I wanted to do this post in the morning before I went to work, but a funny thing happened on the way to the office (so to speak) — the power went out. I quite literally got dressed in the dark today. Happened across the downed line on my walk. 'pert near stepped on it, too.
So even though the poll is already out by this time, I still enjoy putting together my own rankings. And here we go.
1. Texas. The Longhorns kept on keepin' on, like approximately no one else. At this point, I'll be surprised if they don't run the table in the Big 12 and take the top seed come tournament time. This week they host TCU and travel to Oklahoma. Is the Oklahoma road match a possible trap? No. I really don't think so. Maybe the Sooners win a set or even two, but I don't see them claiming the match.
2. Penn State. The Nittany Lions also took care of business this past week, sweeping aside both Ohio State and Iowa. They're right where we expect them to be, and that means something when we're talking about the expectations laid at the feet of a Russ Rose-coached program. They're at the Michigan schools this week.
3. Washington. I said last week I wasn't warm to the idea of the Huskies being #3 overall, much less the idea of them getting first-place votes, but after consecutive 3-1 road wins in LA, they deserve to be here. The win over USC is of course the more impressive and meaningful of the two, not least because it gives the Huskies the lead in the Pac-12 outright. They're home against the mountain schools (that's Utah and Colorado) this week.
4. Florida. How much can we really punish the Gators for a true-road conference loss to a team that haven't lost to anyone this year? I certainly feel less bad about that Missouri loss than I did last week at this time (though multiple teeth-kickings-in in this range of the poll probably help, too). After taking six straight sets over Auburn and Tennessee this past week, the Gators travel to LSU and Texas A&M this upcoming week.
5. USC. The aforementioned home loss to the Washington Huskies has got to sting, but I'm still sky-high on this team. They didn't have a lick of trouble earlier in the week with a Washington State team that some people are believing in, so the U-Dub loss I can very much file under "strong conference beating itself up." No doubt the women of Troy will look forward to the chance to return the favour on the Huskies' home court. But that's not for a couple of weeks. Up next for USC is a road trip to NorCal.
6. Minnesota. Zero-sum game time, as the Gophers' week by itself shouldn't really move them up (loss at Wisconsin, win at home over Northwestern, both in four sets), but having anyone else here would be an untenable reach. The Gophers still are 6-3 in the Big Ten, which is far easier said than done. They're on the road at Purdue and Indiana this week.
7. Stanford. I don't think they really do belong this high, even though they were actually higher as of the last actual poll, but again, it's tough to find anyone else to put here. They held home court this week against the Oregon schools, and while anyone in the conference can pretty much get off the bus and beat Oregon State, beating Oregon still has some meaning. The Cardinal head to LA this week.
8. San Diego. A couple of solid wins for the Toreros, sweeping aside Saint Mary's and Pacific, both on the road. It's likely BYU will end up getting the WCC's automatic bid, but that's a mere formality anyway. This week the Toreros host Pepperdine and travel to Loyola Marymount.
9. Missouri. They just keep winning. How long will this streak last? It's already pretty amazing. Wins number 24 and 25 came on the road at LSU (in four) and Texas A&M (in three). Back home for the Tigers this week for Ole Miss and Kentucky, the latter of which is another barometer match to see how 'for real' these Missouri Tigers really are.
10. North Carolina. The Heels had a tougher time of it this week than I may have predicted, but they succeeded in keeping the ball rolling after their hiccup against Duke. They defeated Maryland in five sets and Pittsburgh in four, both at home. That tells me that they weren't really on their best either night, and still came out with victories. That's all you can really ask. They've got a potentially tough road trip this week, at Florida State and Miami.
11. Colorado State. The Rams, too, just keep winning, though 19-0 isn't quite as shiny as 25-0. Home wins over Fresno State and San Jose State keep Colorado State spotless. They put their clean record on the line this week at Boise State and Utah State.
12. Michigan State. I think the Spartans "really" belong a touch higher than this, but with four straight Big Ten losses, the last of which to Indiana, they're reeling a little. And yeah, Indiana. When was the last time you heard two words about Indiana volleyball? I don't mean to be mean, but the fact is they're in the cellar of the Big Ten and MSU lost to them on their home court. That's a massive upset, and all the congratulations that are due the Hoosiers count conversely for Sparty. They can start righting the ship this week, at home against Ohio State and Penn State.
13. Nebraska. Good week for the Cornhuskers, beating Iowa at home and Ohio State on the road. They'll host Illinois and Northwestern this week.
14. Hawaii. Massive wake-up call this past week for the Wahine. I'm not sure I've ever dropped a team 10 ranks before, but the results the Wahine put up on the mainland this week sure aren't those of a top-five team, nor a national championship contender. With losses to Cal State-Northridge and UC Davis, Hawaii now will more than likely not get the Big West's automatic bid to the tournament. They're lucky they had an awfully strong non-conference, or they might end up missing out on not just hosting, but the tournament altogether. I do think their goose is cooked as far as hosting. It remains a no-win situation for the Wahine, because what would three-set wins over CSUN and UCD have meant? Not a great deal. But five-set losses to both and the sky is (fairly) falling. It's back to the Stan Sheriff this week, against UC Irvine and Long Beach State. I'm not putting either of those into Hawaii's win column just yet.
15. Wisconsin. Even money for the Badgers this week, beating Minnesota and losing to Illinois, both in four set and both at home. Just like the Gophers, Wisconsin are moored on 6-3 in conference, a record plenty of teams would love to have. They're at Indiana and Purdue this week.
16. Kentucky. Much the same goes for the Wildcats. Wins at home over Mississippi State and Alabama keep them where they were last week. They've got a possibly tough road trip ahead this week, facing Arkansas and, oh boy, Missouri.
17. Michigan. I'd like to move them up for knocking off their archrivals Michigan State, but the only way to do that would be to move the Wahine down even further, which I don't think is fair. Plus, the Wolverines did still lose to Purdue, so the third team in succession remain where they were a week ago. At 4-6 in the Big Ten, Michigan have likely done enough to keep themselves off any semblance of the tournament bubble unless they completely go in the tank the rest of the way. They host Penn State and Ohio State this week.
18. Duke. It was a nice weekend for the Blue Devils, knocking off Florida State in five and Miami in three at home. You could make the case that they should actually be the first ACC team in these rankings, as they hold the first-place tiebreaker over North Carolina at the moment, but for now it's certainly justice to have them be the second rather than the third ACC team. They host Syracuse and Boston College this week, and you wouldn't figure either of those to be problematic matches in the slightest.
19. BYU. Honestly, I'm not quite sure why there's so much distance between San Diego and BYU. Both are clearly better than the rest of the field in the WCC, though Saint Mary's' five-set win over the Cougars this week (BYU's first league loss) would beg to differ. But still, rather than a reaction to the last seven days, this 'vote' is a re-assessment of the body of work as a whole. I think it would be entirely fair to argue that the Cougars belong even a bit higher than this. They host Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine this week.
20. Florida State. They're solidly the #3 team in the ACC, and the ACC is strong enough to merit three teams in the rankings. Still, it seems like a small disappointment that the Seminoles should be here and not at least a little higher. They were the go-to ACC pick preseason, but at this point there's realistically no chance that they'll be hosting in the NCAA tournament (as they did last year). They'll host this week, against North Carolina and NC State. Both are chances to uptick that RPI a few notches, though the former is obviously a much bigger opportuniy than the latter.
21. Kansas. The Jayhawks only had one match last week, a home counter against Iowa State. That was a five-set loss, so down they come a bit. I still like 'em, and I think there's a lot of teams who figure to be hosting in the NCAA's who really don't want to see Kansas pop up in their pod (Nebraska anyone?). They're home against Baylor and at TCU this week.
22. Purdue. Nice week for the Boilermakers, beating Indiana at home and Michigan on the road. They were already higher than this in the real poll last week, so I'm sure they are again this week. They host Minnesota and Wisconsin this coming week.
23. Oregon. The Ducks have done an amazing job of winning the matches you expect they should win and losing the matches you expect they should lose. A prognosticator's dream. After dropping two on the road in NorCal this past week, they're home against the Arizonas this upcoming week. I expect they'll do fine in those matches.
24. Marquette. A little respect for the Big East, if you can believe it. After taking nine straight sets in three days (brutal scheduling), the Golden Eagles lead the Big East outright. Their best non-conference wins are Central Arkansas and Illinois State, so it's best they continue to lead the conference outright (even though I imagine they'll make it either way). They're at Butler and Xavier this week.
25. Creighton. Yeah, even with a three-set loss at the hands of Marquette, I still feel like Creighton belong with a number next to their name. Solid non-conference, solid conference too. Not Final Four contenders or anything, but a substantially above-average team. They host St John's and Seton Hall this week.
ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION (listed in alphabetical order): Cal State-Northridge, Illinois State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, St Mary's
NEW SINCE LAST RANKINGS: Marquette 24
DROPPED OUT SINCE LAST RANKINGS: Ohio State 23
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