Mercury News editorial: SJSU athletes are stars in the classroom, too

San Jose State's football program deserves rousing cheers for the manner in which it qualified for a bowl bid Sunday.

The Spartans earned their spot in the Cure Bowl (all proceeds go to curing breast cancer) in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 19 in the most gratifying way possible: on the field and in the classroom.Football officials realized about a week ago that only 77 teams had at least six victories and a .500 record, the minimum to be eligible for one of its 40 bowl games. So the NCAA approved a plan to fill the remaining three open spots with five-win teams -- based on their Academic Progress Ratings.