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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa overall athletics program ranked seventh-best nationally for 2018-19 in the Best in College Sports Award Rankings published by CBS Sports.
CBS Sports tweaked the formula used by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 2013, providing additional weight toward sports with more broad fan bases and media interest. CBS Sports ranks every FBS school 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 the emphasis on men’s basketball compared to women’s basketball and the “wild cards.” Iowa’s 419 points came from football, men’s and women’s basketball, and two wild card sports.
Iowa football posted a 9-4 record in 2018, including a win over Mississippi State in the 2019 Outback Bowl. Men’s basketball posted a 23-12 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The women’s basketball team totaled a program-best 29 wins and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. Head coach Lisa Bluder and senior center Megan Gustafson were named the Naismith National Coach and Player of the Year, respectively. Iowa wrestling placed third in the NCAA Championships.
Iowa led the nation in wrestling attendance, ranked ninth nationally in women’s basketball attendance, 21st in football attendance, and 23rd in men’s basketball.
Michigan (501.75) was the top ranked program in the CBS Sports report, followed by Kentucky (494.25), Oklahoma (490), LSU (465.75), Ohio State (456), Virginia (432.5) and Iowa (419). Florida, Notre Dame and Washington round out the top 10.
Teams that did not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but played in a bowl were awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). For all titles settled via bracket, point totals were based upon how many teams participated. All champions in the other sports received 100 points for a national title.
Previous winners of CBS Sports’ Best in College Sports award include Louisville in 2013, Stanford in 2014, Ohio State in 2015, Oklahoma in 2016, Florida State in 2017, and Ohio State again in 2018.
