Notre Dame fans might still be smarting over the outcome of the 2025 College Football Playoff title game, but it’s time to look to 2026. At least that’s how ESPN sees it.
The Irish are slotted as the seventh seed and host of a first-round game, but the bigger story in this scenario is their first opponent would be LSU. What’s more, this projection has the Irish beating the Tigers in a game that Brian Kelly surely never would live down.
Alas, this projection also has Penn State getting revenge on the Irish in the Rose Bowl en route to winning the national title. At least there’s no shame in losing to the last team standing:
Welcome to college football, where predictions never take time off.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Vanderbilt and LSU in SEC play during Week 12 of the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Even with three straight wins and a 6-1 start in conference play under their belts, the Crimson Tide (17-3 overall) were dropped to No. 4 in the updated USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released Monday. That’s because the coaches voted Iowa State (17-2) ahead of Alabama at No. 3.
The Auburn Tigers (18-1) stayed at No. 1 for the third straight week after a top 10 win over the Tennessee Volunteers, with the Duke Blue Devils (17-2) at No. 2. With Iowa State and Alabama behind Auburn and Duke, the Houston Cougars (16-3) rounded out the top five after their double-OT win over the Kansas Jayhawks (14-5) in Lawrence on Saturday.
Alabama will face No. 13 Mississippi State (16-4, 4-3) at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday in Starkville. The game will be televised on SEC Network. The Bulldogs rose one spot in Monday’s poll.
The SEC had nine teams ranked in this week’s Top 25. Outside of the top five, the Florida Gators (18-2) were No. 6, with Tennessee (17-3) at No. 8. The Kentucky Wildcats (14-5) fell three spots to No. 12, with Texas A&M (15-5) at No. 15, Missouri (16-4) at No. 21, and Ole Miss (15-5) at No. 23.
Full Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Week 13
Rank
School
Record
Points
1
Auburn
18-1
775 (31)
2
Duke
17-2
741
3
Iowa State
17-2
689
4
Alabama
17-3
676
5
Houston
16-3
635
6
Florida
18-2
634
7
Michigan State
17-2
583
8
Tennessee
17-3
564
9
Marquette
17-3
536
10
Purdue
16-5
476
11
Kansas
14-5
429
12
Kentucky
14-5
399
13
Mississippi State
16-4
324
14
St. John’s
17-3
318
15
Texas A&M
15-5
310
16
Memphis
16-4
242
17
Wisconsin
16-4
214
18
Oregon
16-4
201
19
Texas Tech
15-4
169
20
Illinois
14-6
166
21
Missouri
14-6
163
22
Louisville
15-5
162
23
Ole Miss
15-5
104
24
UConn
14-6
100
25
Clemson
17-4
96
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Michigan; No. 23 West Virginia
Others Receiving Votes
Michigan 67; Gonzaga 55; Maryland 50; Vanderbilt 44; Saint Mary’s 41; Arizona 41; Utah State 22; Creighton 18; West Virginia 17; Georgia 6; Baylor 4; New Mexico 3; UC Irvine 1
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Wisconsin is coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign that was the program’s first non-bowl season since 2001. It was also the first year since 1996 that the Badgers didn’t spend a single week ranked in the AP Top 25.
Any spin of the program’s 2024 campaign is likely to be negative. The lasting positives were the team’s close games against top-ranked Oregon and Penn State. Those results were quickly followed, however, by losses to rivals Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota by a combined margin of 110-42.
Wisconsin enters 2025 with new faces in important positions. Jeff Grimes takes over as offensive coordinator after Phil Longo’s firing. He’ll enter the year with former Maryland starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. under center and a host of promising transfer pass-catchers.
They will line up against, as mentioned, one of the toughest schedules in the sport. ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 projects six ranked opponents on the Badgers’ schedule, with another two right outside that tier.
Here are those ranked matchups, per ESPN’s early forecast:
Eight of Wisconsin’s 12 games are against teams that project somewhere inside the sport’s top 30. Contests against Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee, Maryland and Minnesota are the only games that do not qualify in that category.
Much will change between now and kickoff for Week 1. An early thought entering preseason preparation: Wisconsin would do extremely well to return to six wins and bowl eligibility.
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The Wildcats were number nine in the coaches poll last week, and stayed at number nine this week despite the loss. That puts them fifth among the teams of the SEC.
Overall, nine SEC teams are ranked again this week. Three more received votes.
As for Kentucky, they’ll look to bounce back from their loss to the Tide. They play just one game in the upcoming week, against Vanderbilt. It’s a game the Cats need to win in a very strong SEC this season.
The team’s 2-0 week, which consisted of a home win over Ohio State and a road triumph over USC, resulted in a rise from receiving votes to No. 19 in the latest edition of the poll. The team’s vote total increased from 29 to 194.
The Badgers are now the fifth-highest ranked Big Ten team in the coaches poll behind Michigan State (No. 8), Purdue (No. 12), Oregon (No. 15) and Illinois (No. 17).
Here is a full look at the latest coaches top 25:
Ranking
Team
Record
Points
Change
1
Auburn
17-1
774 (30)
–
2
Duke
16-2
739
+1
3
Alabama
15-3
672
+2
4
Iowa State
15-2
668 (1)
–2
5
Houston
14-3
623
+3
6
Florida
16-2
615
-2
7
Tennessee
16-2
584
-1
8
Michigan State
16-2
558
+4
9
Kentucky
14-4
478
–
10
Marquette
15-3
473
-3
11
Kansas
13-4
467
-1
12
Purdue
15-4
452
+3
13
Texas A&M
14-4
383
-2
14
Mississippi State
15-3
341
+4
15
Oregon
15-3
309
-1
16
Ole Miss
15-3
272
+5
17
Illinois
13-5
266
+3
18
UConn
13-5
230
-5
19
Wisconsin
15-3
194
+8
20
Michigan
14-4
180
-1
21
St. John’s
16-3
167
+5
22
Memphis
14-4
130
-5
23
West Virginia
13-4
107
+2
24
Missouri
15-3
77
+14
25
Texas Tech
13-4
53
+8
Wisconsin’s ascension is the product of a seven-game winning streak that dates to Dec. 14. The team has won five straight Big Ten games during that time, including a Quad 2 win over Ohio State and a Quad 1 triumph over USC.
The Badgers are up to No. 21 in KenPom and No. 25 in the ESPN BPI after another 2-0 week. They continue to improve as the weeks pass, leading to strong on-court results and subsequent ranking improvements.
The team is back on the court on Tuesday night at UCLA. It looks to sweep its two-game Los Angeles, California, road trip and continue its march to the top of the Big Ten standings.
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Kentucky basketball climbs four spots in the newest coaches poll.
On Saturday, Kentucky basketball got its third victory over a top ten team of the season when they knocked off the Florida Gators 106 – 100. It was an impressive performance, and in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Wildcats jumped up into the top ten once again.
Now at 12 – 2, Kentucky comes in at number seven this week. That’s up four spots from last week’s poll, but a few spots short of their highest ranking of the season.
The Badgers gained ground after their 1-0 week, however. They received 31 total votes (30th overall) in the newest poll, up from last week’s total of 18 votes (37th).
Wisconsin is inching toward the AP Top 25 after a record-breaking 116-85 win over Iowa. The win extended the team’s win streak to three as it rebuilds momentum after an early December losing streak dropped it from its previous No. 11 ranking.
The Badgers are eighth among Big Ten teams that are ranked or receiving votes behind Illinois (No. 13), Oregon (No. 15), Michigan State (No. 16), Purdue (No. 20), UCLA (No. 22), Michigan (No. 24) and Nebraska (receiving votes, 62).
Tennessee still holds the top spot after a 14-0 start. The Volunteers are followed by Auburn (13-1), Iowa State (12-1), Duke (12-2) and Alabama (12-2), just as in the latest coaches poll.
The rest of the top 10 is Kentucky (12-2), Marquette (13-2), Florida (13-1), UConn (12-3) and Texas A&M (12-2).
Of note, Wisconsin’s three losses came against the AP No. 7 (Marquette), No. 13 (Illinois) and No. 24 (Michigan) teams. Its resume is highlighted by wins over Pittsburgh (receiving votes, 91) and Arizona (receiving votes, three).
The Badgers will have plenty of chances for resume-building victories as the Big Ten season continues. The team is back on the court on Monday night for an important road test at Rutgers (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten). Another undefeated week (at Rutgers, vs. Minnesota) could launch Wisconsin back into the top 25 and into Big Ten contention.
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The Badgers are winners of three straight after an early-December losing streak to Michigan, Illinois and Marquette. The last game was a record-breaking 116-85 victory over a strong Iowa team. That stretch of strong performances has the team up to No. 26 in KenPom, though it wasn’t enough to approach the coaches’ top 25.
Wisconsin played just one game from Dec. 14 to Jan. 3, which could be a reason for the lack of consideration. Fast-rising Memphis (No. 20), West Virginia (No. 23) and Utah State (No. 25) all have multiple notable results in the last few weeks. The Badgers will need a run of Big Ten wins in short order to reenter the ranking.
Tennessee leads the latest coaches poll after improving to 14-0. The Volunteers are followed by Auburn (13-1), Iowa State (12-1), Duke (12-2) and Alabama (12-2).
Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Michigan State (No. 14), Illinois (No. 15), Oregon (No. 17), Purdue (No. 19), UCLA (No. 21) and Michigan (No. 24). Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Indiana received votes.
Wisconsin is back on the court on Monday night against Rutgers. While the Badgers are slight favorites in the contest, they must overcome their recent struggles at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports 1.
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The latest release of the poll saw the Badgers drop out of the ‘receiving votes’ section. The team sat idle during the week — its Dec. 22 win over Detroit Mercy is its only result since Dec. 14. That extended time off saw the Badgers drop the seven votes they received in last week’s edition of the poll.
Tennessee leads the latest coaches poll after continuing its undefeated start to the season. Auburn, Iowa State, Duke and Florida round out the poll’s top five. Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Oregon (No. 9), Michigan State (No. 15), UCLA (No. 18), Illinois (No. 20), Purdue (No. 22) and Maryland (No. 24).
Here is the full coaches poll top 25 entering the New Year:
Ranking
Team
Record
Points
Change
1
Tennessee
12-0
764 (20)
–
2
Auburn
11-1
747 (11)
–
3
Iowa State
10-1
707
–
4
Duke
10-2
664
–
5
Florida
13-0
651
–
6
Alabama
11-2
626
–
7
Kansas
9-2
552
–
8
Marquette
11-2
539
–
9
Oregon
12-1
491
–
10
Oklahoma
13-0
476
+1
11
Kentucky
10-2
428
-1
12
Texas A&M
11-2
424
+1
13
UConn
10-3
416
+1
14
Houston
8-3
386
-2
15
Michigan State
10-2
270
+3
16
Mississippi State
11-1
267
+3
17
Cincinnati
10-1
259
–
18
UCLA
11-2
255
+3
19
Gonzaga
9-4
170
-4
20
Illinois
9-3
129
+2
21
Baylor
8-3
113
+2
22
Purdue
8-3
108
+3
23
Ole Miss
7-3
92
-7
24
Maryland
11-2
90
+2
25
Memphis
10-3
87
+8
Others Receiving Votes
St. John’s 70; Arkansas 58; Drake 53; Michigan 49; Utah State 42; Georgia 36; San Diego State 30; Dayton 19; Texas Tech 12; Pittsburgh 10; Clemson 9; West Virginia 8; Missouri 6; North Carolina 1;
Wisconsin is back on the court on Jan. 3 against Iowa. It will look to recapture early-season form that led to an 8-0 start and No. 11 coaches poll ranking.
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Kentucky women’s basketball climbs a spot in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
After three straight weeks ranked 16th, Kentucky women’s basketball has finally climbed into the top 15 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. This comes after another 2 – 0 week for the Wildcats.
On Monday, Kentucky got a blowout win over Queens. Then, on Saturday, the defeated Purdue by 30 points on the road. It was their first true road victory of the season, and another week where the Cats look like one of the best teams in the country.
The SEC has seven teams ranked in the top 25, led by South Carolina at number two. They’re followed by the LSU Tigers at number three, and Texas Longhorns at number six.
Kentucky is the fifth highest SEC team in the rankings this week, just ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers. Coach Kenny Brooks has the Wildcats playing well, and they will set their sights on the top ten next.
Here are the full results of this week’s coaches poll.
