The 2021-22 athletic year was not a banner one for the University of Florida, at least by CBS Sports’ standards. The annual Best in College Sports rankings came out on Monday and Florida placed 36th in the nation, one spot behind LSU, with 275.50 total points.
The point system favors the major sports, football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, weighting them more heavily than other sports. Here’s a brief rundown of how it’s all calculated. Keep in mind that each school is ranked based on those three sports and two wild cards among the school’s most successful spectator sports.
The weighted formula puts 2.5 times as much emphasis on football and 2.0 times as much on men’s basketball compared to the rest of the sports. Teams that do not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but play in a bowl are awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). (Teams that either opted out of bowl games or saw postseason contests canceled received 62.5 points in football.) Those that make the men’s NIT are given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams receive 10 points. For all titles settled via bracket, such as the NCAA Tournament, point totals are based on number of participants. All champions in the other sports receive 100 points for a national championship in the formula created by long-time CBS Sports producer J. Darin Darst.
Michigan claimed the top spot on the list followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Carolina and Arkansas. Florida ranks 10th in the SEC and second among in-state programs. Miami finished 12th overall, UCF was No. 47 and FSU was all the way down at 65th.
While it’s unclear exactly which sports are Florida’s wildcard, it’s a safe bet that the first is gymnastics. The 90 out of 100 possible points is in line with the Gators’ second-place finish at nationals and softball’s super regional finish could be the 78 points in the second spot.
As the calendar turns over once again, Florida is hoping to finish higher up. A strong rebound from first-year head coaches Billy Napier and Todd Golden in football and men’s basketball, respectively, would help out a ton.