CBS Sports’ top 25 ‘best in college sports’ rankings for the 2021-22 athletic season
At the end of last month, the Texas Longhorns captured their second consecutive LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup. That was thanks to three spring national championships and four overall titles by the Longhorns during the 2021-22 athletic season.
It meant Texas finished with 1,449.50 points, which cleared second-place Stanford by nearly 1,000 points (1,352.25). Three Big Ten schools made the top 25 of the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, including Michigan at No. 3 (1,245.25), Ohio State at No. 4 (1,184.50) and Wisconsin at No. 24 (795.00).
In the 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, Iowa finished No. 55 nationally, which was second-to-last among Big Ten teams.
CBS Sports has a different set of rankings that grades the 2021-22 athletic season and it will make Hawkeyes fans much happier. CBS Sports’ “best in college sports” rankings utilizes a weighted formula that recognizes sports with broad interest.
Every FBS program is rated in three sports — football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball — along with two “wild cards” among the school’s most successful spectator sports: baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, hockey and wrestling.
The weighted formula puts 2.5 times as much emphasis on football and 2.0 times as much on men’s basketball compared to the rest of the sports. Teams that do not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but play in a bowl are awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). (Teams that either opted out of bowl games or saw postseason contests canceled received 62.5 points in football.) Those that make the men’s NIT are given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams receive 10 points. For all titles settled via bracket, such as the NCAA Tournament, point totals are based on number of participants. All champions in the other sports receive 100 points for a national championship in the formula created by long-time CBS Sports producer J. Darin Darst. – CBS Sports.
A weighted formula probably makes sense to evaluate college sports. At the very least, it gives fans a different set of rankings to use—or ignore—in any argument on which programs had the best athletic years in 2021-22.
Let’s take a look at how CBS Sports ranked the entire top 25 and how their points were allotted.
No. 25: Clemson Tigers
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 317.75
Football: 153.75
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 24: Auburn Tigers
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 320.50
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 80
Wild card No. 2: 78
No. 23: Oklahoma State Cowboys
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 323.80
Football: 180
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 80
Wild card No. 2: 78
No. 22: North Carolina State Wolfpack
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 325.50
Football: 135
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 73
Wild card No. 1: 67.5
Wild card No. 2: 50
No. 21: Wisconsin Badgers
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 326.50
Football: 62.50
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 20: UCLA Bruins
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 331.25
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 128
Women’s basketball: 10
Wild card No. 1: 66.75
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 19: Texas Longhorns
Total points: 336.00
Football: 0
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 73
Wild card No. 1: 90
Wild card No. 2: 73
Tied-17th: Iowa State Cyclones
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 336.50
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 128
Women’s basketball: 64
Wild card No. 1: 57
Wild card No. 2: 25
Tied-17th: BYU Cougars
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 336.50
Football: 137.5
Men’s basketball: 20
Women’s basketball: 25
Wild card No. 1: 90
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 16: Ole Miss Rebels
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 340.00
Football: 165
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 25
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 50
No. 15: Kentucky Wildcats
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 345.75
Football: 140
Men’s basketball: 50
Women’s basketball: 25
Wild card No. 1: 66.75
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 14: Utah Utes
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 346.25
Football: 161.25
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 85
Wild card No. 2: 50
No. 13: Tennessee Volunteers
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 354.50
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 64
Wild card No. 1: 64
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 12: Miami Hurricanes
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 356.00
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 156
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 50
Wild card No. 2: 37.5
No. 11: Michigan State Spartans
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 371.25
Football: 172.5
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 66.75
Wild card No. 2: 32
No. 10: Iowa Hawkeyes
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 373.25
Football: 127.5
Men’s basketball: 50
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 85
Wild card No. 2: 60.75
No. 9: Georgia Bulldogs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 395.50
Football: 250
Men’s basketball: 0
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 50
Wild card No. 2: 45.5
No. 8: Alabama Crimson Tide
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 396.25
Football: 225
Men’s basketball: 50
Women’s basketball: 0
Wild card No. 1: 71.25
Wild card No. 2: 50
No. 7: Baylor Bears
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 401.50
Football: 187.5
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 64
Wild card No. 2: 0
No. 6: Oklahoma Sooners
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 438.75
Football: 168.75
Men’s basketball: 20
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 100
No. 5: Arkansas Razorbacks
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 459.50
Football: 132.5
Men’s basketball: 146
Women’s basketball: 25
Wild card No. 1: 83
Wild card No. 2: 73
No. 4: North Carolina Tar Heels
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 470.50
Football: 62.5
Men’s basketball: 180
Women’s basketball: 64
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 64
No. 3: Ohio State Buckeyes
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 506.75
Football: 183.75
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 50
Wild card No. 1: 100
Wild card No. 2: 73
No. 2: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Total points: 512.50
Football: 187.5
Men’s basketball: 100
Women’s basketball: 64
Wild card No. 1: 83
Wild card No. 2: 78
No. 1: Michigan Wolverines
AP Photo/AJ Mast, File
Total points: 588.50
Football: 212
Men’s basketball: 128
Women’s basketball: 73
Wild card No. 1: 90
Wild card No. 2: 85
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