A revision in the NCAA’s new formula for calculating academic progress put Tennessee’s football team in greater jeopardy of losing a scholarship.

The NCAA released revised scores Monday in its new Academic Progress Rate. Bucking the national trend, all but one of the University of Tennessee’s teams saw its score fall rather than rise.

Every women’s sport at UT remained safely above the 925 APR, the cut-off for potential penalties beginning in 2006.

As for the men’s revised scores, swimming and cross-country joined football, basketball, baseball and tennis below the 925 cut-off. Indoor and outdoor track and golf are the only men’s sports above 925.

Football’s APR fell from the initial 920 submitted in February to 902. The upshot is that the Vols drop below the buffer zone that might have prevented a penalty, such as loss of scholarships.

"It appears they have fallen out of the confidence interval,’’ Associate Provost Ruth Darling said Tuesday.

At 920, football was still in the confidence interval, a near-miss status that indicated the likelihood of moving above the 925 penalty line. At 902, the Vols lost that designation, according to the NCAA’s revised chart.

"What the range is we don’t know,’’ Darling said.

Tennessee and Mississippi State were the only major football programs falling out of the confidence interval.

Although below a 925 APR, UT’s tennis, swimming and cross-country teams are designated within the confidence interval.

The revisions in the APR between February and April were due to several factors, Darling said.

One was athletes changing scholarship status from one semester to another in the so-called equivalency sports. In sports other than football and basketball, athletes frequently receive partial scholarships, which may change from semester to semester.

The revision that affected UT’s football and basketball, however, was a new interpretation of eligibility standards in 2003-04.

Initially, UT counted eligibility as passing any six hours a semester. On further review, Darling said, eligibility was re-calculated requiring those six hours to apply towards a specific degree.

"That’s the hard part to swallow,’’ Darling said, "because we were in compliance. We were following the guidelines in effect at that time.

"If (UT had been aware of the interpretation), we would have had different strategies.’’

The NCAA will assess penalties after the APR rates for 2004-05 are announced in December.

Teams with an APR below 925 could lose scholarships for athletes who leave the program — regardless of the reason — while not in good academic standing.

Every men’s sport at UT declined under the revision.

Nationally, 84 percent of teams stayed the same, while 11 percent increased their APR. UT’s teams were among the four percent who declined.

The only UT sport that improved was women’s rowing.

Darling said UT is considering appeals on several cases, but doesn’t yet have clear guidelines on what might constitute a waiver.

Last month, athletic director Mike Hamilton said it appears men’s basketball will be penalized a scholarship, if the Vols lose a player who is not academically eligible.

The penalty would apply to the 2005-06 signing class.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276.