College football's winners and losers

LAST YEAR in my Graduation Gap Bowl, only 19 of 56 teams scored either a "touchdown" or a "first down." This year, in my 11th annual bowl, the number has zoomed to 37 of the 64 teams. By chance, the two smartest bowl teams will beat each other's brains out when Boston College (96 percent) plays Navy (98 percent).

While the number of teams that I would disqualify has dropped, none of the top five games of the Bowl Championship Series could be played. Despite the presence of Notre Dame (95 percent graduation rate) and Wake Forest (93 percent), at least one team in each game would be banned for low rates and racial gaps.

The worst offender is top-ranked Ohio State. It graduated only 32 percent of its black football players. Its racial gap is the worst of all 64 bowl teams: an astounding 53 percentage points behind the 85 percent for white players.

The NCAA graduation report covers athletes who enter school in the academic years 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, and 1999-2000, with six years to graduate.

Here are the calls by the head referee: