The ACC leads all conferences with five schools ranked among the top nine of the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Final Fall Standings released on Thursday.
The ACC’s eight schools among the top 27 also lead all conference, as do its 10 schools among the top 50. Twelve of the ACC’s 15 schools placed among the top 86 (tied for the most among all conferences).
“It was an outstanding fall season for our league, and our success is a tribute to the leadership of our schools, coaches and student-athletes,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “As we begin the 2014 calendar year, our league and member institutions look forward to continued success in the winter and spring.”
National championships in football and men’s soccer highlighted a banner fall for the ACC, which also placed three teams among the final four in the NCAA Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer and Field Hockey Championships.
Florida State placed third in the overall standings and led all ACC schools with 351.5 points. In addition to the 2013 national football title, the Seminoles posted a runner-up finish in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, placed eighth in women’s cross country and ninth in volleyball.
North Carolina closed out the fall in fourth place with 333 points, led by a third-place showing in field hockey and a fifth-place ranking in women’s soccer.
Virginia sits in fifth place with 323 points. In addition to third-place finishes in both men’s and women’s soccer, the Cavaliers placed ninth in both women’s field hockey and women’s cross country.
Buoyed by the 2013 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship title, Notre Dame placed eighth with 310 points. The Fighting Irish added a top-10 finish (ninth) in women’s soccer.
Duke, with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Field Hockey Championship and a fifth-place showing in women’s soccer, ranked ninth with 293 points.
Rounding out the ACC’s presence in the top 30 are Maryland in 21st place, Syracuse in 26th and Wake Forest in 27th. Virginia Tech placed 33rd and Boston College 36th to give the ACC 10 schools among the top 50, while Clemson finished 64th and NC State 86th.
Miami (113th), Pitt (133rd) and Georgia Tech (148th) round out the ACC’s fall rankings. Louisville, which will join the ACC on July 1, 2014, placed 34th.
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports — 10 women’s and 10 men’s.
The first Division I winter standings will be released Thursday, March 27.