IMO sports are no different than acting, accounting, or plumbing. They are jobs that you need training for, so going to college to play football is just like going to school to become a lawyer in my mind. Both require commitment to learning that vocation.

Playing football is a job just like anything else.

I also wonder about graduation rates in respect to kids leaving early because they are good enough to be drafted, or transferring to other schools. Both used to count against grad rates.

I think we all can see why they changed their reporting procedure.

Underlion, Thanks for the post, you have provided very interesting information.  Sometimes the truth is inconvenient and has to be ignored.  However, sometimes a simple metric isn't sufficient to accurately capture reality due to a variety of variables which influence the data.   In such cases, the data have to be conditioned through a detailed analysis of the variables to preclude false conclusions.  But in this case, the truth is probably inconvenient.  

If the NCAA did have graduation rate information, they could use the information to "encourage" schools to meet goals.  There are probably some smart people at the NCAA who could figure out how to incentivize an increase in graduation rates properly.  But then the schools would "game" the process and the graduates would still not have received an appropriate level of academic accomplishment.  Human nature cannot be denied - cheaters will always cheat and Michigan will always "Michigan".  M-GO BLOW ME!