CBS Sports Ranks LSU No. 4 For 2018-19 In "Best Of College Sports"

For Immediate Release - July 11, 2019

CBS SPORTS RANKS LSU NO. 4 FOR 2018-19 IN “BEST OF COLLEGE SPORTS” POLL

BATON ROUGE – LSU’s overall sports program has been ranked No. 4 nationally for 2018-19 according to CBS Sports in the organization’s annual “Best in College Sports Award”, which was released on Thursday.

LSU finished second among all Southeastern Conference teams with Kentucky leading the league and ranking No. 2 overall with 494.25 points according to the CBS Sports formula. LSU recorded 465.75 points in the CBS Sports poll. Michigan ranked first with 501.75 points, while Oklahoma was third with 490.00 points.

In the CBS Sports formula, LSU earned 183.75 points in football after the Tigers posted a 10-3 overall mark, won the Fiesta Bowl and finished ranked No. 6 in the nation.

LSU added 128 points in men’s basketball after reaching the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament. LSU’s remaining points came from gymnastics, which totaled 90 points for its runner-up NCAA finish with softball and baseball accounting for the other 64 points for both making the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

The CBS Sports formula rates every FBS school in three sports – football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball – along with two “wild cards” among each 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 as compared to women’s basketball and the “wild cards”.

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). Teams that made the men's NIT were given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams received 10 points. 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.

Overall for LSU in 2018-19, the school captured four SEC titles and reached post-season play in 16 of its 21 sports. LSU won SEC titles in men’s basketball, women’s soccer, gymnastics and men’s outdoor track and field.

The Tigers also had top 10 national finishes in six sports with gymnastics leading the way with its runner-up NCAA finish. Other Top 10 finishes for LSU in 2018-19 include: beach volleyball No. 3, men’s indoor track and field No. 3, women’s outdoor track and field No. 3, football No. 6 and men’s outdoor track and field No. 7.

LSU was the only school in the nation to win a bowl game, reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and have both its baseball and softball teams advance to the NCAA Super Regionals.

Last month, LSU earned a No. 11 final ranking in the Director’s Cup, which ranks each school’s sports programs – up to 19 sports – with each sport being equally weighted. LSU finished the 2018-19 Director’s Cup second among all SEC schools, trailing only Florida.