Up Front | From the Editor

September 1999: Vol. 78, No. 4

o Stanford won the Sears Cup again. Big Deal. Georgia just won the inaugural Georgia Magazine Cup, which is a whole lot cooler than the Sears Cup because it's a truer measure of which school really has the best overall men's and women's athletic program in the country.

The Sears Cup, which was developed by USAToday and the nation's college athletic directors, is based on results of a school's top 20 teams—10 each from the men's and women's sides. Sounds legitimate until you consider that:

Stanford fields 33 teams (15 for men, 17 for women, 1 co-ed), and thus has lots of room to pick and choose. Whereas, Georgia fields only 20 teams—11 for women, 9 for men—and must therefore count all its men's sports and all but one of its women's. Seems unfair to us.
Stanford can pile up points in esoteric sports like water polo and fencing, which Georgia can't afford to offer. Also unfair.

A better way to evaluate the quality of an athletic department, in our view, is to start with a Sears Cup point total, then divide that by the number of varsity sports a school offers to arrive at an overall Degree of Greatness index (DOG).

Using those parameters, Stanford's 910 Sears Cup points yield a DOG index of 27.6. Georgia's 720 points produce a DOG index of 36.0, earning UGA the top spot in the country—and the inaugural Georgia Magazine Cup!

For a complete breakdown of how the nation's best athletic departments fared in both the Sears Cup and Georgia Magazine Cup standings for 1998-99, see below. To learn how Georgia won four NCAA titles in one academic year (it wasn't easy!), visit this page.

SEARS CUP (1998-99) GEORGIA MAGAZINE CUP (1998-99)

School Pts.* School (NCAA titles) Pts. Sports DOG**

1. Stanford 910 1. GEORGIA (4) 720 20 36.0

2. GEORGIA 720 2. Florida (1) 580 20 29.0

3. Penn State 600 3. Stanford (1) 910 33 27.6

4. Florida 580 4. UCLA (1) 570 23 24.8

5. UCLA 570 5. Southern Cal (2) 460 19 24.2

6. Duke 510 6. Arizona 470 20 23.5

7. Michigan 490 7. Penn State 600 28 21.4

8. Virginia 490 8. Michigan (2) 490 23 21.3

9. Arizona 470 9. Virginia (1) 490 24 20.4

10. Southern Cal 460 10. Duke (1) 510 26 19.6

78. Georgia Tech 100 Georgia Tech 100 16 6.3

* 100 pts. for NCAA title, 80 for most 2nd-place finishes, 60 for most 3rd-place finishes, etc. Exceptions are made for small tournament brackets.
** Degree of Greatness index = Sears Cup points divided by number of varsity sports offered.
Most NCAA titles in one year: 6 (Stanford/1996-97), 5 (Stanford/1997-98), 4 (Georgia/1998-99).

SEARS CUP (1998-99)		GEORGIA MAGAZINE CUP (1998-99)
School	Pts.*	School (NCAA titles)	Pts.	Sports	DOG**

1. Stanford	910	1. GEORGIA (4)	720	20	36.0

2. GEORGIA	720	2. Florida (1)	580	20	29.0

3. Penn State	600	3. Stanford (1)	910	33	27.6

4. Florida	580	4. UCLA (1)	570	23	24.8

5. UCLA	570	5. Southern Cal (2)	460	19	24.2

6. Duke	510	6. Arizona	470	20	23.5

7. Michigan	490	7. Penn State	600	28	21.4

8. Virginia	490	8. Michigan (2)	490	23	21.3

9. Arizona	470	9. Virginia (1)	490	24	20.4

10. Southern Cal	460	10. Duke (1)	510	26	19.6

78. Georgia Tech	100	Georgia Tech	100	16	6.3
* 100 pts. for NCAA title, 80 for most 2nd-place finishes, 60 for most 3rd-place finishes, etc. Exceptions are made for small tournament brackets. ** Degree of Greatness index = Sears Cup points divided by number of varsity sports offered. Most NCAA titles in one year: 6 (Stanford/1996-97), 5 (Stanford/1997-98), 4 (Georgia/1998-99).