligible to compete in varsity sports. The concept of "redshirt" and "five for four" (or whatever the hell it's called) did not exist.
My point? To progress academically from freshman to sophomore, etc. one was expected to take and required to pass a specified number of credit hours. Part-time students were a different matter. The crux is this: when it comes to NCAA athletic eligibility the emphasis is on athlete rather than student.
Go figure. Follow the money ...
