SEC Southeastern Conference

Missouri, South Carolina and Alabama combined to win 34 football games last season, and they produced the three highest Academic Progress Report (APR) multiyear scores in the Southeastern Conference.

The NCAA released its annual academic barometer Wednesday afternoon, and all 14 SEC football programs were above the 930 cutoff score needed to avoid penalties. Missouri and South Carolina led the SEC with a four-year score of 980 out of 1,000, while Alabama was third with a 975.

"Our continued success in terms of our APR scores, coupled with the tremendous success we've enjoyed athletically over the four years that this report encompasses, shows that we are excelling at the highest level in all areas of our mission," Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said in a release.

Vanderbilt and Mississippi State tied for the SEC's fourth-highest multiyear football score with a 974, and they were followed by Texas A&M (971), Florida (969), Georgia (967), Auburn (965), LSU (946), Ole Miss (946), Kentucky (937), Arkansas (935) and Tennessee (932). The Volunteers had a 924 multiyear score last year but avoided penalties with a 962 for the 2012-13 year.

The SEC's average multiyear football score of 961 was up from a 957 last year and ranked third among the big five conferences behind the Big Ten (970) and the ACC (967).

Florida, which has advanced to at least the Elite Eight of the last four NCAA tournaments, scored a 1,000 in men's basketball. Texas A&M, however, scored a 912 and could be subject to practice restrictions.

Texas A&M was the only men's basketball program from a big five conference that did not reach 930. The SEC had all of its women's basketball programs above the cutoff.

This marks the ninth year in which the NCAA has used the APR as a measure of the retention and graduation of Division I student-athletes.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.