Dec. 6, 2010
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By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The No. 25 UCF football team under head coach George O'Leary has continuously excelled in the classroom as well as on the gridiron where the team won its second Conference USA championship in four years on Saturday.
UCF's APR (Academic Progress Rate) of 972 ranks amongst the top teams in the nation overall and is 12th-best amongst 70 schools heading to bowl games this year. UCF has the highest APR of any of the five public Florida universities competing in bowl games and also the highest of Conference USA's six bowl game participants.
In its annual compilation of academic rankings, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), a nationally-renowned arm of UCF's DeVos Sports Business Management Program led by Richard Lapchick, found that the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be one of just three bowl games in which both schools have an APR of at least 970. UCF's opponent in Memphis, Georgia, boasts a 973 APR. The other games matching teams with a score of at least 970 are the Hyundai Sun Bowl between Miami (978) and Notre Dame (978) and the Outback Bowl between Penn State (974) and Florida (971).
UCF found itself in a similar elite academic group last fall when its St. Petersburg Bowl game against Rutgers was one of three nationally to feature two teams with at least a 960 APR while the game's 970 APR average was the best in the nation.
With their second Conference USA championship in four years in hand, the No. 25 UCF Knights football team will represent the league in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Georgia on Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn. The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET and be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
You can help UCF when you purchase bowl game tickets through the UCF Athletics Ticket Office. In every bowl game, each participating school is required to sell a specified number of tickets. By purchasing from the school, you will sit amongst the UCF Knights faithful, creating a stunning display of support for your team and your University. By helping UCF sell its ticket allotment, it will also help the school develop a reputation as a school that "travels well." This reputation can benefit the Knights, as it will make UCF an attractive team for future bowl bids. While you may be able to buy bowl game tickets through the bowl game website, we strongly encourage you to make your purchase directly through the UCF Athletics Ticket Office.
The UCF Athletics ticket office will maintain extended ticket office hours all of this week running from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Business hours starting on Dec. 13 will be 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For a ticket purchasing link, head to UCFBowl.com or call (407) 823-1000 for more information.