Auburn Finishes Ahead of Alabama in Learfield Directors' Cup for 1st Time Since '16

The Auburn Tigers' athletic department finished 19th in the all-sports standings known as the Learfield Directors' Cup.

Auburn’s Ja'Kobe Tharp won the men’s 110-meter hurdles and helped Auburn to a No. 4 national finish. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since the first Iron Bowl in 1893, the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide have engaged in a generations-long rivalry that encompasses 27 U.S. presidents, a moon landing, electric cars, and the invention of barbecue. Normally, other rivalries reside in a place of grudging respect and admiration. However, the beef between the Tigers and that school in Tuscaloosa roots itself in dislike. 

While football dominates the hearts and minds of Auburn and Alabama fans, the rivalry would extend to tiddlywinks if it were a competitive sport.

That’s why it was significant that Auburn finished ahead of Alabama in the all-sports standings, known as the Learfield Directors’ Cup, for the first time since 2016. The Tigers edged the Tide, finishing 19th to 22nd.   

The Tigers got off to a slow start in the fall with just 77 points, but they came on strong in the winter and spring with 332.25 and 458.25 points, respectively. Auburn’s winter and spring totals were the 11th most in the country.

Basketball’s Final Four run contributed heavily to the total, as did a top-10 finish in baseball, men and women’s golf, and men’s track and field. 

Watching the school finish in the top five in five different sports goes a long way to solidifying the athletic program as an emerging group, but if you were to ask most outside the state about their perception of Auburn sports, they'd mention the football program. 

Whether it's Bo Jackson or Cam Newton, people believed that football was the only thing the Tigers could play. With the eyes and attention growing in non-revenue-generating sports, Auburn's profile continues to increase. 

In the big picture, the Learfield may not mean much, but the principle should. Building a program that can field some of the best in Division 1, regardless of sport, matters. Yes, football brings in the most money, but the Tigers have become a national brand well beyond football.