Photo Release -- STACK Magazine Releases First Annual College Rankings of NCAA Football, Basketball and Other Division I Sports Programs

University of North Carolina, Stanford University and University of Texas Top 'Elite 50' College Rankings for Academics, Athletic Opportunity and Overall Performance


NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Though 95 percent of college athletes will never make it to the professional level, every aspiring sports star wants to give it their best shot. For those who make it, and particularly for those who don't, STACK has compiled a list that combines the best in athletics with the best in academia. University of North Carolina, Stanford University, and University of Texas top the list of STACK magazine's first annual college rankings of the nation's premier academic and NCAA football, basketball and other Division I sports programs. The "Elite 50" rankings, announced today at http://elite50.stack.com/, will be available in 5,500 high schools nationwide beginning Monday, December 3rd, in STACK's November/December 2007 issue.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4486

The 2008 edition of the "Elite 50" marks the first time any media outlet has released a stand-alone ranking of the country's leading college sports programs based on academics, athletic opportunity and overall performance. The "Elite 50" rankings also include sport-specific rankings for 14 individual NCAA sports including football, basketball and soccer as well as video tours of some of the "Elite 50" colleges through a branded STACK TV channel on www.stack.com.

"The 'Elite 50' is an exclusive guide for high school athletes, coaches, administrators and parents," said STACK Co-Founder Nick Palazzo. "As high school sports participation and the competition for college scholarships increase, athletes and their support groups need, more than ever, comprehensive rankings to help them make what is arguably the most important decision of their life. Now, athletes have an unbiased resource to help them find the best combination of academics and athletics."

"Not to mention, I am sure this list will stir up some controversy among NCAA Division I sports fans. As a former Harvard University football player, I am very surprised and somewhat upset to see Cornell University ranked well above Harvard in the 'Elite 50,' but the numbers don't lie and the rankings methodology is sound," continued Palazzo.

The "Elite 50" methodology combines important academic and athletic data with STACK's internal research. The schools are ranked using key measures of academic and athletic performance; overall academic rankings via U.S. News & World Report, athlete graduation rates, athlete indexes, national sport-specific rankings, championship history, professional successes, atmosphere, coaching staff tenure and more. This methodology enables athletes and parents to make an informed choice on an unbiased side-by-side comparison of sports programs. For more information on the "Elite 50" methodology, visit http://elite50.stack.com/.

About STACK

STACK is a multimedia high school sports brand that educates, inspires and entertains athletes. Through its formal partnerships with more than 7,000 high schools, STACK connects with millions of high school athletes each month. The STACK franchise includes STACK.com, STACKTV, MySTACK, STACK Magazine (500,000 circ.) and STACK Events. Since February 2005, STACK has pioneered in delivering safe and effective sports performance information and lifestyle content to this hard-to-reach market segment. STACK was founded by two former collegiate athletes, Chad Zimmerman and Nick Palazzo, to fight the burgeoning steroid epidemic among high school athletes and now is quickly expanding to help all athletes improve their performance safely and effectively. For more information, visit www.stack.com.

The complete list, published in the November/December issue of STACK and available online at http://elite50.stack.com/, includes:



   1.) University of North Carolina    
   2.) Stanford University    
   3.) University of Texas    
   4.) University of California, Los Angeles    
   5.) Duke University    
   6.) University of Florida    
   7.) University of Michigan    
   8.) University of Southern California    
   9.) Ohio State University    
  10.) University of Wisconsin    
  11.) University of Virginia    
  12.) Notre Dame    
  13.) University of Georgia    
  14.) University of California at Berkeley    
  15.) University of Tennessee    
  16.) Louisiana State University    
  17.) Auburn University    
  18.) University of Illinois    
  19.) Penn State University    
  20.) Florida State University    
  21.) Rice University    
  22.) University of Washington    
  23.) Arizona State University    
  24.) University of Maryland    
  25.) Georgetown University    
  26.) Northwestern University    
  27.) Texas A&M    
  28.) University of Minnesota    
  29.) Oregon State University    
  30.) Clemson University    
  31.) Boston College    
  32.) Georgia Tech    
  33.) Vanderbilt University    
  34.) University of Connecticut    
  35.) Wake Forest University    
  36.) Rutgers University    
  37.) University of Kansas    
  38.) Cornell University    
  39.) University of Nebraska    
  40.) University of Louisville    
  41.) Brigham Young University    
  42.) Southern Methodist University    
  43.) University of Arizona    
  44.) California State University at Fullerton    
  45.) University of Portland    
  46.) Michigan State University    
  47.) University of Colorado    
  48.) Indiana University   
  49.) Baylor University    
  50.) Purdue University 

The STACK logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4485

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.



            
STACK's Elite 50

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