If you watch a lot of ESPN like me, you probably have seen on more than one occasion the commercial for the Capital One Cup. The Capital One Cup is a year-long collegiate competition in which schools are awarded points based on championships and finishes in the top ten of final coaches’ polls.  Thirteen sports are included in the competition for both men and women. 

At the end of the spring season, the men’s and women’s programs with the most points will be awarded the Capital One Cup, as well as $200,000 to fund student-athlete graduate-level scholarships.  The winners are announced at the annual ESPY awards hosted by ESPN.

As a single entity, Notre Dame’s position in the Capital One Cup at this point shows mixed results. While the women’s athletic program appears to be in contention for first place, the men’s program lags far behind the competition.

In the women’s cup standings, Notre Dame sits at third after the fall season and half of the winter season.  With 40 points, they are behind only Stanford (42) and Penn State (60).  On the other hand, the men are not currently listed amongst the 34 schools who have registered any points. 

 Sports are split between fall, winter, and summer.  Of the thirteen sports for both men and women, Notre Dame fields teams for twelve of each, lacking a men’s wrestling team and women’s field hockey team.   

So far, the Notre Dame women have earned all of their points for winning the NCAA soccer championship, failing to finish in the top ten in both cross country and volleyball. The Notre Dame men’s lack of points at this time can be attributed to finishes out of the top ten in football, cross country, or soccer. 

Although the women trail Penn State by 22 points, and the men have yet to register a single point, the athletic year is still young and there will be plenty of opportunities to improve standings.

Notre Dame should have a strong showing in the winter and spring seasons.  Historically, Notre Dame has fielded competitive teams in every major sport.  Both basketball teams are flirting with the top ten, and the hockey team currently ranks ninth in the nation. There is reason to believe that the women will continue to compete for the top spot, and the men should work their way into the standings.

Spring sports should bring similar success.  The women’s tennis team is ranked in the top ten early in the season.  One year removed from an NCAA championship appearance, the men’s lacrosse team will look to build on last year’s success and remain competitive.

As a school that fields competitive teams for all major sports, Notre Dame should have a shot at the Capital One Cup nearly every year.  The good news going forward is that football is one of the top-weighted sports in the cup, a sport that Coach Kelly seems to be moving in the right direction.

For more information on the Capital One Cup, check out capitalonecup.com.

Mike Johnson will be rooting for the Steelers to take home their seventh Super Bowl trophy. He can be reached at mjohns32@nd.edu.