There are still a lot of games left to play this NCAA season, which means there's room for teams to still make their marks. With that being said, conference play is set to heat up soon, giving teams the opportunity to really prove their worth in the rankings.
Right now, the SEC and Big Ten are dominating the Top 25 rankings, the Big 10 having nine of its teams on the list, to the SEC's eight teams. In the bigger picture, it truly is a stand-off as to which conference will have more teams in the tournament this year. As for the rest of the Power 5 conferences, they have some room to grow.
WBB Conference Power Ranking
5. Big East
While UConn is an obvious favorite to win the title again this year, the rest of the Big East are nowhere near that level of success. An argument can be made for Villanova, which will, without a doubt, be the Huskies' biggest in-conference challenge. But even Villanova will most likely be sitting on the edge of making the tournament. Although the Wildcats just pulled off a ranked win over West Virginia. I just think the other Big East teams have some work to do before catching up to the other Power 5 conferences.
4. Big 12
The Big 12 still has four undefeated squads: Arizona State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and TCU. Of these four teams, Iowa State and TCU are definitely the two with the most potential. Audi Crooks and the Cyclones beat Iowa last week, and TCU got a ranked win against NC State earlier in the season. They might not have as many powerhouse teams, but the in-conference play of the Big 12 will be entertaining, especially between Iowa State, TCU, and Baylor. Although none of them have big competitors from other conferences on the rest of their regular season schedules, this gives them little opportunity to prove the Big 12's potential.
3. ACC
The ACC is always a competitive conference, but this season, some of their teams have struggled. Duke and NC State have both fallen out of the rankings after having potential. Three teams remain in the Top 25, though — Louisville, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. Louisville will face Tennessee on Saturday with a chance to prove themselves, and the ACC's potential as competitors within the rest of the field. Notre Dame will also have the opportunity when they face UConn in late January.
2. Big Ten
It is really hard to rank either the Big Ten or the SEC above the other. But the reason the Big Ten is here is simply that I think the SEC has more true title contenders — but I could absolutely be eating my words in a few months. The Big Ten has three teams in the top 10 right now — UCLA, Michigan, and Maryland. Iowa is also right outside the top 10 at number 11. But there are five other great squads in the bottom half of the Top 25. Out of all these teams, UCLA has the greatest chance of winning the NCAA tournament. But unfortunately, UCLA's only loss of the season came from Texas.
1. SEC
With 4 teams in the top 10, and three more of their teams holding spots 12, 13, and 14 of the rankings, I have to give the SEC the top spot here. The SEC is probably the most competitive conference this season. I cannot wait to see how their championship pans out. Texas beat UCLA by 11 points, and then won a tight in-conference game against South Carolina the very next day. I know we still have a few months, but I think when tournament time comes, the field is going to be overtaken with true SEC contenders.