Magazine lauds ASU as top athletic program

On the strength of three national titles and multiple conference championships, one national publication is lauding ASU as having the top ranked athletic department for 2007-2008.

The breakdown of the top 25 programs for the year was published by SI.com, the online publication of Sports Illustrated. The ranking looked at specific, measurable achievements for each of the nation’s 330 Division 1 schools.

The criteria included national titles, conference championships, and top-30 finishes in the NCAA-recognized polls. After ASU, the top 10 included Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, Georgia, Penn State, Florida, University of Southern California, Louisiana State University and Tennessee.

ASU finished the year with three national titles (men’s and women’s indoor track and softball), four Pac-10 titles (baseball, softball, women’s track and men’s golf) and 12 top-30 finishes (baseball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor track, softball, women’s swimming and women’s tennis.)

ASU also finished the year with a co-championship in football with the University of Southern California, but because of a tie-breaker in the SI ratings, ASU did not receive additional points.

The athletic department finished fourth in this year’s Director’s Cup rankings, the traditional ranking for an athletic department. The Director’s Cup rankings use a more complicated system that includes postseason finishes and other criteria. The fourth-place finish was ASU’s highest ever in the Director’s Cup.

Read the full SI.com article.