USA Today Coaches Poll – Page 4

Auburn softball falls out of USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

Despite going 3-0 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, Auburn could not hang on to its top 25 ranking.

Auburn softball earned three wins last week at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, including one over then-No. 13 Utah.

However, they could hang on to their place within the USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, as they were not included in week three’s poll that was released Tuesday morning.

One reason is the number of teams entering the poll who were unranked last week. Mississippi State, Arizona, California, and Texas A&M all enter the poll this week after missing out on a spot last time out.

Another reason is due to its performance against Utah. A 1-0 win in a defensive battle with a top-25 team is always respected. However, the Utes lost three of its four games in Mexico last week and fell seven spots in this week’s poll, which waters down the win. It also does not help matters that Saturday’s game with No. 9 Clemson was canceled due to rain, which prevented Auburn from boosting its chances to keep its spot in the rankings.

Eleven of the SEC’s 13 teams make up this week’s USA TODAY/NFCA coaches poll, with Auburn receiving votes. Georgia is this week’s top-ranked SEC squad, checking in at No. 3. Tennessee, LSU, and Alabama represent the conference within the top 10. The Bayou Bengals took the biggest leap in this week’s poll, moving from No. 12 to No. 6.

Complete week one rankings from USA TODAY/NCFA

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Oklahoma	9-0	800	1
2	Texas	7-0	750	3
3	Georgia	9-0	738	4
4	Washington	6-1	679	6
5	Tennessee	4-2	623	2
6	LSU	8-0	585	12
7	Oklahoma State	6-2	562	6
8	Duke	4-1	557	5
9	Clemson	6-2	496	8
10	Alabama	10-0	494	11
11	Missouri	10-0	474	14
12	Florida State	5-3	460	7
13	Stanford	5-4	447	9
14	Florida	8-1	359	16
15	Arkansas	8-2	353	15
16	Kentucky	6-2	321	18
17	South Carolina	8-1	242	20
18	Texas A&M	9-0	234	NR
19	UCLA	3-4	168	19
20	Utah	5-4	143	13
21	California	10-1	120	NR
22	Arizona	10-1	120	NR
23	Oregon	6-5	119	17
24	Northwestern	5-2	115	22
25	Mississippi State	8-1	113	NR

Others Receiving Votes

Auburn (102), Virginia Tech (88), Baylor (61), Louisiana (31), Boston University (22), San Diego State (9), Miami University (6), Penn State (3), Boise State (2), Grand Canyon (1), Indiana (1).

Dropped Out

No. 21 Virginia Tech, No. 23 Louisiana, No. 24 Baylor, No. Auburn

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn falls two places in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after loss to Kentucky

Auburn suffers minimal damage in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after dropping its first home game of the season on Saturday.

Auburn basketball experienced the highs and lows of playing an SEC schedule last week.

The Tigers began the week by defeating then-No. 11 South Carolina by 40 points on Wednesday, only to suffer its first home loss of the season on Saturday to then-No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday.

How does a week like the one Auburn experienced affect its place in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll? Voters are a little forgiving of teams who sustain a loss to lower-ranked teams. This week, Auburn checks in at No. 14 in the coaches poll, down two from last week.

After losing on the road at Auburn, South Carolina dropped its weekend contest to LSU. Their tough week plummets them to No. 20, making them the biggest drop of the week. As for Kentucky, they rise three places to No. 17.

Five SEC programs are in this week’s coaches poll. Tennessee remains the top SEC team at No. 5 while Alabama jumps ahead of Auburn at No. 13.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	24-2	800 (32)	–
2	Houston	22-3	764	+1
3	Purdue	23-3	715	-1
4	Arizona	20-5	710	+2
5	Tennessee	19-6	641	+4
6	Iowa State	20-5	607	+4
7	Duke	20-5	580	+1
8	Marquette	19-6	553	-4
9	North Carolina	20-6	546	-4
10	Kansas	20-6	538	-3
11	Baylor	19-6	508	+2
12	Illinois	19-6	431	+2
13	Alabama	18-7	417	+2
14	Auburn	20-6	335	-2
15	Creighton	19-7	329	+1
16	Dayton	21-4	300	+2
17	Kentucky	18-7	291	+3
18	Saint Mary’s	21-6	251	+1
19	San Diego State	20-6	185	+12
20	South Carolina	21-5	180	-9
21	BYU	18-7	105	-4
22	Washington State	20-6	97	+12
23	Texas Tech	18-7	71	+4
24	Colorado State	20-6	65	+1
25	TCU	18-7	64	+8

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Oklahoma; No. 21 Wisconsin; No. 23 Virginia; No. 24 Indiana State

Others Receiving Votes

Gonzaga 61; Virginia 59; Florida 40; South Florida 35; Utah State 24; Michigan State 23; Grand Canyon 23; Wisconsin 16; Clemson 12; Oklahoma 9; Florida Atlantic 9; Nevada 4; James Madison 1; Boise State 1

Auburn softball slips in USA TODAY/NFCA top 25 coaches poll after opening weekend

The Tigers had little opportunities to prove themselves during a rain-soaked opening weekend, and their ranking has suffered.

The Auburn Tigers did not have ample opportunity to prove themselves last weekend during the Tiger Invitational due to rain delays altering their schedule.

The Tigers played just three games as the remaining two games on the slate were canceled due to heavy rain in the area. Auburn dropped its first game to Virginia Tech and tied the Hokies one day later while earning a win over Belmont to begin the season with a 1-1-1 record.

Because of the tough weekend, the Tigers experienced a drop in the latest USA TODAY/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll heading into week two of the season. Auburn checks in at No. 25 this week, down six spots from its preseason ranking of No. 19.

Auburn is one of 10 SEC representatives in the top 25 this week. Tennessee is the highest-ranked team at No. 2, followed by Georgia at No. 4. Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas remain in the top 15 while South Carolina cracks the top 20.

Kentucky and Missouri are two of the biggest movers this week. The No. 14 Tigers enter the top 25 after knocking off No. 8 Clemson and No. 13 Utah in Clearwater last weekend. Kentucky jumped seven places from No. 25 to No. 18 after beating then-No. 4 Stanford twice in San Diego.

Virginia Tech, who went 1-0-1 over Auburn last weekend, enters the poll at No. 21 this week.

Auburn heads to Mexico this weekend to participate in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge beginning Thursday. While there, Auburn will see No. 8 Clemson and No. 13 Utah.

Complete week one rankings from USA TODAY/NCFA

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Oklahoma	4-0	800	1
2	Tennessee	3-0	747	2
3	Texas	5-0	720	8
4	Georgia	5-0	650	6
5	Washington	3-1	629	7
6	Oklahoma State	5-0	626	9
7	Florida State	4-1	600	3
8	Clemson	4-1	569	5
9	Stanford	3-2	529	4
10	Duke	3-1	497	11
11	Alabama	5-0	485	12
12	LSU	5-0	460	14
13	Utah	4-1	369	13
14	Missouri	5-0	313	NR
15	Arkansas	4-1	299	16
16	Florida	4-1	280	17
17	Oregon	4-2	261	15
18	Kentucky	4-1	259	25
19	UCLA	2-3	240	10
20	South Carolina	5-0	218	23
21	Virginia Tech	4-0-1	160	NR
22	Northwestern	4-1	128	20
23	Louisiana	4-1	128	21
24	Baylor	0-2	91	22
25	Auburn	1-1-1	71	19

Others Receiving Votes

San Diego State (67), Nebraska (62), Texas A&M (55), Indiana (38), Arizona (37), Charlotte (19), California (15), Boston University (4), Boise State (2), Miami (2), Penn State (1), Wichita State (1).

Dropped Out

No. 18 Nebraska, No. 24 San Diego State

After defeating Tennessee, Texas A&M has received votes in the newest USA TODAY Coaches poll

After defeating Tennessee last Saturday, Texas A&M has now received votes in the newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

It’s official: Texas A&M (15-8, 6-4 SEC) is on a hot streak in SEC play after defeating the then-No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers 85-69 on Saturday night behind the stellar play of the Aggies’ elite guard duo, Tyrece Radford (27 points, five assists) and Wade Taylor IV (25 points 7 assists).

Now, two games over .500 in conference play, Texas A&M shot nearly 50% from the field for their second consecutive game, as head coach Buzz Williams noted the various adjustments he made to free things up and focus on driving toward the basket.

“Offensively, we made some unique adjustments that we have never done. Same, defensively.”

Defensively, forwards Andersson Garcia (6 points, 17 rebounds) and Solomon Washington (11 points, seven rebounds) were light out in the paint. At the same time, Washington’s freaky athleticism guarding speedy Vols guard Zakai Zeigler and star guard Dalton Knecht paid off tenfold.

With the win, the Aggies received nine votes in the newest USA TODAY Coaches Poll, while Tennesse moved down three spots to No. 6.

Here is the entire Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	22-2	792 (24)	–
2	Purdue	22-2	776 (8)	–
3	Houston	21-3	722	+2
4	Marquette	18-5	647	+3
5	North Carolina	19-5	643	-2
6	Arizona	19-5	642	+2
7	Kansas	19-5	635	-3
8	Duke	18-5	529	+2
9	Tennessee	17-6	524	-3
10	Iowa State	18-5	510	+4
11	South Carolina	21-3	475	+9
12	Auburn	19-5	421	-1
13	Baylor	17-6	402	–
14	Illinois	17-6	356	-2
15	Alabama	17-7	337	+1
16	Creighton	17-7	242	+2
17	BYU	17-6	202	+2
18	Dayton	19-4	195	-1
19	St Mary’s	20-6	185	+7
20	Kentucky	16-7	136	-5
21	Wisconsin	16-8	117	-12
21	Oklahoma	18-6	117	+10
23	Virginia	19-5	109	+7
24	Indiana State	22-3	106	+3
25	Colorado State	19-5	96	+4

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Utah State; No. 22 Florida Atlantic; No. 23 Texas Tech; No. 24 San Diego State; No. 25 New Mexico

Others Receiving Votes

Utah State 94; Texas Tech 89; Florida Atlantic 63; Clemson 38; Gonzaga 35; San Diego State 34; Nevada 27; TCU 20; Washington State 18; Grand Canyon 13; Texas A&M 9; New Mexico 8; Florida 8; Northwestern 6; South Florida 5; Wake Forest 4; VCU 4

Texas A&M will return on the road to take on Vanderbilt on February 13 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPNU.

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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Auburn drops one place in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Auburn will face two ranked opponents this week in No. 11 South Carolina and No. 20 Kentucky.

Auburn basketball experienced the ebbs and flows of life in the SEC last week.

The Tigers opened the week by blowing out rival Alabama by 18 points on Wednesday at home before experiencing a trap game in Gainesville on Saturday, losing 81-65 to Florida. The uneven week has caused Auburn to take a slight hit in the latest rankings.

The updated USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released Monday, and the Tigers have fallen to No. 12, down one spot from a week ago.

This week’s slate will provide a challenge to Auburn, as they will face two teams in the top 25 at home. The week begins Wednesday as the hottest team in the SEC, South Carolina, pays a visit to the Plains. The Gamecocks jump nine spots to No. 11 after taking care of Ole Miss and Vanderbilt at home. Kentucky, which visits Auburn on Saturday, fell to No. 20 after suffering its fourth loss over its last six games on Saturday to Gonzaga.

Five SEC schools are in this week’s coaches poll. Joining the aforementioned programs are Tennessee at No. 9 and Alabama at No. 15.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	22-2	792 (24)	–
2	Purdue	22-2	776 (8)	–
3	Houston	21-3	722	+2
4	Marquette	18-5	647	+3
5	North Carolina	19-5	643	-2
6	Arizona	19-5	642	+2
7	Kansas	19-5	635	-3
8	Duke	18-5	529	+2
9	Tennessee	17-6	524	-3
10	Iowa State	18-5	510	+4
11	South Carolina	21-3	475	+9
12	Auburn	19-5	421	-1
13	Baylor	17-6	402	–
14	Illinois	17-6	356	-2
15	Alabama	17-7	337	+1
16	Creighton	17-7	242	+2
17	BYU	17-6	202	+2
18	Dayton	19-4	195	-1
19	St Mary’s	20-6	185	+7
20	Kentucky	16-7	136	-5
21	Wisconsin	16-8	117	-12
21	Oklahoma	18-6	117	+10
23	Virginia	19-5	109	+7
24	Indiana State	22-3	106	+3
25	Colorado State	19-5	96	+4

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Utah State; No. 22 Florida Atlantic; No. 23 Texas Tech; No. 24 San Diego State; No. 25 New Mexico

Others Receiving Votes

Diamond Heels sandwiched between rivals in first USA TODAY Baseball Coaches’ Poll

College baseball season kicks off next week. The UNC baseball team, expected amongst the ACC’s best, is ranked in a pretty well-known poll.

It’s the first week of February – Super Bowl is right around the corner, basketball season is in full swing and hockey is getting closer to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

February also means gymnastics, swimming, wrestling and – baseball season?

You got it.

Opening Day for the MLB isn’t until Thursday, March 28, with minor leagues to start in early April.

College baseball, however, kicks off with afternoon games on Friday, Feb. 16.

One of the country’s most exciting teams will be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Led by a talented, veteran infield, a deep, power-hitting outfield and a pitching staff amongst one of the most recognizable in recent years, there’s no reason UNC shouldn’t compete atop the ACC.

How do we know college baseball season is right around the corner?

The first USA TODAY NCAA Baseball Coaches’ Poll is out, with the Diamond Heels 15th.

Another top 20 preseason ranking.#GoHeels X #CoachesPoll pic.twitter.com/guokLQNM1g

— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 6, 2024

North Carolina is one of six teams in the poll, along with top-ranked Wake Forest, UVA, Clemson, NC State and that team in royal blue – Duke. UNC is actually sandwiched between the Blue Devils (14th) and Wolfpack (16th).

The Diamond Heels begin their 2024 campaign by hosting the Wagner College Seahawks on Friday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. ET. North Carolina should sweep this series, but no early-season opponent is ever easy – see the 2023 opener against Seton Hall.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Auburn advances five places in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The Tigers grabbed two wins last week, and have now returned to a favorable spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The Auburn Tigers earned two key victories last week, and have now returned to a favorable spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The Tigers took care of Vanderbilt at home last Wednesday and erased a 13-point first-half deficit on the road at Ole Miss last Saturday to win by 14 points. Because of its recent success, Auburn has jumped five spots to No. 11 in this week’s coaches poll.

Auburn is one of the poll’s biggest movers, joining Kansas and Baylor by advancing five spots. South Carolina took the largest leap this week by joining the ranks at No. 20 after being unranked last week. Alabama moved up six spots from No. 22 to No. 16 ahead of Wednesday’s game at Neville Arena.

Five SEC teams occupy the poll this week, led by Tennessee at No. 6, Auburn at No. 11, Kentucky at No. 15, Alabama at No. 16, and South Carolina at No. 20. Ole Miss is in the receiving votes category this week.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	20-2	793 (25)	–
2	Purdue	21-2	775 (7)	–
3	North Carolina	18-4	710	–
4	Kansas	18-4	683	+5
5	Houston	19-3	662	-1
6	Tennessee	16-5	647	-1
7	Marquette	17-5	573	+3
8	Arizona	17-5	525	+4
9	Wisconsin	16-6	505	-3
10	Duke	16-5	469	-3
11	Auburn	18-4	450	+5
12	Illinois	17-5	430	+2
13	Baylor	16-5	394	+5
14	Iowa State	16-5	387	-3
15	Kentucky	15-6	297	-7
16	Alabama	16-6	285	+6
17	Dayton	18-3	265	+2
18	Creighton	16-6	261	-5
19	BYU	16-5	234	+2
20	South Carolina	19-3	221	+8
21	Utah State	19-3	167	-4
22	Florida Atlantic	18-4	161	+1
23	Texas Tech	16-5	133	-8
24	San Diego State	17-5	68	+2
25	New Mexico	18-4	60	-5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 Oklahoma; No. 25 TCU

Others Receiving Votes

Saint Mary’s 57; Indiana State 45; TCU 36; Colorado State 32; Virginia 17; Oklahoma 12; Grand Canyon 12; Northwestern 8; Boise State 7; Gonzaga 6; Texas 5; Michigan State 4; Ole Miss 2; App State 2

Arkansas softball ranked in USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll

The USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ poll was released on Tuesday and Arkansas softball was included yet again. Here’s where they were ranked.

Once again, [autotag]Arkansas softball[/autotag] is ranked inside the Top 20 of a preseason poll entering the 2024 campaign. On Tuesday, the USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ Poll was released and [autotag]Courtney Deifel[/autotag]’s Razorbacks were ranked No. 16 in the country.

This is the fourth preseason poll that has had the Hogs as a Top 20 team entering the season. Earlier this month, the team was ranked No. 8 and No. 18 by Softball America and D1Softball, respectively. Just last week ESPN.com/USA Softball had them ranked at No.12 on the new year.

All of this preseason love for the Hogs is warranted as Deifel’s squad is coming off of their third-straight 40-win season and the program’s sixth-straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Under Deifel’s guidance, Arkansas softball has received four national seeds. The remarkable thing about that feat is that before Deifel took over, the Hogs had never received a national seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks will open their 2024 season at the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Opening day is currently slated for Thursday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. where the Hogs will take on Marshall.

Auburn, Oklahoma plummet in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Iowa State, Texas Tech rise in the polls as Auburn and Oklahoma drop significantly.

Not much changed at the top of the polls this week, as far as the top five teams in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll are concerned. UConn, Purdue, North Carolina, Houston, and Tennessee all maintained their positions.

The big winners of the week are Iowa State and Texas Tech, who both jumped up six or more spots. The Cyclones are coming off a win over now-ranked No. 9 Kansas. The Jayhawks fell just one spot. The Red Raiders took care of now-ranked No. 24 Oklahoma on Saturday.

The Sooners were the biggest droppers in the poll this week. OU fell to both Texas and Texas Tech to find themselves at No. 24, just ahead of a resurgent TCU Horned Frogs team that checks in at No. 25.

Auburn had a hard-fought game against their bitter in-state rivals, Alabama. The Crimson Tide were able to come away victorious to send the Tigers down to No. 16, falling 10 spots. The Tide on the other hand jumped up to No. 22, they were unranked prior to the victory.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	18-2	766 (23)	–
2	Purdue	19-2	746 (8)	–
3	North Carolina	17-3	710	–
4	Houston	18-2	680	–
5	Tennessee	15-4	658	–
6	Wisconsin	16-4	593	+4
7	Duke	15-4	512	+5
8	Kentucky	15-4	510	-2
9	Kansas	16-4	503	-1
10	Marquette	15-5	454	+5
11	Iowa State	16-4	408	+7
12	Arizona	15-5	405	-3
13	Creighton	16-5	367	+3
14	Illinois	15-5	359	-3
15	Texas Tech	16-3	340	+6
16	Auburn	16-4	331	-10
17	Utah State	18-2	258	+3
18	Baylor	14-5	188	-4
19	Dayton	16-3	166	-2
20	New Mexico	18-3	162	+5
21	BYU	15-5	159	-2
22	Alabama	14-6	147	+4
23	Florida Atlantic	17-4	122	+1
24	Oklahoma	15-5	106	-11
25	TCU	15-5	99	+5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Memphis; No. 23 Colorado State

Others Receiving Votes

San Diego State 67; Ole Miss 57; South Carolina 46; Gonzaga 38; Memphis 26; Northwestern 23; Colorado State 14; Indiana State 13; Texas 11; Grand Canyon 9; Saint Mary’s 5; Virginia 4; McNeese State 4; App State 4; Seton Hall 2; Cornell 2; Princeton 1

Auburn takes another giant leap in USA TODAY Coaches Poll

The Tigers are now a top-10 team after taking down Vanderbilt, No. 21 Ole Miss last week.

Auburn basketball swept another week by earning wins over Vanderbilt and No. 21 Ole Miss.

The win streak for the Tigers is now up to 11 games, with every win being by 10 points or greater. Last week, Auburn defeated Vanderbilt by 15 points while taking down the previously-ranked Rebels of Ole Miss by 23.

Auburn’s wins become more and more impressive by the week, which has caused the Tigers to continue climbing up the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll rankings. Auburn takes another giant stride forward by moving five spots to No. 6, which is tied with fellow SEC power, Kentucky.

Only three SEC schools made the cut in this week’s poll, with all residing in the top 10. Tennessee is one place higher than Auburn and Kentucky at No. 5 after earning convincing wins over Florida and Alabama last week.

Auburn’s streak will be put to the test this week as they travel to Alabama on Wednesday and Mississippi State on Saturday. A win over each of those teams will boost the Tigers’ resume, as the victories would be considered quad-1 wins.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	UConn	17-2	791 (24)	–
2	Purdue	17-2	769 (8)	–
3	North Carolina	15-3	734	–
4	Houston	16-2	678	+1
5	Tennessee	14-4	671	+2
6	Kentucky	14-3	609	+4
6	Auburn	16-2	609	+5
8	Kansas	15-3	576	-4
9	Arizona	14-4	528	+4
10	Wisconsin	14-4	480	-2
11	Illinois	14-4	437	+3
12	Duke	13-4	421	-6
13	Oklahoma	15-3	401	+3
14	Baylor	14-4	362	-5
15	Marquette	13-5	360	+3
16	Creighton	14-5	299	-1
17	Dayton	15-2	277	+6
18	Iowa State	14-4	220	+2
19	BYU	14-4	181	–
20	Utah State	17-2	176	-3
21	Texas Tech	15-3	148	+4
22	Memphis	15-4	130	-10
23	Colorado State	15-3	119	+3
24	Florida Atlantic	15-4	101	+3
25	New Mexico	16-3	54	+20

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Ole Miss; No. 22 TCU; No. 24 San Diego State

Others Receiving Votes

San Diego State 43; Alabama 43; Seton Hall 33; Gonzaga 30; TCU 26; Texas 18; Clemson 15; Kansas State 14; Princeton 13; Utah 10; Saint Mary’s 6; Boise State 5; Indiana State 4; Grand Canyon 4; Ole Miss 2; James Madison 2; Michigan State 1