Auburn beats Alabama in all-sports standings for first time in 9 years
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Auburn beats Alabama in all-sports standings for first time in 9 years
The Learfield Director’s Cup rankings are a respected measure of athletic department success. For the first time since 2016, Auburn eclipsed Alabama in those final rankings. The Tigers finished 19th compared to 22nd for their rival. The 19th-place finish for the Tigers is its best since an 18th-places run in 2018. The spring was huge for Auburn as it ranked 82nd after the fall and 39th after winter competition. The Tide was still ahead entering the baseball postseason when No. 4 national seed Auburn won a regional while Alabama lost both games at that level.
That means assessing the overall performance of Alabama and Auburn and how they compared this year. We already looked at the head-to-head matchups between Alabama and Auburn, and now we’ll zoom out for the overall view.
There are a few ways of doing that but the Learfield Director’s Cup rankings are a respected measure of athletic department success.
And, for the first time since 2016, Auburn eclipsed Alabama in those final rankings.
The Tigers finished 19th compared to 22nd for their rival.
Auburn rode a strong spring to overtake the Crimson Tide with 867.5 total points to Alabama’s 830.5.
Just a year ago, Alabama was No. 9 compared to Auburn’s 33rd-place finish.
Nine years ago, Auburn (No. 35) edged Alabama (No. 36) in the last head-to-head win.
The 19th-place finish for the Tigers is its best since an 18th-place run in 2018.
Texas topped the rankings this season in its first season in the SEC.
The spring was huge for Auburn as it ranked 82nd after the fall and 39th after winter competition. After scoring just 77 points in the fall, Auburn tallied 458.25 in the spring
The Tide was still ahead entering the baseball postseason when No. 4 national seed Auburn won a regional while Alabama lost both games at that level.
A fourth-place finish in the men’s track and field meet sealed the win.
These rankings cover all NCAA-sponsored championships along with FBS football.
Auburn finished the year with 10 teams ranked in the top 20 of their respective sports — five in the top 10. Alabama had 10 in the top 20 and two in the top 10.
The Auburn effort was paced by a men’s basketball Final Four, men’s indoor track and field No. 3 finish, men’s golf finishing No. 5 and women’s tennis finishing No. 9.
A seventh-place finish in gymnastics followed Alabama’s Elite Eight men’s basketball run and a super regional appearance for softball.
Football netted Alabama 57 points with a No. 17 finish in the coaches poll. Auburn football didn’t contribute to the effort since it finished outside the rankings with a losing record.
Here’s a look at the full chart of national rankings for each team covered by the Director’s Cup standings.