University Southern California Trojans
USC Athletics Records Second Straight Top-10 Learfield Directors' Cup Finish in 2025-26
June 30, 2026 | USC Athletics
Trojans place seventh nationally, second in the Big Ten, for back-to-back top-10 results
LOS ANGELES – USC Athletics finished No. 7 nationally in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors' Cup, securing back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time since 2018-19.
The Trojans totaled 1,095.5 points across the 2025-26 academic year, ranking second in the Big Ten. The result follows USC's program-best runner-up finish in 2024-25 and gives the Trojans their highest two-year point total since 2016-17, underscoring sustained, broad-based excellence in the program's second year in the Big Ten.
The Directors' Cup, presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), ranks institutions based on their performance across NCAA Championships in up to 19 sports, with points awarded based on each team's national postseason finish.
In its second year in the Big Ten, USC again delivered across its full slate of programs, led by a national championship from women's water polo and four conference titles. The Trojans placed 15 teams in the top 25 of their final national rankings, including five in the top five.
The Trojans' competitive success continues to be matched academically. USC student-athletes set a departmental academic record this spring, with 248 named to the Big Ten All-Academic team.
USC is joined in the top 10 of the final Learfield Cup standings by Texas, Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State.
USC Directors' Cup Finish Through the Years
|
Year |
Finish |
|
2025-26 |
7 |
|
2024-25 |
2 |
|
2023-24 |
14 |
|
2022-23 |
10 |
|
2021-22 |
12 |
|
2020-21 |
6 |
|
2018-19 |
5 |
|
2017-18 |
4 |
|
2016-17 |
4 |
|
2015-16 |
4 |
|
2014-15 |
3 |
