ESPN power rankings – Syndication Server

Bucs land middle of the pack in ESPN’s 2024 power rankings

Where do you think the Bucs stack up with the rest of the league for next year?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended 2023 as one of the NFL’s top eight squads. But will they continue that momentum heading into next year?

The Bucs have a few question marks going into the offseason, and ESPN took notice when making their early 2024 power rankings. Tampa Bay came in at 16th in their rankings, exactly in the middle of the NFL pack, and the need for consistency and their pending free agents were listed as a big cause.

Here is what Bucs ESPN writer Jenna Laine said about the Bucs heading into the offseason:

Offensive coordinator Dave Canales took the Panthers’ head-coaching job, and WR Mike Evans and QB Baker Mayfield are set to become unrestricted free agents, so it was imperative that the Bucs found a new offensive coordinator who could build off what Canales installed in Tampa and do so without too much change. Liam Coen brings not only that but also a previous working relationship with Mayfield from when the two were with the Rams. Both are very high on each other, and with Evans, Canales’ system is one he liked.

So now it’s really about dollars and cents in re-signing two of the Bucs’ key offensive players, in addition to safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (their top defensive player last season) and inside linebacker Lavonte David.

Tampa Bay’s free agency will be a big factor in whether or not they’ll be competitive next year. Retain players like Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield, and the team could be successful. Let them go (or perhaps Antoine Winfield Jr.), and there will be some struggle. While it’s a little early for these sorts of things, it the offseason will be important to nail to see if that momentum carries on.

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Oklahoma Sooners fall to No. 18 in ESPN’s updated power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a two-game losing streak and have fallen from the top 10 to just inside the top 20 in ESPN’s power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a two-game losing streak after losing to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It was a bitter end to a rivalry that dates back to 1904 in a series the Sooners have dominated to the tune of a 91-20-7 record.

It’s a loss that stings. For the second time in three years, the Cowboys knocked the Sooners out of College Football Playoff contention and have Oklahoma on the ropes in the Big 12 title race.

After working their way into the top 10 after a win over Texas, the Sooners haven’t played as well. It’s not simply that they’ve lost games, it’s more that they’ve made a ton of mistakes along the way. And that’s as troubling as the two losses.

In ESPN’s updated power rankings after week 10, the Oklahoma Sooners have fallen all the way to No. 18.

The Sooners couldn’t make the plays when they needed them most, fumbling a direct snap to [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] at the OSU 34, ending a drive in the first quarter and then failing to convert a fourth-and-5 play with 1:01 left in the game when [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] was stopped for a 3-yard gain with Oklahoma trailing by three at midfield. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was 26-of-37 for 344 yards and a touchdown, and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] reeled off a 64-yard scoring run en route to 111 yards rushing. The Sooners loaded up to stop Ollie Gordon II, who ran 33 times for 137 yards, but Alan Bowman made them pay with 334 yards passing as the Sooners lost the last scheduled Bedlam game, one that will sting for a while, while also putting OU in a logjam with two losses in the Big 12 race. – Dave Wilson, ESPN

There’s still a lot to like about the Sooners. They’ve made significant progress as a defense and there are building blocks to an offense that has looked really good at different times throughout the season. But so much of how this season is viewed will be determined by how the Sooners finish the season.

With games vs. West Virginia, at BYU, and at home against TCU to close the regular season, Oklahoma can still finish with a 10-win season as Brent Venables and his staff continues to rebuild a program devoid of talent when they arrived.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

8 teams from the Pac-12 land in ESPN’s Week 2 Power Rankings

We’ve said it many times over the last month or so, but it’s becoming a truer and truer statement with each passing week: It’s such a shame that the Pac-12 is going to cease to exist after quite possibly the best year in the conference’s existence.

Until late on Saturday night, the Pac-12 stood as the only league in the nation that was undefeated, going 16-0 until both Arizona, Arizona State, and Stanford lost in the night window. Still, the conference is currently way ahead of the rest of the nation when it comes to non-conference records this season, and they are making an early statement when it comes to the polls.

Following the end of Week 2, the LBM Coaches Poll came out and put seven Pac-12 schools — USC, Washington, Utah, Oregon, Oregon State, Colorado, and UCLA — in the standings, while the Associated Press Top 25 added an eighth in there with Washington State.

ESPN followed that lead, putting eight of the 12 schools out west in their most recent power rankings. Take a look at where all of the schools stand following Week 2:

Texas A&M rises in ESPN’s latest college football power rankings ahead of Week 2

Ahead of their Week 2 matchup against Miami, Texas A&M saw a jump in the most recent power rankings update from ESPN.

After the dust has settled on the first full week of college football, it’s time to reshuffle the latest power rankings heading into Week 2.

Following their 52-10 rout of New Mexico last weekend, Texas A&M saw a slight jump in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll on Tuesday, while standing firm in the most recent AP Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, the Maroon and White received some appreciation in the most recent rankings update from the worldwide leader in sports.

The Aggies clocked in at No. 22 in ESPN’s power rankings following Week 1. The ESPN writing staff noted the high-flying start to the Jimbo Fisher-Bobby Petrino partnership, as well as how newly-crowned starting quarterback Conner Weigman helps elevate the offense around him:

“The coach Jimbo Fisher-offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino pairing got off to a high-flying start in a 52-10 blowout of New Mexico, giving the Aggies hope that last season’s woes that led to a 5-7 season are gone. The Aggies scored on their first five possessions and sophomore QB Conner Weigman had a career-high five touchdown passes, three to Noah Thomas and two to Evan Stewart, who had 8 catches for 115 yards.

Since Weigman took over as the Aggies’ starter last October, he has thrown 12 TDs with zero interceptions — that’s the most touchdowns without an interception in the FBS during that span. The defense dominated as expected, allowing 91 yards and just 2.8 yards per carry. Another new face, Boston College transfer Josh DeBerry, made an instant impact with 10 tackles, a sack and an interception.”

Texas A&M jumped up one spot from 24th in ESPN’s power rankings heading into the season, which highlights how the Aggies need to continue their positive momentum in order to instill some more confidence in their efforts. Luckily for them, they have some ample competition in Week 2 against the Miami Hurricanes.

There will be no shortage of intriguing matchups to keep an eye on, from the Aggies’ offensive line versus Miami’s defensive front to the play-caller battle between Petrino and Shannon Dawson. Simply put, if the Aggies can be just as efficient against the Hurricanes, a statement win would likely provide a boon to A&M’s place in the polls, as well as ESPN’s rankings.

Dominating New Mexico in a rout was the type of jolt this team needed in 2023, but now the task ahead is to keep that level of play continuous week-to-week. If the Maroon and White can do that, it’s not far-fetched to assume they will steadily rise in the power rankings as the reason rolls along.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.

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Oklahoma included in ESPN’s 2023 preseason power rankings

Where did the Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN’s preseason power rankings for the 2023 college football season?

ESPN released their preseason power rankings for 2023 along with “realistic best and worst case scenarios” for each team.

In ESPN’s estimation, the best-case scenario is for the Oklahoma Sooners to claim another Big 12 title on their way out the door. If the defense shows significant improvement, Oklahoma will be back on track after a substandard 2022.

If the defense doesn’t improve and the Sooners struggle in key matchups with Texas, Oklahoma State, and TCU, then questions will get louder about Brent Venables and OU’s future.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s preseason power rankings. compared to where they landed in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the AP Top 25, and Sooners Wire’s preseason power rankings.

Oklahoma Sooners up 2 spots in latest ESPN Women’s Basketball Power Rankings

After big wins at Baylor and Kansas State last week, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up in ESPN’s latest Women’s Basketball Power Rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners have bounced back from their two-game losing streak from a couple in a big way. They’ve now rattled off four-straight wins and earned a huge win on the road against Baylor in overtime last week.

They followed up the win over Baylor with another road win. This time it was a 17-point blowout over Kansas State in Manhattan. It was their 11th win this season by 15 or more points.

For their efforts, they’ve moved into the No. 5 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology and No. 11 in their latest power rankings.

The Sooners had one of their most emotional victories of the season last week against Baylor, as they rallied in the final minute of regulation and won 98-92 in overtime. They followed with an 85-68 win against Kansas State to finish a good week on the road. Oklahoma has had five different players as leading scorers in the last five games. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in assists with 21.3 per game, including 26 and 27 this past week. At 10-3 and a game behind Texas in the Big 12, the Sooners are the only other team with a realistic chance of winning the league regular-season title. – M.A. Voepel, ESPN

The schedule sets up well for the Oklahoma Sooners to overtake the Longhorns. In their final five regular season games, which starts Wednesday night at home against Texas Tech, the Sooners play just one top-25 team. They’ll face the Texas Longhorns on Feb. 25 for what could determine the Big 12 regular season title. That is if the Sooners take care of business against a group of teams that they’ve gone 4-0 against already this season.

Jennie Baranczyk has the Sooners humming. They boast the No. 2 offense in the nation at 86.9 points per game, with four players averaging 10 or more points per game.

There will be challenges along the way, but the Oklahoma Sooners look to be a force to be reckoned with this March.

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Early 2023 ESPN rankings do not favor the Browns

Will the Browns be able to exceed expectations in 2023?

With the Super Bowl over and the new league year coming next month ESPN has released their early 2023 NFL power rankings. It’s no surprise after how 2022 ended that most wouldn’t be high on the Cleveland Browns as they ranked 19 out of 32 teams. All of the concern is about Deshaun Watson returning to his elite caliber of play with the Texans.

“Watson ranked just 27th in QBR (38.3) as Cleveland’s offensive efficiency cratered in his return. Considering Watson didn’t play during the 2021 season, either, rust was expected. He now has the offseason to develop chemistry in and with Cleveland’s offense.” — Jake Trotter

Regardless of free agency and the draft if Watson doesn’t recapture that level of play 2023 will not be a successful season.

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Oklahoma Sooners get a bump in ESPN’s latest Women’s Basketball Power Rankings

After wins over TCU and Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma Sooners move up in ESPN’s latest women’s college basketball power rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a tremendous start in Big 12 play. At 6-1, they sit atop the conference and are the highest-ranked team in the league.

Coming off of a domination of TCU and a comeback win over Oklahoma State, the Sooners moved up one spot in ESPN’s latest women’s basketball power rankings.

It was a big week for Sooners senior Madi Williams, who had 19 points in defeating TCU on Wednesday and then 26 against Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Bedlam rivalry game lived up to the hype, with the teams combining for 23 3-pointers as Oklahoma won 97-93. The Sooners lead the Big 12 at 6-1, but Texas and Iowa State — the teams Oklahoma faces on the road this week — are tied in second place. – M.A. Voepel, ESPN

It’s a huge week for the Oklahoma Sooners who head to Austin and then Ames in hopes of holding onto the top spot in the Big 12. Their offense is humming right now. Jennie Baranczyk has the Sooners up to third in the nation in scoring.

If the Sooners can pick up wins over Texas and Iowa State on the road, they’ll solidify themselves as one of the top teams in the nation. Texas is coming off a bounceback win over Baylor after falling to Texas Tech. The Cyclones have won two in a row.

Texas and Iowa State have a combined home record of 18-1 on the season, while the Sooners are 5-1 on the road, with notable wins over BYU, West Virginia, Texas Tech, and TCU.

They’ve got a tough week ahead, but Oklahoma is rolling offensively. This week will go a long way toward solidifying their standing as the Big 12 frontrunners and as a legitimate national title contender.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

ESPN shakes up their college football power rankings after Week 12

A look at the updated ESPN rankings

It was a wild Week 12 around the country and for the Wisconsin Badgers, and while Wisconsin didn’t sneak into ESPN’s power rankings after their road win, there were a number of major shakeups elsewhere.

TCU pulled out a clutch win, Michigan survived late, Ohio State had a big second half to restore order at Maryland, and Tennessee fell off a cliff in Week 12.

Where do the Big Ten powers stand in the latest ESPN power rankings? Michigan and Ohio State obviously lead the way as they get ready for their season-defining clash in Week 13.

Here is a look at the post-Week 12 ESPN power rankings:

Where Oregon Ducks land in newest ESPN power rankings after big win over Utah

Oregon cracked the top 10 in both the AP Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. The ESPN Power Rankings weren’t so high on the Ducks.

Not many people were giving the Oregon Ducks much of a chance on Saturday night against the No. 10 Utah Utes.

Oregon was coming off of an emotional loss to the Washington Huskies, ending their College Football Playoff hopes, and on top of that, quarterback Bo Nix was questionable to play with an ankle injury that had hobbled him all week.

The result was a lot of heart and a lot of grit from the Ducks, who turned in their best defensive performance of the year and got back into the top 10 of both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

So how does ESPN view Oregon in their power rankings after the win? Let’s take a look: