PROVO, Utah – BYU athletics finished the 2015-16 season ranked No. 30 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I final standings, the programs’ highest ranking since 2006-07.
The Cougars’ No. 30 ranking is the highest among non-power five programs and 18 spots higher than its 48th-place ranking in 2014-15. BYU finished 68 spots ahead of the next best program in the West Coast Conference (Gonzaga, 98th) and had the highest ranking among all NCAA Division I programs in the state of Utah, ahead of Utah (51), Weber State (T-132), Southern Utah (141), Utah Valley (147) and Utah State (195).
Stanford won the 2015-16 Director’s Cup and Ohio State, Michigan, USC and Florida rounded out the top five.
In 23 years of the Directors’ Cup, BYU has an average ranking of 31 and 12 top 30 rankings, including 2015-16. The Cougars’ highest finish was 12th in 1998-99.
The Directors’ Cup honors institutions maintaining a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's. Began in 1993-94 for Division I by NACDA and USA Today, it was expanded in 1995-96 to include Division II, III and the NAIA and, in 2011-12, expanded to the Junior/Community Colleges.
In NCAA Division I, points are awarded in 10 women's and 10 men's sports for each program based on NCAA finishes. The overall champion is the institution that records the highest number of points in their division's Directors' Cup standings.
BYU teams earned points towards the 2015-16 Directors’ Cup in women’s cross country (51 points), men’s cross country (64.5), football (25), women’s soccer (50), women’s volleyball (64), women’s basketball (25), women’s gymnastics (39), women’s swimming (53), women’s indoor track and field (31), men’s indoor track and field (55), women’s golf (50), softball (25), women’s outdoor track and field (30.5), men’s track and field (33) and men’s volleyball (90).
Click here for BYU’s annual finishes in the Directors’ Cup.
Visit NACDA.com for information on the 2015-16 Director’s Cup.
| 1 | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 2 | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 3 | Michigan | Big Ten |
| 4 | USC | Pac 12 |
| 5 | Florida | SEC |
| 6 | UCLA | Pac 12 |
| 7 | North Carolina | ACC |
| 8 | Virginia | ACC |
| 9 | Texas | Big 12 |
| 10 | Oregon | Pac 12 |
| 11 | California | Pac 12 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | SEC |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| 14 | Washington | Pac 12 |
| 15 | Georgia | SEC |
| 16 | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | ACC |
| 18 | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| 19 | LSU | SEC |
| 20 | Penn State | Big Ten |
| 21 | Syracuse | ACC |
| 22 | Florida State | ACC |
| 23 | Arkansas | SEC |
| 24 | Duke | ACC |
| 25 | Arizona | Pac 12 |
| 26 | Kentucky | SEC |
| 27 | Nebraska | Big Ten |
| 27 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 29 | Louisville | ACC |
| 30 | BYU | WCC |
| 31 | South Carolina | SEC |
| 32 | North Carolina State | ACC |
| 33 | Princeton | Ivy League |
| 34 | Tennessee | SEC |
| 35 | Auburn | SEC |
| 36 | Alabama | SEC |
| 37 | Arizona State | Pac 12 |
| 38 | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| 39 | TCU | Big 12 |
| 40 | Miami (FL) | ACC |
| 41 | Indiana | Big Ten |
| 42 | Clemson | ACC |
| 43 | Missouri | SEC |
| 44 | Mississippi State | SEC |
| 45 | Purdue | Big Ten |
| 46 | Colorado | Pac 12 |
| 47 | Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| 48 | Boston College | ACC |
| 49 | Ole Miss | SEC |
| 50 | Northwestern | Big Ten |