Slideshow: Ranking all 65 Power Five schools in overall athletic success
Pat Forde
College football and basketball columnist
Yahoo SportsJul 6, 2017, 3:14 PM
Ranking the Power Five athletic departments in terms of overall success:
The following ranking of the 65 athletic departments in the five major conferences – Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern – is an average of their annual standing in the Learfield Directors Cup over the past five school years (2012-13 through 2016-17). The Learfield standings are used by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as the official measuring stick for how universities perform overall athletically in a given year.
65. Washington State
Trajectory: Up. The Cougars almost cracked the top 100 for the first time in the five-year period, cresting at No. 101. Five years ago they were No. 192, which is unfathomable.
64. Rutgers
Trajectory: Down. The worst Power Five athletic department in 2016-17? Take a bow, Scarlet Knights, after checking in at No. 116. That’s 10 spots behind Sam Houston State.
63. Pittsburgh
Trajectory: Up. Kind of. When a big improvement entails going from 110th to 92nd, your broad-based athletic program is terrible. No wonder Pitt’s ACC inclusion was so poorly received by athletic directors.
62. Georgia Tech
Trajectory: Down. Bottomed out this year at 102, down 22 spots from 2015-16 and four spots behind Furman. Yikes.
61. Kansas State
Trajectory: Up. K-State was really bad from 2012-15, with an average ranking of 88th. Last two years it’s 68th. Still bad, but better.
60. Wake Forest
Trajectory: Up. The smallest school in the Power Five has correspondingly modest achievements, but the Demon Deacons moved up 13 spots to 58th this year.
59. Oregon State
Trajectory: Steady. As in steadily non-competitive.
58. Boston College
Trajectory: Down. Slid from 48th last year to 72nd this year, which is the customary neighborhood. Athletic department that was a plucky overachiever a decade ago is down on its luck and out of its league in the ACC.
57. Utah
Trajectory: Up. Utes were in the 70s in 2012-13 and ’13-14, have been in the 50s since. Still fighting uphill in the Pac-12.
56. Kansas
Trajectory: Steady. No, they don’t care about anything but basketball. And it shows.
55. West Virginia
Trajectory: Up. Previously underwhelming Mountaineers cracked the top 60 for the first time in the five-year period, moving all the way up to 45th.
54. Iowa
Trajectory: Up. The Hawkeyes improved from 60th to 51st, but still lag behind everyone in the Big Ten not named Rutgers.
53. Miami
Trajectory: Steady. The Hurricanes should be much, much better than they are, given their location.
52. Mississippi
Trajectory: Up. After years of low performance, the Rebels moved into the top 50 last year and the top 40 this year.
51. Vanderbilt
Trajectory: Down. Commodores are sliding, from 45th to 51st to 58th to 64th. Good thing the academic ranking remains strong.
50. TCU
Trajectory: Down. Horned Frogs jumped into the top 40 the two previous years, but backslid to 60th in 2016-17.
49. Clemson
Trajectory: Steady. Winning a national title in football only gets you so far, especially when your school scores a big fat zero in winter sports. Finished 17 spots behind Denver University, which doesn’t even play football, this year.
48. Texas Tech
Trajectory: Down. Red Raiders dropped 18 spots to 65th this year, performing well in the spring sports after a lousy year in both fall and winter.
47. Purdue
Trajectory: Steady. Boilermakers were a bust in 2014-15 (60th), but have been in the 40s every other season in the last five.
46. Iowa State
Trajectory: Down. After three years in the top 45, Cyclones have been 64th and 59th the last two.
45. Mississippi State
Trajectory: Steady. Bulldogs have been between 44 and 52 each of the past five seasons. Got a big 2016-17 boost from national runner-up women’s basketball team.
44. Northwestern
Trajectory: Up. Wildcats broke into the top 40 for the first time in the five-year period, aided in part by a first-ever contribution from men’s basketball.
43. Maryland
Trajectory: Down. Terrapins average finish from 2012-15 was 36th; last two years it’s 55th. But the Big Ten revenue checks are big.
42. Colorado
Trajectory: Up. Buffaloes are in the top 35 for the first time in the five-year period, thanks to distance runners and skiers – and a rare boost from football.
41. Indiana
Trajectory: Down. Hoosiers haven’t cracked the top 40 since 2013-14, although they’re better off than the bottom-out of 2014-15 (61st).
40. Missouri
Trajectory: Up. Despite ongoing travails in football and men’s basketball, Tigers had their highest finish ever (33rd). Non-revenue sports have never been better as a whole.
39. Syracuse
Trajectory: Down. Orange actually returned to their approximate mean (44th) after a one-year surge to 21st. Doesn’t help when you go from Final Four to NIT in men’s hoops.
38. Illinois
Trajectory: Up. Slid to 54th last year, bounced back to 38th this year – without a lick of help from the revenue sports. Still: the five-year average is the same as Princeton’s. While that’s a compliment to the powerhouse of the Ivy League, it doesn’t speak well of the Illini.
37. Michigan State
Trajectory: Down. Spartans were in the top 35 from 2012-14, outside the top 50 past two years. That’s a major downturn.
36. Tennessee
Trajectory: Down. Volunteers were 46th this year, way too low for a program this invested in sports. Years of athletic department tumult may have come home to roost. BYU’s five-year average is better.
35. Virginia Tech
Trajectory: Steady. Between 35-40 every season, which is about mid-pack in the deep ACC.
Pat Forde
College football and basketball columnist
Yahoo SportsJul 6, 2017, 3:14 PM
Ranking the Power Five athletic departments in terms of overall success:
The following ranking of the 65 athletic departments in the five major conferences – Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern – is an average of their annual standing in the Learfield Directors Cup over the past five school years (2012-13 through 2016-17). The Learfield standings are used by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as the official measuring stick for how universities perform overall athletically in a given year.
65. Washington State
Trajectory: Up. The Cougars almost cracked the top 100 for the first time in the five-year period, cresting at No. 101. Five years ago they were No. 192, which is unfathomable.
64. Rutgers
Trajectory: Down. The worst Power Five athletic department in 2016-17? Take a bow, Scarlet Knights, after checking in at No. 116. That’s 10 spots behind Sam Houston State.
63. Pittsburgh
Trajectory: Up. Kind of. When a big improvement entails going from 110th to 92nd, your broad-based athletic program is terrible. No wonder Pitt’s ACC inclusion was so poorly received by athletic directors.
62. Georgia Tech
Trajectory: Down. Bottomed out this year at 102, down 22 spots from 2015-16 and four spots behind Furman. Yikes.
61. Kansas State
Trajectory: Up. K-State was really bad from 2012-15, with an average ranking of 88th. Last two years it’s 68th. Still bad, but better.
60. Wake Forest
Trajectory: Up. The smallest school in the Power Five has correspondingly modest achievements, but the Demon Deacons moved up 13 spots to 58th this year.
59. Oregon State
Trajectory: Steady. As in steadily non-competitive.
58. Boston College
Trajectory: Down. Slid from 48th last year to 72nd this year, which is the customary neighborhood. Athletic department that was a plucky overachiever a decade ago is down on its luck and out of its league in the ACC.
57. Utah
Trajectory: Up. Utes were in the 70s in 2012-13 and ’13-14, have been in the 50s since. Still fighting uphill in the Pac-12.
56. Kansas
Trajectory: Steady. No, they don’t care about anything but basketball. And it shows.
55. West Virginia
Trajectory: Up. Previously underwhelming Mountaineers cracked the top 60 for the first time in the five-year period, moving all the way up to 45th.
54. Iowa
Trajectory: Up. The Hawkeyes improved from 60th to 51st, but still lag behind everyone in the Big Ten not named Rutgers.
53. Miami
Trajectory: Steady. The Hurricanes should be much, much better than they are, given their location.
52. Mississippi
Trajectory: Up. After years of low performance, the Rebels moved into the top 50 last year and the top 40 this year.
51. Vanderbilt
Trajectory: Down. Commodores are sliding, from 45th to 51st to 58th to 64th. Good thing the academic ranking remains strong.
50. TCU
Trajectory: Down. Horned Frogs jumped into the top 40 the two previous years, but backslid to 60th in 2016-17.
49. Clemson
Trajectory: Steady. Winning a national title in football only gets you so far, especially when your school scores a big fat zero in winter sports. Finished 17 spots behind Denver University, which doesn’t even play football, this year.
48. Texas Tech
Trajectory: Down. Red Raiders dropped 18 spots to 65th this year, performing well in the spring sports after a lousy year in both fall and winter.
47. Purdue
Trajectory: Steady. Boilermakers were a bust in 2014-15 (60th), but have been in the 40s every other season in the last five.
46. Iowa State
Trajectory: Down. After three years in the top 45, Cyclones have been 64th and 59th the last two.
45. Mississippi State
Trajectory: Steady. Bulldogs have been between 44 and 52 each of the past five seasons. Got a big 2016-17 boost from national runner-up women’s basketball team.
44. Northwestern
Trajectory: Up. Wildcats broke into the top 40 for the first time in the five-year period, aided in part by a first-ever contribution from men’s basketball.
43. Maryland
Trajectory: Down. Terrapins average finish from 2012-15 was 36th; last two years it’s 55th. But the Big Ten revenue checks are big.
42. Colorado
Trajectory: Up. Buffaloes are in the top 35 for the first time in the five-year period, thanks to distance runners and skiers – and a rare boost from football.
41. Indiana
Trajectory: Down. Hoosiers haven’t cracked the top 40 since 2013-14, although they’re better off than the bottom-out of 2014-15 (61st).
40. Missouri
Trajectory: Up. Despite ongoing travails in football and men’s basketball, Tigers had their highest finish ever (33rd). Non-revenue sports have never been better as a whole.
39. Syracuse
Trajectory: Down. Orange actually returned to their approximate mean (44th) after a one-year surge to 21st. Doesn’t help when you go from Final Four to NIT in men’s hoops.
38. Illinois
Trajectory: Up. Slid to 54th last year, bounced back to 38th this year – without a lick of help from the revenue sports. Still: the five-year average is the same as Princeton’s. While that’s a compliment to the powerhouse of the Ivy League, it doesn’t speak well of the Illini.
37. Michigan State
Trajectory: Down. Spartans were in the top 35 from 2012-14, outside the top 50 past two years. That’s a major downturn.
36. Tennessee
Trajectory: Down. Volunteers were 46th this year, way too low for a program this invested in sports. Years of athletic department tumult may have come home to roost. BYU’s five-year average is better.
35. Virginia Tech
Trajectory: Steady. Between 35-40 every season, which is about mid-pack in the deep ACC.