There is a new No. 1 team in the country entering the last week of the regular season.
Texas has ascended to the top spot, receiving 19 of the 31 first-place votes, in the latest shakeup of the AP Top 25. Although the Longhorns have not played since defeating LSU on Feb. 16, they benefit from last week’s top-team, Notre Dame, dropping a double-overtime road matchup against NC State on Sunday.
Having held on to a close win over Iowa, UCLA moved up to No. 2, while the Fighting Irish dropped to No. 3. USC remains at No. 4 and UConn remains at No. 5.
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Texas |
2 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
3 |
|
3 |
Notre Dame |
1 |
|
4 |
USC |
4 |
|
5 |
UConn |
5 |
|
6 |
South Carolina |
6 |
|
7 |
LSU |
7 |
|
8 |
North Carolina |
9 |
|
9 |
NC State |
13 |
|
10 |
TCU |
10 |
|
11 |
Tennessee |
15 |
|
12 |
Ohio State |
8 |
|
13 |
Oklahoma |
16 |
|
14 |
Kansas State |
12 |
|
15 |
Kentucky |
14 |
|
16 |
Duke |
11 |
|
17 |
Baylor |
19 |
|
18 |
West Virginia |
17 |
|
19 |
Maryland |
21 |
|
20 |
Alabama |
18 |
|
21 |
Oklahoma State |
24 |
|
22 |
Creighton |
23 |
|
23 |
Michigan State |
22 |
|
24 |
Florida State |
NR |
|
25 |
Louisville |
NR |
Tennessee, NC State and Duke highlighted the biggest movers of the week. The Wolfpack surged back inside the top-10, to No. 9, after defeating the Fighting Irish. The win marked NC State’s fifth win over a No. 1 opponent in school history and third in coach Wes Moore’s tenure, but first at home since 1978. Tennessee also climbed four spots, to No. 11, after picking up wins over Florida and Alabama.
Duke was the biggest faller, slipping five spots to No. 16. The Blue Devils lost to Notre Dame and Louisville last week, but picked up a victory over Syracuse on Sunday.
Here’s the full poll, along with the ballot of The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings.
No. 1 doesn’t come with any safety
The Longhorns are the country’s top-ranked program for the first time in 21 years, but they are hoping that they can avoid the fate of the Fighting Irish, who lasted just a single week in that slot. Texas is the third different team to hold the top spot in the last three weeks, after UCLA’s loss to USC on Feb. 13 dropped the Bruins in the rankings. As March approaches, there doesn’t seem to be any clarity about who the title favorite should be. The field seems wide open as it is only the fifth time since 2001 that three different schools have been No. 1 in a three-week span.
South Carolina, No. 6 in this week’s poll, remained a spot below UConn, who are No. 5. But the Gamecocks were the preseason No. 1 and remain very much in title contention. There have been four teams atop the rankings this year, which is only the sixth time that has happened since the poll began, in 1976.
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Baylor lurking at No. 17
The Bears could be one of the risers in next week’s poll if everything goes their way this week. No. 17 Baylor plays No. 14 Kansas State on the road on Monday evening before finishing off its regular season slate against No. 10 TCU on Sunday. The latter matchup could determine the winner of the Big 12 depending on the results from this week. The Bears are the winners of their last eight games in a league-best streak that began January 29 at UCF.
As always, keep an eye on the Big Ten
As always, a lot can change on a week-to-week basis in the Big Ten. No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 USC faceoff on Sunday in their regular season finale, which could determine the winner of the conference. No. 12 Ohio State dropped four spots in this week’s poll, and has two tough games on its schedule as it goes up against No. 23 Michigan State on Wednesday and No. 19 Maryland on Sunday. Illinois was one of the last teams out of this week’s rankings, though it could slide back in with a win over Michigan in its final regular season game.
Required reading
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
