I ask the question, because any comparison of college graduation rates assumes that all schools approach athlete's achievements in the same way. As someone noted on an earlier thread, higher standards for graduation could simply result in more, ahem, streamlined paths for athletes to graduate ... just like what happens when players graduate high school without really being prepared for college.

And I'm not just talking about "other" schools. At Duke, there's always been a certain pressure for athletes to graduate, regardless of NCAA rules. I recently talked to a Duke athlete from the late 80s/early 90s and found it a jarring experience. He made it clear that many athletes could pretty much choose whether or not to go to class. Along with that, there was some pretty rampant cheating and there were professors who would arbitrarily give passing grades to those who needed them.

I guess I always assumed that the top-tier athletes had help and got some breaks, but it was pretty jarring to hear that - at least in the case of *some* football and basketball players - their transcripts were a sham. Since that discussion, I've found it hard to take much pride in Duke's graduation rate - though, to be fair, my "informant" noted that he was pretty sure the current guys can't get away with all of the same stuff that was happening back then.