College Football 2012: Stanford Rightfully Tops Director's Cup Again

Once again, Stanford has won the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletic's Director's Cup, an award that is given annually to the college or university with the most success in collegiate athletics.

This should not be too shocking to anyone, as Stanford has won the award for 18 consecutive years. In fact, the Trees had the 2011-2012 Director's Cup so locked up that the NACDA was able to announce the university as the winner two weeks ago. It wasn't until the end of the College World Series that the rest of those ranked could be tallied.

While not exactly a nail biter, Stanford's win is well-deserved once again. As Palo Alto Online points out, Stanford has won at least one NCAA team title for the last 36 consecutive years. That alone gives the California school a leg up on everyone else.

During the 2011-2012 season, 35 intercollegiate programs finished their seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally. Some were even ranked first at one point or another.

Stanford's 18th win may not be the most exciting, but it is well-deserved. The university often dominates in sports that many do not consider. While football, basketball and baseball reign supreme in most people's mind, Stanford has been busy winning titles in women's soccer, women's water polo and women's lightweight rowing. These sports award points towards the Director's Cups and the points continuously add up in Stanford's favor.

Will Stanford be able to add to their potential Director's Cup wins in the future with a football national championship? It really doesn't seem likely as of now. Former quarterback Andrew Luck was a once in a generation kind of player. 

The 2011 team that surrounded Luck was also one of the best in Stanford history, and even that group could not get past the Oregon Ducks. The program lacks depth and the ability to recruit at that depth. Head coach David Shaw is picking up steam on the recruiting trial, but as a whole, the Cardinal still have a lot of work to do to become a consistent title threat.

Stanford's likelihood to win a football title is slim, but they still have an all-around stellar athletic program. 

A congratulations is in order to the rightful winner of the 2011-2012 Director's Cup. Here's to you, Stanford. May you, as you most likely will, win it 18 more times.