It’s one thing to be good at the revenue sports like football and basketball but to truly be a college athletic department power, a school should have success in more than just a couple of sports. Ohio State is one of the largest athletic departments in the country and is routinely among the leaders when it comes to athletic budget, following, and performance. Because of that, we like to check in from time to time on the Learfield Directors’ Cup to see how Buckeye athletics is doing in comparison to the rest of the country.
Long story short, it was a fantastic year for Ohio State across many sports, so much so that it finished among the country’s best in total points. Not all sports are considered, and some are weighted more than others, but still, it was a fun year to cheer on the scarlet and gray in many of its athletic endeavors.
But how did OSU stack up compared to the rest of the Big Ten? Did it perform the best? Where is Michigan? How about Penn State? What other Big Ten athletic departments had a year to remember? On the flip side, which program needs to pull up its big boy pants and be more competitive?
Here’s a look at a ranking of all of the Big Ten athletic programs based on their finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings from worst (No. 14) to best.
14
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 130
Spring Total | 45.00
Winter Total | 39.50
Fall Total | 50.00
TOTAL POINTS | 134.50
13
Purdue Boilermakers
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 72
Spring Total | 45.50
Winter Total | 163.50
Fall Total | 75.00
TOTAL POINTS | 284.00
12
Illinois Fighting Illini
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 54
Spring Total | 139.85
Winter Total | 278.50
Fall Total | 131.00
TOTAL POINTS | 443.35
11
Michigan State Spartans
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 53
Spring Total | 113.00
Winter Total | 203.75
Fall Total | 131.00
TOTAL POINTS | 447.75
10
Iowa Hawkeyes
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 48
Spring Total | 84.00
Winter Total | 288.00
Fall Total | 115.00
TOTAL POINTS | 487.00
9
Maryland Terrapins
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 44
Spring Total | 177.50
Winter Total | 206.00
Fall Total | 178.00
TOTAL POINTS | 561.50
8
Indiana Hoosiers
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 40
Spring Total | 174.00
Winter Total | 317.50
Fall Total | 90.00
TOTAL POINTS | 581.50
7
Minnesota Golden Gophers
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 31
Spring Total | 91.50
Winter Total | 452.00
Fall Total | 135.00
TOTAL POINTS | 678.50
6
Northwestern Wildcats
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 30
Spring Total | 308.00
Winter Total | 198.50
Fall Total | 198.00
TOTAL POINTS | 704.50
5
Nebraska Cornhuskers
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 29
Spring Total | 199.50
Winter Total | 470.75
Fall Total | 64.00
TOTAL POINTS | 754.25
4
Wisconsin Badgers
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 27
Spring Total | 129.50
Winter Total | 378.25
Fall Total | 246.50
TOTAL POINTS | 754.25
3
Penn State Nittany Lions
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 15
Spring Total | 209.00
Winter Total | 468.00
Fall Total | 309.00
TOTAL POINTS | 986.00
2
Michigan Wolverines
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 11
Spring Total | 387.50
Winter Total | 468.25
Fall Total | 190.00
TOTAL POINTS | 1,045.75
1
Ohio State Buckeyes
How It All Played Out
National Ranking | No. 3
Spring Total | 268.00
Winter Total | 639.75
Fall Total | 263.00
TOTAL POINTS | 1,170.75
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