The Auburn Tigers have won two national and four conference titles since the beginning of the 2010-2011 athletic season, and the country is taking notice.
Auburn is one of 63 men's and 47 women's athletic programs that have earned points so far while competing for the Capital One Cup and is currently in first place in the men's standings.
The Capital One Cup is based on a points system and is awarded annually to the top men's and women's Division I college athletics programs in the country.
The Cup is sponsored by the Capital One Financial Corporation and rewards athletic programs for their cumulative on-field performance across men's and women's sports.
A national football title and a sixth place finish in swimming was enough to propel Auburn into first place in the men's standings, 10 points ahead of Eastern Washington and Connecticut.
"We are obviously pleased that our men's programs are currently ranked first in the national Capital One Cup standings," said Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs.
"A lot of competition remains in the current academic year, but any time you are ranked No. 1 it is a great tribute to our coaches and student-athletes. Winning is one of our top goals at Auburn athletics, along with graduating our student-athletes, and we are obviously faring well against the competition. I could not be prouder of our student-athletes and coaches."
Schools will have a few more months to rack up any points before the winner is determined at the end of the spring season and announced at the ESPY Awards in July on ESPN.
The winning school will earn the Capital One Cup Trophy along with a scholarship for student athlete post-graduate studies.
Sports are grouped based on fan interest and school participation, and points are given based on top 10 finishes in NCAA Championships and final official coaches' polls.
Men's and women's sports are totaled separately and will be given separate awards.
"Capital One strives to recognize student-athlete achievements both on and off the playing field, with the $200,000 scholarship that goes to the winning schools for student athlete post-graduate studies," said Capital One Cup Advisory Board member Clark Kellogg. "It's great to see a variety of schools such as Auburn and California competing against the likes of Eastern Washington and Akron for the Capital One Cup. We're in for a truly exciting spring season as the race for the men's Capital One Cup goes down to the wire."
In the women's standings, there is a change at the top; Stanford has taken the No. 1 spot following top five finishes in basketball and swimming and diving and has taken a six-point lead over second place California and Notre Dame. The Auburn women are in 32nd with six points but will likely move up following equestrian and golf championships.
"The winter athletic season was full of excitement, culminating with Texas A&M's first-ever women's basketball national championship," said Capital One Cup Advisory Board member Lisa Leslie. "The athletic programs that have experienced success across multiple sports in the fall and winter sports, such as Stanford and Notre Dame, are starting to rise to the top of the women's Capital One Cup standings. We're in for a thrilling finish this spring with six women's championships still remaining to be played."
The standings in their entirety can be found at CapitalOneCup.com/standings.
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