We're Number 6!!!

in the final Learfield Sports Director's Cup D-1 Standings.

It's the award that is given annually to the best overall collegiate athletics program. Actually, its proper name should be the Cardinal Director's Cup since Stanford has won the award 15 years in a row.

The Director's Cup, run by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) is given out to the program with the best post-season success in both men's and women's athletics.

Each school is ranked based upon its 10-highest men's and 10-highest women's finishes -- which is why Stanford wins annually, and why Texas finishes in the Top 10 annually, but has little chance of finishing first. As noted earlier, Texas believes that the soundest long-term approach to collegiate athletics is that less is more

Stanford meanwhile builds its program specifically to dominate this kind of competition. You can only score points in 20 different sports for the Cup, and the Cardinal field 35 varsity sports on campus -- 19 women's teams, 15 men's and one coed squad. Stanford had 23 of those teams reach post-season play, giving them the most to choose from for their points.

Stanford has won at least one team national championship for 33 consecutive years, an NCAA record.

The Cardinal finished almost 300 points ahead of the 2nd place program, North Carolina. The Top Ten were:

1. Stanford
2. UNC
3. Florida
4. USC
5. Michigan
6. Texas
7. California
8. Virginia
9. LSU
10. Ohio State

Texas A&M finished 13th in the final standings, and the next Big 12 school to show up in the rankings was Oklahoma at #29.

North Carolina finished with national championships in Men's basketball and women's soccer to edge out Florida for 2nd place.

The Tar Heels field 26 varsity squads, 12 men's and 14 women's. They became the first ACC school to play in the Final Four, the College World Series and in a bowl game during the same school year.

Third place Florida has 21 varsity sports on campus, 9 men's and 12 women's teams. USC only fields 19 (9 men's, 10 women's), while Michigan has 25 (12 men's, 13 women's).

Texas has finished in the Top Ten eight years in a row, and it includes three 2nd place finishes (2002, 2003, 2005). The Longhorns have 20 varsity sports and registered eight Top Five finishes in various sports.

The Horns 2nd place finish at the College World Series helped the program finish in the Top 10 for an eighth straight year.

Texas had Top Five finishes in Baseball, Football, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Volleyball, Women's Indoor Track & field, and Women's Outdoor Track & Field.

Finishing in the Top Five overall standings is problematic when sports like Women's Basketball and Men's Golf don't finish in at least the Top 20 in their sport.

Of course as we all know, Texas is still #1 where it counts. In the pocketbook.