Best in College Sports: Tennessee's success across the board earns honors for 2022-23 athletic season

Claire Komarek, CBS Sports

Though it did not claim a national championship during the 2022-23 season, Tennessee was the model of consistency this year as it advanced deep into the postseason across multiple sports. That level of success ultimately led the Volunteers to the top of the annual CBS Sports Best in College Sports rankings.

With 536.75 points, Tennessee edged UCLA and Alabama to earn its first the Best in College Sports award since CBS Sports created the rankings in 2013. The Bruins finished second to the Vols with 524.50 points, while the Crimson Tide were third with 496.50 points.

Tennessee's impressive athletic season saw the football program go 11-2 and finish No. 6 in the final AP Top 25 with a win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Both the men's (25-11) and women's (25-12) basketball programs reached the Sweet 16s of their respective NCAA Tournaments. The softball team advanced to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series, and the baseball team advanced to the College World Series but lost twice to eventual national champion LSU.

Even though only two "wild card" sports are counted in the Best in College Sports formula, Tennessee also made the NCAA Tournament in women's soccer and women's volleyball.

Georgia, which won the College Football Playoff National Championship in football for the second straight year, again finished ninth overall after receiving no points in men's basketball.

The National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has ranked athletic programs for years by weighing every sport equally. (For example: National titles in football and water polo are worth the same amount of points.) In 2013, CBS Sports began presenting its Best in College Sports award utilizing a weighted formula that recognizes sports with more broad interest. Every FBS program is rated in three sports -- football, men's basketball and women's basketball -- along with two "wild cards" among the school's most successful spectator sports: baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, hockey and wrestling.

The weighted formula puts 2.5 times as much emphasis on football and 2.0 times as much on men's basketball compared to the rest of the sports. Teams that do not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but play in a bowl are awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). Those that make the men's NIT are given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams receive 10 points (Note: North Carolina was invited to the NIT, so even though they didn't accept, they were awarded 20 points.) For all titles settled via bracket, such as the NCAA Tournament, point totals are based on number of participants. All champions in the other sports receive 100 points for a national championship in the formula created by longtime CBS Sports producer J. Darin Darst.

2022-23 Best in College Sports

School	Total	FB	MBB	WBB	WC I	WC II
Tennessee	1st -- 536.75	183.75	128	64	83	78
UCLA	2nd -- 524.50	132.5	128	64	100	100
Alabama	3rd -- 496.50	187.5	128	25	83	73
Texas	4th -- 482.50	122.5	146	50	100	64
TCU	5th -- 472.00	225	100	0	83	64
Penn State	6th -- 463.00	180	100	0	100	83
Michigan	7th -- 455.50	212.5	20	50	90	83
Ohio State	8th -- 429.80	200	0	73	90	66.8
Georgia	9th -- 414.00	250	0	50	64	50
LSU	10th -- 396.25	146.25	0	100	100	50
Utah	11th -- 390.75	168.75	0	64	85	73
UConn	12th -- 389.00	62.5	200	64	37.5	25
Pittsburgh	T13th -- 377.00	130	100	0	83	64
Notre Dame	T13th -- 377.00	140	0	64	100	73
Duke	15th -- 375.50	62.50	100	50	90	73
Florida State	16th -- 363.00	165	0	25	90	83
Kentucky	17th -- 347.80	62.5	100	50	71.3	64
Miss. State	T18th -- 346.50	135	50	50	61.5	50
Iowa	19th -- 346.00	62.5	50	90	90	53.5
Maryland	20th -- 341.50	62.5	100	73	53	53
Arkansas	21st -- 327.00	62.5	128	10	73	53.5
Washington	22nd -- 325.05	176.25	0	10	78	60.8
South Carolina	23rd -- 324.50	127.5	0	83	64	50
Kansas State	24th -- 319.75	153.75	156	10	0	0
Oregon	25th -- 317.00	150	20	10	73	64
San Diego St.	26th -- 316.50	62.5	180	10	64	0
Miami (Fla.)	T27th -- 314.00	0	166	73	50	25
Baylor	T27th -- 314.00	62.5	100	50	64	37.5
North Carolina	29th -- 312.50	62.5	20	70	90	70
USC	30th -- 311.25	161.25	50	25	50	25
Missouri	31st -- 308.30	62.5	100	10	75	60.8
Clemson	32nd -- 301.50	157.5	20	10	64	50
Indiana	33rd -- 300.80	0	100	50	90	60.8
Oklahoma	34th -- 292.50	62.5	0	50	100	80
Florida	35th -- 272.50	62.5	20	10	90	90
Illinois	36th -- 268.00	62.5	50	25	85	45.5
Northwestern	37th -- 264.00	0	100	0	100	64
Louisville	38th -- 263.00	62.5	0	73	90	37.5
Wisconsin	T39th -- 255.50	62.5	20	0	100	73
Syracuse	T39th -- 255.50	62.5	0	10	100	83
Houston	41st -- 254.50	62.5	128	0	64	0
Oregon State	42nd -- 253.50	142.5	0	0	60.8	50
NC State	43rd -- 250.50	62.5	50	25	67.5	45.5
Michigan St.	44th -- 244.80	0	128	0	66.8	50
Purdue	45th -- 241.00	62.5	50	25	53.5	50
Ole Miss	46th -- 240.50	62.5	0	64	64	50
Minnesota	47th -- 235.50	62.5	0	0	90	83
Stanford	48th -- 233.00	0	0	50	100	83
Oklahoma State	49th -- 226.00	62.5	20	10	78	55.5
Kansas	50th -- 222.50	62.5	100	10	50	0
Virginia Tech	51st -- 222.00	0	20	83	69	50
Virginia	52nd -- 221.00	0	50	25	73	73
Louisiana	53rd -- 214.00	62.5	50	0	64	37.5
Memphis	54th-- 211.50	62.50	50	10	50	50
Auburn	55th -- 210.00	0	100	10	50	50
Tulane	56th -- 207.50	172.5	0	10	25	0
Iowa St.	57th -- 191.00	0	50	25	66	50
BYU	58th -- 186.50	62.50	0	10	64	50
Arizona St.	59th -- 182.80	0	50	0	72	60.8
UCF	60th -- 182.50	62.5	20	0	50	50
Wake Forest	61st -- 185.50	62.5	0	10	83	25
Troy	62nd -- 175.00	137.5	0	0	37.5	0
Arizona	T63rd -- 170.50	0	50	50	45.5	25
West Virginia	T63rd -- 170.50	0	50	25	50	45.5
FAU	65th -- 166.00	0	166	0	0	0
Boise St.	66th -- 158.00	62.5	50	0	45.5	0
Washington St.	67th -- 157.50	62.5	20	25	50	0
Air Force	68th -- 150.50	62.5	0	0	55.5	32.5
San Jose St.	69th -- 150.00	62.5	0	0	50	37.5
Texas A&M	70th -- 150.00	0	50	0	50	50
So. Miss	71st -- 146.50	62.5	20	0	64	0
Liberty	72nd -- 142.50	62.5	20	10	50	0
Hawaii	T73rd -- 140.00	0	0	25	90	25
Boston College	T73rd -- 140.00	0	0	0	90	50
Utah St.	T75th -- 137.50	62.5	50	0	25	0
Middle Tenn.	T75th -- 137.50	62.5	0	25	50	0
East Carolina	T75th -- 137.50	62.5	0	25	50	0
Toledo	78th -- 132.50	62.5	20	50	0	0
Marshall	79th -- 126.50	62.5	0	0	64	0
Fresno St.	80th -- 125.00	125	0	0	0	0
California	81st -- 124.30	0	0	0	74.3	50
Nebraska	82nd -- 124.00	0	0	10	64	50
W. Kentucky	T83rd -- 122.50	62.5	0	10	50	0
Texas Tech	T83rd -- 122.50	62.5	0	10	50	0
Rice	T83rd -- 122.50	62.5	0	10	50	0
SMU	T83rd -- 122.50	62.5	0	10	50	0
W. Michigan	87th -- 117.50	0	0	0	64	53.5
C. Carolina	T88th -- 112.50	62.5	0	0	50	0
Miami-OH	T88th -- 112.50	62.5	0	0	50	0
Colorado	90th -- 109.00	0	20	64	25	0
Vanderbilt	91st -- 107.50	0	20	0	50	37.5
Buffalo	92nd -- 103.50	62.5	0	0	25	16
South Florida	T93rd -- 100.00	0	0	50	50	0
Charlotte	T93rd -- 100.50	0	0	0	50	50
Bowling Green	95th -- 97.50	62.5	0	10	25	0
Wyoming	96th -- 95.50	62.5	0	10	23	0
New Mexico St.	T97th -- 87.50	62.5	0	0	25	0
UTSA	T97th -- 87.50	62.5	0	0	25	0
Rutgers	99th -- 84.5	0	20	0	39.5	25
Cincinnati	T100th -- 82.50	62.5	20	0	0	0
UAB	T100th -- 82.50	62.5	20	0	0	0
North Texas	T100th -- 82.50	62.5	20	0	0	0
Ball St.	103rd -- 72.00	0	0	10	37	25
FIU	T104th -- 64.00	0	0	0	64	0
Tulsa	T104th -- 64.00	0	0	0	64	0
South Alabama	T106th -- 62.50	62.50	0	0	0	0
Ohio	T106th -- 62.50	62.50	0	0	0	0
E. Michigan	T106th -- 62.50	62.50	0	0	0	0
Ga. Southern	T106th -- 62.50	62.50	0	0	0	0
Kent St.	110th -- 60.00	0	50	10	0	0
Navy	111th -- 57.50	0	0	0	32.5	25
Nevada	T112th -- 50.00	0	50	0	0	0
UNLV	T112th -- 50.00	0	0	25	25	0
Georgia Tech	T113th -- 50.00	0	0	0	50	0
Akron	T113th -- 50.00	0	0	0	50	0
Army	116th -- 48.50	0	0	0	32.5	16
Texas St.	117th -- 47.50	0	0	10	37.5	0
C. Michigan	118th -- 45.00	0	0	0	25	20
UMass	T119th -- 35.00	0	0	10	25	0
N. Illinois	T119th -- 35.00	0	0	0	35	0
New Mexico	121st -- 30.00	0	0	20	10	0
Old Dominion	122nd -- 25.00	0	0	0	25	0
App. St.	123rd- 20.00	0	0	0	20	0
UTEP	T124th-- 10.00	0	0	10	0	0
Louisiana Tech	T124th -- 10.00	0	0	10	0	0
Colorado St.	T124th -- 10.00	0	0	10	0	0
Georgia St.	T127th -- 0.00	0	0	0	0	0
Temple	T127th -- 0.00	0	0	0	0	0
UL-Monroe	T127th -- 0.00	0	0	0	0	0
Arkansas St.	T127th -- 0.00	0	0	0	0	0