78 days until Opening Day … 

Let’s get this out of the way at the top: Rankings are not the primary way you should be thinking about or preparing for your Fantasy Baseball draft. They’re a tool – and, given their prominence in draft rooms, a popular one – but they shouldn’t be the tool. 

An ordinal ranking – that is, a ranking where every item in a list is given a number in order – just doesn’t allow for the kind of nuance you actually need when building a Fantasy team. The gap between Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes is the same in my starting pitcher rankings as the gap between Skenes and Chris Sale; in my overall rankings, Crochet and Skenes are back-to-back to close out the top 12, while Sale comes in nearly 20 spots later. Sale is closer in my overall rankings to my No. 13 SP, Cole Ragans, by comparison.

And then there’s the fact that these rankings can’t be dynamic in the way you actually need to be when drafting. If you take Skubal in the first round and Paul Skenes is the clear top player left on your board by the time you pick in the second round, you might just double-dip on the SP position – something I did in a mock draft earlier in the offseason – but that’s going to dramatically change how you approach the rest of your draft. Is Yoshinobu Yamamoto still sitting there unexpectedly in the third round as your clear top player? Too bad, you can’t take him! 

Conversely, if you took Elly De La Cruz in the first round, you probably shouldn’t be taking another shortstop whose strongest skill is stolen bases in the second round, even if you really like Trea Turner. But if you took Aaron Judge in the first, you might want to consider moving some of those stolen base specialists up a bit. 

And then there’s just … personal preference! If you prioritize upside in your drafts, you might be a lot more bullish on pushing the likes of Trey Yesavage and Cameron Schlittler way up your draft boards. If you want to avoid injury risk at all costs, your best bet might be taking Tyler Glasnow and Hunter Greene off your boards entirely. 

I’m ranking based on my preferences, but I’ll also grant that I’m pretty loose with my rankings – just because I have Spencer Schwellenbach ranked 55th overall doesn’t mean I wouldn’t ever consider taking him ahead of Joe Ryan, the SP directly ahead of him, let alone C.J. Abrams or Freddie Freeman, the two position players directly ahead of both. In each of those instances, who I take will come down to team context and, if we’re being honest, the intellectual equivalent of an in-the-moment coin flip.

There might be some Fantasy analysts who will pound the table that their order is the one correct one, and if you’re looking for that kind of certainty, I’m not the analyst for you. We embrace nuance and uncertainty here at FBT, so if your response to any of the following rankings is, “Why don’t you have Player Y ahead of Player X?” My response very well may be, “I could; ask me again tomorrow!” 

That’s all to say: Rankings are a starting point. They weren’t handed down from on high to be taken as gospel in all circumstances. It says, “I prefer this player to that player, absent all of the context that actually goes into drafting and building a team.” Drafting based just on ADP would be a mistake, but drafting just based on any individual’s rankings – even an individual as smart and clever and, frankly, handsome as I am – would be a mistake too. There are lessons to be learned here for sure – I’m higher on some players than the consensus and lower on some than others, which should raise your antenna, at least – but the truth is, rankings are always only ever a starting point.

In the next few weeks, the FBT team will be unveiling our full rankings for both Roto and H2H leagues, with Auction/Salary Cap Draft values, and we’ll have sleepers, breakouts, and busts picks, tiers, and a whole bunch more to get you ready for Draft Day. With 2026 officially here, this is where I’m starting, with my position-by-position top-12 rankings and an overall top-250 for Rotisserie leagues:  

Chris Towers’ 2026 Rankings

Catchers

It’s usually a chore to fill in a top-12 at catcher. This year, I’m leaving out names like Samuel Basallo, Adley Rutschman, and Kyle Teel, among others. I think you can genuinely go 17 names deep before I’d stop feeling at least pretty good about my No. 1 catcher, and that’s not including Ivan Herrera, who should gain catcher eligibility at some point and might challenge for a top-six spot if he did qualify for the position. The gaps between No. 2-6 here is razor thin, and at least seven should go inside the top 100 of most drafts. 

1. Cal Raleigh
2. William Contreras
3. Hunter Goodman
4. Shea Langeliers
5. Ben Rice
6. Agustin Ramirez
7. Salvador Perez
8. Will Smith
9. Yainer Diaz
10. Drake Baldwin
11. Francisco Alvarez
12. Alejandro Kirk

First basemen

The state of first base is … fine. You probably don’t actually want to use either Rice or Perez as your 1B, which means Michael Busch and Yandy Diaz will slide in to close out the real top 12, and you probably feel pretty good about any of those 12 as your starter. Beyond that, it’s names like Jonathan Aranda, Spencer Torkelson, and Kyle Manzardo, who are decent but have enough real limitations that they are probably best left for that CI spot if you can manage – though Aranda is the one name who makes me worry I may be too low on him. 

1. Nick Kurtz
2. Vladimir Guerrero
3. Pete Alonso
4. Bryce Harper
5. Rafael Devers
6. Matt Olson
7. Freddie Freeman
8. Ben Rice
9. Josh Naylor
10. Vinnie Pasquantino
11. Tyler Soderstrom
12. Salvador Perez

Second basemen

Yeah, it’s weak. Probably the weakest position in the sport at this point. You feel pretty good about the top five, maybe, and then there’s plenty of upside with the next group of five or so. After that? It’s pretty wide open, especially depending on your scoring format – Rafaela might not even be worth rostering in a points league with his poor plate discipline. The best hope here is that big prospect names like JJ Wetherholt and Kevin McGonigle play enough second base to gain eligibility there. 

1. Jazz Chisholm
2. Ketel Marte
3. Brice Turang
4. Luke Keaschall
5. Nico Hoerner
6. Jose Altuve
7. Jackson Holliday
8. Ozzie Albies
9. Brandon Lowe
10. Jorge Polanco
11. Ceddanne Rafaela
12. Marcus Semien

Third basemen

There are still some questions here. Most notably: Will Isaac Paredes actually be on the Astros in 2026? If so, I think he’s an obvious top-10 guy at the position and one of the very best values in early drafts. But if he’s traded to the wrong place, his value can collapse, as we saw with the Cubs in 2024. Outside of the top 12, there are some interesting names like Royce Lewis and the recently signed Kazuma Okamoto, but no sure things. Probably the second-weakest position in the game at this point, and very few guys you’d feel good about as your CI, even in a 12-team league. 

1. Jose Ramirez
2. Junior Caminero
3. Jazz Chisholm
4. Manny Machado
5. Austin Riley
6. Maikel Garcia
7. Jordan Westburg
8. Eugenio Suarez
9. Alex Bregman
10. Isaac Paredes
11. Noelvi Marte
12. Matt Chapman

Shortstops

“Where are all the good second and third basemen?” 

They’re at shortstop. 20 years ago, Corey Seager is probably playing third base at this point in his career – instead, in our reality, he had one of his best defensive seasons ever! MLB teams care more about defense than ever before, but they’re also better at maximizing the defensive value of otherwise fringe defenders than ever, and the primary effect here appears to be that talent is pooling at shortstop to the detriment of the other positions. That’s how we have a situation where guys like Jeremy Pena, Willy Adames, Dansby Swanson, or Jacob Wilson, who would be must-start options at 2B, aren’t even in the top 12 at shortstop. Heck, if Colson Montgomery had managed to retain 3B eligibility, he might have ended up a top-12 player there; he’s my SS18 for 2025! 

1. Bobby Witt
2. Elly De La Cruz
3. Francisco Lindor
4. Gunnar Henderson
5. Trea Turner
6. Zach Neto
7. Mookie Betts
8. Geraldo Perdomo
9. CJ Abrams
10. Corey Seager
11. Trevor Story
12. Bo Bichette

Outfielders

The strength of recent years is still here, even if the likes of Jackson Merrill and Wyatt Langford haven’t quite taken the leap toward superstardom some expected. I remain pretty bullish on both, though notably, I am significantly higher on Merrill relative to expectations than almost any other player in the pool. There could be plenty of room for profit at the outfield if you buy unlikely breakouts from the likes of George Springer and Kyle Stowers, especially since the Market is keeping both at arm’s length. 

1. Aaron Judge
2. Juan Soto
3. Ronald Acuna
4. Julio Rodriguez
5. Corbin Carroll
6. Fernando Tatis
7. Kyle Tucker
8. Jackson Chourio
9. Pete Crow-Armstrong
10. James Wood
11. Roman Anthony
12. Wyatt Langford
13. Jackson Merrill
14. Hunter Goodman
15. Brent Rooker
16. Cody Bellinger
17. Riley Greene
18. George Springer
19. Seiya Suzuki
20. Jarren Duran
21. Byron Buxton
22. Michael Harris
23. Randy Arozarena
24. Tyler Soderstrom
25. Kyle Stowers
26. Jose Altuve
27. Brandon Nimmo
28. Jo Adell
29. Jakob Marsee
30. Andy Pages
31. Lawrence Butler
32. Jurickson Profar
33. Oneil Cruz
34. Steven Kwan
35. Ian Happ
36. Taylor Ward

Starting pitchers

Quibble with the order. It’s okay, I don’t mind. I won’t take it personally. The truth is, there is very little separating players within most of the tiers at starting pitcher this season. I have a few stances I’m willing to argue for – “Yoshinobu Yamamoto shouldn’t be the No. 4 SP” and “Freddy Peralta is being overrated” most notably – but for the most part, I’m viewing the SP rankings as especially fluid this season. Which means I’m not really planning on reaching for many guys this year. There’s just so much more parity at the position these days than I’m used to that I really think you could take just about anyone from 30 to 50 or so and put them in any order you want, and I wouldn’t argue too strenuously. 

1. Tarik Skubal
2. Garrett Crochet
3. Paul Skenes
4. Chris Sale
5. Logan Gilbert
6. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
7. Cristopher Sanchez
8. Hunter Brown
9. Bryan Woo
10. Hunter Greene
11. Jacob deGrom
12. Max Fried
13. Cole Ragans
14. Joe Ryan
15. Spencer Schwellenbach
16. Dylan Cease
17. Logan Webb
18. George Kirby
19. Kyle Bradish
20. Jesus Luzardo
21. Freddy Peralta
22. Nick Pivetta
23. Framber Valdez
24. Blake Snell
25. Tyler Glasnow
26. Shohei Ohtani
27. Chase Burns
28. Eury Perez
29. Brandon Woodruff
30. Kevin Gausman
31. Sandy Alcantara
32. Trevor Rogers
33. Emmet Sheehan
34. Zack Wheeler
35. Spencer Strider
36. Nolan McLean
37. Jacob Misiorowski
38. Cam Schlittler
39. Bubba Chandler
40. Trey Yesavage
41. Ryan Pepiot
42. Gavin Williams
43. Robbie Ray
44. Tatsuya Imai
45. Pablo Lopez
46. Nick Lodolo
47. Kris Bubic
48. MacKenzie Gore
49. Ranger Suarez
50. Sonny Gray

Relief pitchers

Relievers are the most flexible position for rankings purposes by default. We aren’t just ranking who the best players at the position, like we are everywhere, but also how likely we think each pitcher is to become and remain the closer on their respective team. The top 12 right now features multiple pitchers who flat-out lost their jobs in 2025, so I can’t say this is a particularly great period in time for the RP position, though further signings and spring training battles will bring some clarity and make it look better than it currently does. For now, much outside of the top 10 or so deserves an incomplete grade. 

1. Mason Miller
2. Edwin Diaz
3. Josh Hader
4. Andres Munoz
5. Jhoan Duran
6. Cade Smith
7. David Bednar
8. Aroldis Chapman
9. Devin Williams
10. Ryan Helsley
11. Raisel Iglesias
12. Trevor Megill

Top 250 

I suppose I should address why I have Aaron Judge ahead of Shohei Ohtani here. It mostly comes down to Judge’s specialty being more projectable than Ohtani’s. That means I feel more confident in Judge being a batting average standout than Ohtani being a stolen base standout now that he’s entering the season as a full-time starting pitcher again. From the point Ohtani returned to the rotation in mid-June last season, he stole just nine bases. If he’s just a 15-ish steal guy, I don’t think he can overcome Judge’s dominance as a hitter. Remember, Judge has hit at least .311 in three of the past four seasons, while hitting .311 overall in that span. Combined with best-in-the-league power and run production, I just don’t think Ohtani’s steal edge is enough to overcome that. 

1. Aaron Judge
2. Shohei Ohtani
3. Bobby Witt
4. Jose Ramirez
5. Juan Soto
6. Elly De La Cruz
7. Ronald Acuna
8. Julio Rodriguez
9. Corbin Carroll
10. Tarik Skubal
11. Garrett Crochet
12. Paul Skenes
13. Fernando Tatis
14. Kyle Tucker
15. Francisco Lindor
16. Gunnar Henderson
17. Junior Caminero
18. Jackson Chourio
19. Cal Raleigh
20. Kyle Schwarber
21. Jazz Chisholm
22. Nick Kurtz
23. Vladimir Guerrero
24. Trea Turner
25. Manny Machado
26. Ketel Marte
27. Yordan Alvarez
28. Pete Crow-Armstrong
29. Pete Alonso
30. Chris Sale
31. Logan Gilbert
32. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
33. Cristopher Sanchez
34. Hunter Brown
35. James Wood
36. Zach Neto
37. Bryce Harper
38. Rafael Devers
39. Bryan Woo
40. Hunter Greene
41. Mookie Betts
42. Roman Anthony
43. Wyatt Langford
44. Jacob deGrom
45. Max Fried
46. Cole Ragans
47. Brice Turang
48. William Contreras
49. Jackson Merrill
50. Geraldo Perdomo
51. Matt Olson
52. Freddie Freeman
53. CJ Abrams
54. Joe Ryan
55. Spencer Schwellenbach
56. Dylan Cease
57. Hunter Goodman
58. Shea Langeliers
59. Ben Rice
60. Logan Webb
61. Mason Miller
62. Edwin Diaz
63. Josh Hader
64. Andres Munoz
65. George Kirby
66. Josh Naylor
67. Brent Rooker
68. Cody Bellinger
69. Agustin Ramirez
70. Kyle Bradish
71. Riley Greene
72. George Springer
73. Jesus Luzardo
74. Christian Yelich
75. Jhoan Duran
76. Corey Seager
77. Seiya Suzuki
78. Cade Smith
79. Trevor Story
80. Austin Riley
81. Jarren Duran
82. Bo Bichette
83. Byron Buxton
84. Freddy Peralta
85. Michael Harris
86. Vinnie Pasquantino
87. Jeremy Pena
88. Randy Arozarena
89. Tyler Soderstrom
90. Maikel Garcia
91. Nick Pivetta
92. Kyle Stowers
93. Framber Valdez
94. Blake Snell
95. Tyler Glasnow
96. Chase Burns
97. Eury Perez
98. Brandon Woodruff
99. Luke Keaschall
100. Jordan Westburg
101. David Bednar
102. Salvador Perez
103. Will Smith
104. Yainer Diaz
105. Kevin Gausman
106. Sandy Alcantara
107. Aroldis Chapman
108. Eugenio Suarez
109. Alex Bregman
110. Drake Baldwin
111. Nico Hoerner
112. Jose Altuve
113. Trevor Rogers
114. Willy Adames
115. Brandon Nimmo
116. Michael Busch
117. Jo Adell
118. Jakob Marsee
119. Yandy Diaz
120. Devin Williams
121. Emmet Sheehan
122. Zack Wheeler
123. Spencer Strider
124. Andy Pages
125. Lawrence Butler
126. Jackson Holliday
127. Ozzie Albies
128. Jurickson Profar
129. Oneil Cruz
130. Nolan McLean
131. Ryan Helsley
132. Raisel Iglesias
133. Jacob Misiorowski
134. Cam Schlittler
135. Bubba Chandler
136. Trey Yesavage
137. Ryan Pepiot
138. Gavin Williams
139. Steven Kwan
140. Ian Happ
141. Taylor Ward
142. Robbie Ray
143. Tatsuya Imai
144. Pablo Lopez
145. Nick Lodolo
146. Kris Bubic
147. Brandon Lowe
148. Ivan Herrera
149. Mike Trout
150. Trevor Megill
151. Carlos Estevez
152. Isaac Paredes
153. Teoscar Hernandez
154. Luis Robert
155. Jeff Hoffman
156. MacKenzie Gore
157. Ranger Suarez
158. Emilio Pagan
159. Kenley Jansen
160. Pete Fairbanks
161. Sonny Gray
162. Nathan Eovaldi
163. Michael King
164. Dansby Swanson
165. Jorge Polanco
166. Ceddanne Rafaela
167. Cade Horton
168. Shota Imanaga
169. Shane Bieber
170. Noelvi Marte
171. Jacob Wilson
172. Luis Castillo
173. Carlos Rodon
174. Drew Rasmussen
175. Tanner Bibee
176. Edward Cabrera
177. Andrew Abbott
178. Jonathan Aranda
179. Marcus Semien
180. Daulton Varsho
181. Kerry Carpenter
182. Spencer Torkelson
183. Matt Chapman
184. Royce Lewis
185. Casey Mize
186. Matthew Boyd
187. Dennis Santana
188. Francisco Alvarez
189. Alejandro Kirk
190. Samuel Basallo
191. Adley Rutschman
192. Xavier Edwards
193. Bryan Reynolds
194. Chandler Simpson
195. Kyle Manzardo
196. Kyle Teel
197. Dylan Crews
198. Gabriel Moreno
199. Carter Jensen
200. Shane Baz
201. Bryce Eldridge
202. Munetaka Murakami
203. Kazuma Okamoto
204. Lenyn Sosa
205. Luis Garcia
206. Giancarlo Stanton
207. Merrill Kelly
208. Gerrit Cole
209. Aaron Nola
210. Christian Walker
211. Ramon Laureano
212. Willson Contreras
213. Colson Montgomery
214. Brenton Doyle
215. Matt McLain
216. Matt Shaw
217. Max Muncy
218. Jordan Beck
219. Sal Frelick
220. Jasson Dominguez
221. Kevin McGonigle
222. Edwin Uceta
223. Brett Baty
224. Cam Smith
225. Colton Cowser
226. Connelly Early
227. Parker Messick
228. Zac Gallen
229. Noah Cameron
230. Anthony Santander
231. Owen Caissie
232. Daniel Palencia
233. Ryne Nelson
234. Jac Caglianone
235. Luis Arraez
236. Chase DeLauter
237. Spencer Steer
238. Jack Leiter
239. Hurston Waldrep
240. Jack Flaherty
241. Addison Barger
242. Miguel Vargas
243. Ryan Walker
244. Josh Lowe
245. Jung Hoo Lee
246. Nolan Schanuel
247. Abner Uribe
248. Brendan Donovan
249. Andrew Vaughn
250. Shane McClanahan

The new AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll is out.

And the first rankings of 2026 came with plenty of change after the LSU Tigers, Maryland Terrapins and Iowa State Cyclones all suffered their first losses of the season. Also shaking up the poll: The teams ranked Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 from the previous poll all lost in the last four days.

On Sunday, LSU lost for a second game in a row, tumbling seven spots to No. 12.

The Kentucky Wildcats (up five spots), Vanderbilt Commodores (up five) and Louisville Cardinals (up three) each moved up to break into the top 10.

What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.

Stats courtesy of ESPN Research and The Associated Press.

All times Eastern

Previous ranking: 1

2025-26 record: 15-0

Stat to know: The Huskies are off to their best start since 2017-18, when they started 36-0 before losing in the Final Four.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. St. John’s, 7:30 p.m., truTV

play

UConn Huskies vs. Providence Friars: Game Highlights

UConn Huskies vs. Providence Friars: Game Highlights

Previous ranking: 2

2025-26 record: 17-0

Stat to know: Madison Booker has scored at least 20 points in five of her last seven games.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Auburn, 8 p.m., SEC Network Plus

play

Madison Booker highlights key players behind Texas’ dominance

After a 67-64 win over Ole Miss, Booker explains how her teammates’ contributions free her to score and help the No. 2 Longhorns challenge opponents defensively.

Previous ranking: 3

2025-26 record: 15-1

Stat to know: Injured Ta’Niya Latson, the Gamecocks’ second-leading scorer, missed her second consecutive game Sunday. South Carolina committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the 74-63 victory over Florida.

What’s next: Thursday at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus

play

Raven Johnson praises Gamecocks fight through adversity vs. UF

Johnson breaks down No. 3 South Carolina’s balanced contributions through challenges and explains how she limited Florida’s Liv McGill with her defensive approach.

Previous ranking: 4

2025-26 record: 14-1

Stat to know: Five players are averaging double-digit scoring for the Bruins: Lauren Betts (16.3 PPG), Kiki Rice (15.3), Gianna Kneepkens (14.3), Gabriela Jaquez (14.1) and Angela Dugalic (10.3).

What’s next: Sunday at Nebraska, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network

Previous ranking: 8

2025-26 record: 14-1

Stat to know: The Sooners’ 13-game winning streak is the second longest in program history.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Ole Miss, 7 p.m., SEC Network Plus

Previous ranking: 11

2025-26 record: 15-1

Stat to know: After handing LSU its first loss on Jan. 1, the Wildcats beat Missouri on Sunday for their eighth consecutive victory.

What’s next:Thursday at Alabama, 7 p.m., SEC Network Plus

play

Teonni Key on Kentucky’s mentality vs. LSU: ‘We’re a good team too’

After posting 17 points and 16 rebounds in a road win over LSU, Key explains how the Wildcats’ effort and style of play fueled the victory.

Previous ranking: 12

2025-26 record: 15-0

Stat to know: Mikayla Blakes scored 32 points Sunday as the Commodores beat LSU 65-61 to give coach Shea Ralph her first win over a top-five program.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus

Previous ranking: 7

2025-26 record: 15-1

Stat to know: Oluchi Okananwa scored a career-high 34 points in an 82-67 victory over Indiana on Sunday as Maryland rebounded from its first loss of the season.

What’s next: Thursday at Rutgers, 7 p.m., Big Ten Plus

Previous ranking: 6

2025-26 record: 11-2

Stat to know: The Wolverines suffered their second loss of the season 64-52 to Washington, on Jan. 1. They shot 33% in the defeat.

What’s next: Monday vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Previous ranking: 13

2025-26 record: 14-3

Stat to know: The Cardinals have won seven straight since losing to South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge.

What’s next: Thursday at Miami, 3 p.m., ACC Extra

Previous ranking: 10

2025-26 record: 14-1

Stat to know: After five consecutive games with at least 30 points, Audi Crooks finished with 26 — including only four in the second half — on Sunday as the Cyclones lost at home to Baylor. Jada Williams (28 points) was the only other Iowa State player who scored in double digits.

What’s next: ESPN+

Previous ranking: 5

2025-26 record: 14-2

Stat to know: The Tigers scored over 100 points in 11 of their first 14 contests — all wins — before losing back-to-back games, first to then-No. 11 Kentucky on Jan. 1 and against then-No. 12 Vanderbilt on Sunday. LSU was held to 61 points in Nashville.

What’s next: Thursday at Georgia, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus

play

Kim Mulkey pleads to refs after late missed call dooms LSU

Kim Mulkey voices her displeasure to an official after Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes appears to step out of bounds late in the game.

Previous ranking: 8

2025-26 record: 14-1

Stat to know: The Horned Frogs lost for the first time this season on Saturday, falling 87-77 in overtime to Utah. Olivia Miles had 31 points in the defeat.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+

Previous ranking: 14

2025-26 record: 12-2

Stat to know: Iowa beat then-No. 20 Nebraska to improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten, where only UCLA (4-0) has a better record.

What’s next: Monday at Northwestern, 8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Previous ranking: 24

2025-26 record: 14-1

Stat to know: The Spartans snapped Illinois’ 11-game winning streak on Sunday with an 81-75 victory.

What’s next: Thursday at Washington, 9 p.m., Big Ten Plus

Previous ranking: 22

2025-26 record: 13-3

Stat to know: The Bears knocked off previously unbeaten and then-No. 10 Iowa State on Sunday, beating the Cyclones in Ames.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Colorado, 8 p.m., ESPN+

play

Taliah Scott hits game winner for Baylor over Audi Crooks

Taliah Scott hits a game-winning shot as time winds down as No. 22 Baylor beats No. 10 Iowa State in Ames.

Previous ranking: 21

2025-26 record: 16-0

Stat to know: The Lady Raiders, the only unbeaten Big 12 team left, play West Virginia, the only other team unbeaten in conference play, this week.

What’s next: Wednesday at West Virginia. UCF, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Previous ranking: 15

2025-26 record: 14-3

Stat to know: Despite playing Texas as well as anyone — Cotie McMahon scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter — the Rebels lost to the nation’s No. 2 team by three points Sunday.

What’s next: Thursday at Oklahoma, 7 p.m., SEC Network Plus

Previous ranking: 19

2025-26 record: 13-2

Stat to know: The Buckeyes have won 11 of their past 12 games, with the only loss coming against UCLA.

What’s next: Wednesday at Illinois, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network Plus

Previous ranking: 23

2025-26 record: 10-3

Stat to know: The Lady Vols committed a season-high 25 turnovers in Sunday’s 17-point victory over Auburn.

What’s next: Thursday at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus

Previous ranking: 17

2025-26 record: 10-4

Stat to know: Freshman Jazzy Davidson leads the Trojans — who lost big at UCLA on Saturday — in scoring at 16.3 PPG.

What’s next: Tuesday vs. Oregon, 10 p.m., Big Ten Plus

Previous ranking: 16

2025-26 record: 13-4

Stat to know: The Tar Heels lost in overtime to Stanford on Sunday after shooting 3-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter and 1-for-5 in the extra period.

What’s next: Sunday at Notre Dame, 1 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: NR

2025-26 record: 12-2

Stat to know: The Huskies return to the poll as Notre Dame fell out.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Michigan State, 9 p.m., Big Ten Plus

Previous ranking: 25

2025-26 record: 13-1

Stat to know: Princeton has won 11 consecutive games. The Tigers’ lone loss was Nov. 16 to then-No. 9 Maryland.

What’s next: Saturday at Yale, 2 p.m., ESPN+

Previous ranking:20

2025-26 record: 13-2

Stat to know: The Cornhuskers dropped back-to-back Big Ten games (to USC and Iowa) before beating Purdue on Sunday.

What’s next: Thursday vs. Indiana, 8 p.m., Big Ten Plus