Which college athletic program had the best overall season in 2017-18?

We here at CBS Sports decided to find out -- just as we do every year -- by crunching the numbers at the conclusion of the season in order to present our annual Best in College Sports award.

The result? Despite not winning a national title over the course of the campaign, Ohio State (510.50 points) earned the honor for the second time in the past four years.

The Buckeyes accomplished this feat in large part due to a tremendous football season with the program finishing 12-2 and No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 with a Cotton Bowl victory and Big Ten title. Ohio State men's basketball (25-7, No. 17 AP) and women's basketball (28-7, No. 10 AP) each reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The wrestling team finished as a national runner-up, while the men's volleyball team reached the national semifinal. The men's and women's ice hockey teams reached the Frozen Four, and both baseball and softball made the NCAA Tournament.

2018-best-team-cover.jpg
Graphic illustration by Michael Meredith

Alabama (492.25) finished second, while Oklahoma checked in third (477.50). The Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff to claim the national title in football and made the NCAA Tournament in men's basketball, but they fell short in women's basketball and the two wild card sports. The Sooners made the CFP and won a national title in men's gymnastics, both both basketball teams fell short of what Ohio State accomplished. 

The National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has been ranking athletic programs for years by weighing every sport equally, meaning a football national title is worth the same number of points (100) as a women's water polo title. We tweaked the formula in 2013, providing additional weight toward sports with more broad fan bases and media interest. We rate every FBS school 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 compared to women's basketball and the "wild cards;" men's basketball is worth twice as many points. Teams that did not finish in the final AP Top 25 in football but played in a bowl were awarded 62.5 points (25 x 2.5). Three teams -- Buffalo, Western Michigan and Texas-San Antonio -- received 50 points for being bowl eligible but not playing in a bowl. Teams that made the NIT were given 20 points (10 x 2), while WNIT teams received 10 points. For all titles settled via bracket, point totals were based upon how many teams participated. All champions in the other sports received 100 points for a national title. For example: Florida State received 100 points in softball, while the second-place finisher received 90 points. 

Previous winners of CBS Sports' Best in College Sports award include Louisville in 2013, Stanford in 2014, Ohio State in 2015, Oklahoma in 2016 and Florida State in 2017. 

2017-18 Best in College Sports rankings

School Total FB MBB WBB WC I WC II
Ohio State
1st -- 510.50 187.50 100 50 90 83
Alabama
2nd -- 492.25 250 100 10 68.25 64
Oklahoma
3rd -- 477.50 212.50 50 25 100 90
Michigan
4th -- 453.00 62.50 180 50 83 77.50
Duke
5th -- 445.50 62.50 146 64 90 83
Notre Dame
6th -- 439.00 165 20 100 90 64
Clemson
7th -- 428.00 200 128 0 50 50
Florida State
8th -- 422.50 62.50 146 50 100 64
Stanford
9th -- 419.00 135 20 64 100 100
Georgia
10th -- 416.25 225 0 50 73 68.25
Michigan St.
11th -- 406.00 150 100 10 73 73
Auburn
12th -- 392.00 168.75 100 0 64 59.25
Penn State
13th -- 389.25 176.25 20 10 100 83
Miss. State
14th -- 380.50 137.50 20 90 83 50
NC State
15th -- 369.00 127.50 50 64 77.50 50
Texas A&M
16th -- 368.50 62.50 128 64 64 50
Oklahoma State
17th -- 336.05 153.75 20 50 62.30 50
UCLA
18th -- 335.50 62.50 10 73 100 90
Kentucky
19th -- 331.75 62.50 128 0 73 68.25
Washington
20th -- 329.25 146.25 20 0 90 73
LSU
21st -- 329.00 140 20 25 80 64
Texas
22nd -- 322.50 62.50 50 64 73 73
West Virginia
T23 -- 308.50 62.50 128 10 64 44
Virginia Tech
T23 -- 308.50 125 50 10 70.5 53
Wisconsin
25th -- 308.00 180 0 0 64 64
USC
26th -- 304.25 161.25 20 0 73 50
Purdue
27th -- 296.00 62.50 128 10 50 45.50
Louisville
28th -- 288.50 62.50 20 83 73 50
Texas Tech
29th -- 286.50 62.50 146 0 78 0
Miami (Fla.)
T30 -- 282.50 157.50 50 25 50 0
South Carolina
T30 -- 282.50 62.5 0 73 83 64
Virginia
32nd -- 279.50 62.50 50 50 64 53
Florida
T33 -- 275.00 0 100 0 90 85
Missouri
T33 -- 275.00 62.50 50 25 73.50 64
North Carolina
35th -- 266.00 0 100 0 83 83
Tennessee
36th -- 264.00 0 100 50 64 50
Northwestern
37th -- 262.50 142.50 0 0 70 50
Houston
38th -- 260.00 62.5 100 10 50 37.50
TCU
39th -- 257.50 172.50 50 10 25 0
Boise St.
40th -- 252.50 130 20 25 52.50 25
South Florida
41st -- 245.00 132.50 0 25 50 37.50
Oregon
42nd -- 233.50 62.50 20 73 78 0
Utah
43rd -- 231.50 62.50 20 10 75 64
Arizona St.
44th -- 228.00 62.50 0 25 73 67.50
Arizona
T45 -- 226.50 62.50 50 0 64 50
Oregon State
T45 -- 226.00 0 0 73 100 53
UCF
47th -- 218.75 183.75 0 10 25 0
Kansas State
T48 -- 218.50 62.5 146 10 0 0
Nebraska
T48 -- 218.50 0 20 25 100 73.50
Maryland
50th -- 216.00 0 0 50 83 83
Buffalo
51st -- 214.00 50 100 64 0 0
Iowa
52nd -- 211.50 62.50 0 25 85 39
Arkansas
53rd -- 208.25 0 50 0 90 68.25
Baylor
54th -- 207.00 0 20 64 73 50
Minnesota
55th -- 204.00 0 0 50 90 64
Syracuse
56th -- 203.00 0 128 25 25 25
C. Michigan
57th -- 201.00 62.50 0 64 39 35.50
Boston College
58th -- 197.50 62.50 20 0 90 25
Kansas
59th -- 191.00 0 166 0 25 0
Wake Forest
60th -- 185.50 62.50 0 0 73 50
Navy
61st -- 180.00 62.50 0 10 70 37.50
Washington St.
62nd -- 176.50 62.5 0 0 64 50
Marshall
T63 -- 162.50 62.50 100 0 0 0
San Diego St.
T63 -- 162.50 62.50 50 0 25 25
New Mexico St.
T63 -- 162.50 62.50 50 0 25 25
Iowa St.
66th -- 159.00 62.50 0 0 50 46.50
W. Kentucky
67th -- 157.50 62.5 20 25 50 0
Indiana
68th -- 150.00 0 0 10 90 50
Illinois
69th -- 147.30 0 0 0 85 62.30
Akron
70th -- 145.50 62.50 0 0 83 0
BYU
71st -- 136.50 0 20 0 64 52.50
UConn
72nd -- 133.00 0 0 83 50 0
Army
73rd -- 132.00 62.50 0 0 37.50 32.0
California
74th -- 130.75 0 0 25 68.25 37.50
Wyoming
75th -- 128.50 62.50 0 10 56 0
Nevada
76th -- 128.00 0 128 0 0 0
SMU
77th -- 126.50 62.50 0 0 64 0
Memphis
T78 -- 122.50 122.50 0 0 0 0
Colorado St.
T78 -- 122.50 62.50 0 10 50 0
Middle Tenn.
80th -- 117.50 62.50 20 10 25 0
Colorado
81st -- 117.00 0 0 0 64 53
Rutgers
82nd -- 116.00 0 0 0 66 50
Vanderbilt
T83 -- 114.00 0 0 0 64 50
W. Michigan
T83 -- 114.00 50 0 0 64 0
Georgia St.
T85 -- 112.50 62.50 50 0 0 0
FAU
T85 -- 112.50 62.50 0 0 50 0
FIU
T85 -- 112.50 62.50 0 0 50 0
Ohio
T85 -- 112.50 62.50 0 0 50 0
Cincinnati
89th -- 110.00 0 100 10 0 0
C. Carolina
90th -- 101.50 0 0 0 64 37.50
Ole Miss
91st -- 100.00 0 0 0 50 50
So. Miss
92nd -- 100.00 62.50 0 0 37.50 0
Troy
93rd -- 100.00 62.50 0 0 37.50 0
Toledo
94th -- 97.50 62.50 0 10 25 0
Pittsburgh
95th -- 96.50 0 0 0 50 46.50
Air Force
96th -- 92.50 0 0 0 60 32.5
Kent St.
97th -- 90.50 0 0 0 51.50 39
N. Illinois
98th -- 88.00 62.50 0 0 25.50 0
North Texas
99th -- 87.50 62.5 0 0 25 0
App. St.
100th -- 84.50 62.5 0 0 22.0 0
Temple
101st -- 82.50 62.50 20 0 0 0
Fresno St.
102nd -- 73.50 62.50 0 0 11 0
Louisiana Tech
T103 -- 72.50 62.50 0 10 0 0
UAB
T103 -- 72.50 62.50 0 10 0 0
Old Dominion
T105 -- 72.00 0 0 0 50 22
Louisiana
T105 -- 70.00 0 20 0 50 0
Arkansas St.
T107 -- 62.50 62.5 0 0 0 0
Utah St.
T107 -- 62.50 62.50 0 0 0 0
UTSA
109th -- 50.00 50.00 0 0 0 0
Texas St.
110th -- 47.50 0 0 10 37.50 0
Tulsa
T111 -- 37.50 0 0 0 37.50 0
East Carolina
T111 -- 37.50 0 0 0 37.50 0
Miami-OH
T113 -- 35.00 0 0 10 25 0
Rice
T113 -- 35.00 0 0 10 25 0
E. Michigan
115th -- 33.50 0 0 0 33.50 0
Hawaii
T116 -- 25.00 0 0 0 25 0
South Alabama
T116 -- 25.00 0 0 0 25 0
UMass
T116 -- 25.00 0 0 0 25 0
New Mexico
T119 -- 10.00 0 0 10 0 0
UNLV
T119 -- 10.00 0 0 10 0 0
Georgia Tech
T119 -- 10.00 0 0 10 0 0
Idaho
T119 -- 10.00 0 0 10 0 0
Ball St.
T119 -- 10.00 0 0 10 0 0
Charlotte
T124 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0
San Jose St.
T124 -- 0  0 0 0 0 0
Ga. Southern
T124 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tulane
T124 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bowling Green
T124 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0
UL-Monroe
T124 -- 0  0 0 0 0 0
UTEP
T124 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0