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).
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.