Learfield Directors' Cup point allocation for football prevented USC victory

This is not an attempt to cry foul by any stretch. After all, the guidelines and ways in which the Learfield Directors' Cup goes about distributing points across all sports have been known, publicized, and established.

After looking at how the organization divides up points for football, it does show how close USC actually was to finishing first among all athletic programs in the nation.

As can be seen on the scorecards shared by Directors’ Cup Updates on X, a bowl win results in 45 points. This was achieved when USC defeated Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. Easy enough. The issue then becomes how to further award points for those who make it into the playoffs.

A first-round loss means multiple teams have the same exit point, and that would obviously also hold true for the later rounds in the CFP. This presents an issue of coming up with a fair way to determine the remaining point allocation.

To do so, the Directors' Cup then turns to the "final coaches poll," as mentioned by Danny Davis on X. The Austin Statesman writer then goes on to point out that if the AP Poll were used as the criterion instead, then Texas would have five fewer points in the final standings by virtue of finishing No. 4 based on that outlet's rankings.

The difference would have seen the Longhorns drop to third, and the Trojans would have had the top spot for the 2024-2025 athletic year.

One additional motivation factor for USC this year

It goes to show how slim the margins can be. If, by chance, when the decision was made on which final poll to use, it had been the AP instead of the Coaches' Poll, then USC would be currently sitting on top of the world of college athletics.

Far from a robbery, this should further instill confidence and belief throughout the entirety of the Trojan athletic department and point to how well USC is able to compete across the board. After all, if it weren't for a choice leaning a different way during the rules process, the Trojans would be celebrating a No. 1 overall win at the moment.