As mentioned last week, my power rankings to be twinned to the weekly AVCA polls will start next week. I feel like it's still too soon to be doing weekly rankings. Maybe even next week is still too soon — maybe I really ought to wait until conference season starts — but there's an element of fun to it, too, so next week it is.
As for this week, the USC Trojans are the new #1 team in the land, garnering 37 of the 50 first-place votes. Second-ranked Texas got 16, third-ranked Penn State got 6. If you passed first grade math, you know that leaves one unaccounted for, and it went to the San Diego Toreros. It was actually USC coach Mick Haley who voted this season's (to date) breakout stars at the top of his ballot, rather than his own team (which is perfectly legal in this poll). The Toreros, ranked #9 overall, and the women of Troy will face each other this week.
I like that Penn State still got some first-place votes. If a voter thought they were the #1 team in the country last week, which most of them did, why should a true road loss, in five sets, to the defending national champions make such a difference? The poll going USC-Texas-Penn St and then Minnesota shows a clear separation for those first three in the minds of the voters, at least right now. The Gophers are also undefeated, like USC but unlike Texas and Penn State, yet they're fourth, same as last week. Just 15 points separate Florida at #5 from Michigan at #7, with Washington in between them.
As we look down the poll a little, the Oregon Ducks continue their somewhat disappointing (but ultimately predictable) fall from goddesses to mortals, as at 3-3 they're now #20 in the nation. I'll be surprised if they're unranked at any point this year. Surprised, but not shocked. The big gainers this week at the Ohio State Buckeyes, jumping ten places to #13 on the strength of a 6-0 start. The North Carolina Tar Heels are also 6-0, occupying #18 this week (up from 24). The Cal Golden Bears and the Wisconsin Badgers are new to the poll this week, checking in at #23 and #25 respectively. They're both undefeated, too.
The Big Ten show remarkably well in this poll, with seven teams in the top 15 and nine in the poll altogether. Six of the Pac-12 are ranked, which is basically anyone you could expect to be ranked (I like Arizona and I know some other people are high on Arizona State, but I don't know if either will actually crack the rankings). That's 60% of the rankings, from just two of the nation's 32 conferences. There are haves are there are have nots.
You can view the complete poll here.
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