Boise State Should Move Up to Top 70 in Learfield Cup Standings

So far, the school year has been disappointing for the Boise State athletic program, with just one conference championship (women's swimming).  In the Learfield Cup Standings, which attempt to rank colleges and universities on the best overall athletic program, Boise State's only points since September have been in football.


The Broncos picked up 73.50 points in football with their sixth place finish in January.  Since then, Boise State has not scored any points.  The Learfield Cup awards points in an inverted manner based on a school's finish in each sport sanctioned by the NCAA.  The National Champion in each sport gets 100 points, and most teams that finish in the Top 25 get points in their sport, with some sports (such as track and field, swimming and wrestling) awarding Learfield Cup points to any school that scores points in a NCAA championship.


The drought is now over, thanks to the Bronco swimmers, wrestlers and women's track and field team.  The Boise State swimming team finished 47th at this weekend's NCAA Championships and are estimated to receive about 19 points.  The Bronco women's track team was 48th at the recent NCAA Indoor Championships in Nampa, earning approximately 23 points while the Boise State men's wrestling team was 51st at this weekend's NCAA Championships in St. Louis, and should receive about 23 Cup points.  Last year, the Bronco swimmers were 39th, getting 28 points, and the Boise State wrestlers were ninth in the nation, and were awarded 69 Cup points.


This should give Boise State approximately 138.5 Learfield Cup points when the next Learfield Cup Standings are published next Thursday.  The Broncos will be virtually tied with Utah, the school recently chosen for expansion in the Pac-12, as well as Northern Illinois, New Hampshire, Villanova and Toledo.  Even in a year in which the Broncos are not at their best, Boise State is ahead of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Washington State, Mississippi State and Oregon State and within range of Rutgers, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Clemson and Villanova.  You will find the estimated Cup totals for schools from #60-100 at the bottom of this article.


 Boise State ranked 58th after the final Winter Cup Standings were published last year and finished 83rd in the Final Standings.  Boise State's best finish in the Learfield Cup was in the 2008-09 school year, when the Broncos finished 49th.


With the final winter sports wrapping up (basketball and gymnastics) and the spring sports left after that, Boise State will score big in women's gymnastics, where the Broncos are currently ranked 15th, and has a chance to score points in men's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track & field and softball.


Estimated Standings--#60 through #100:


60.   Kentucky (159)
61.   Wake Forest (158)
62.   Clemson (157)
63.   SMU (155)
64.   Tulsa (149)
65.   Cincinnati (140)
65.   Lehigh (140) 
65.   Montana State (140)
68.   Rutgers (139)
69.   Boise State (138.5) 

70.   New Hampshire (138)
71.   Toledo (137)
72.   Villanova (136)
73.   Northern Illinois (135)
73.   Utah (135)
75.   Pittsburgh (130)
76.   Stoneybrook (123)
77.   James Madison (117)
78.   Harvard (116)
78.   Portland (116)
80.   Kansas (115)
81.   San Diego (114)
82.   Dartmouth (113)
83.   Ohio (110)
84.   Montana (108)
85.   Southern Illinois (105)
86.   Appalachian State (103)
87.   Delaware (100)
87.   Marquette (100)
87.   Vermont (100)
90.   Long Beach State (98)
90.   Pepperdine (98)
92.   Vanderbilt (97)
92.   Washington State (97)
94.   UC-Santa Barbara (96)
95.   Mississippi State (95)
96.   Air Force (90)
96.   UNC-Charlotte (90)
96.   Sam Houston (90)
99.   Oregon State (85)
100. Georgia Southern (83)