It’s been a little over a month, but I’m back from parental leave, which means our weekly college volleyball power rankings are back as well.
Creme’s projections have Nebraska as the overall No. 1 seed, and the Cornhuskers are joined on the single line by Texas, Pitt and Louisville. Nebraska remains undefeated with a perfect 16-0 record and is coming off a 3-0 sweep of No. 12 Purdue. The Cornhuskers haven’t lost a set since Sept. 16 (a 3-2 win over Creighton) and are deservedly projected as the top seeds.
But Texas, Pitt and Louisville also look like real contenders. The Longhorns are also undefeated at 14-0 and have fended off some unexpected offers, most recently from No. 17 Tennessee last week.
After opening the season with two losses, Pitt has won 13 of its last 14 games and owns impressive wins over Kentucky, SMU, Penn State, TCU and Arizona State. The Panthers’ 2-3 loss in Miami was a surprise, but it’s one they could afford with so many other qualifying wins on their schedule. Elsewhere in the ACC, Louisville is 14-2 and has won seven in a row.
Even though Creme projects the Big Ten and Big 12 will field the most teams in the field of 64 with 11 each, the ACC looks like a real winner in its category. Four of their projected top eight finishers are from the ACC, with SMU and Stanford currently in line two. Miami is projected to get the No. 3 seed, while North Carolina will take the No. 8 seed. A seventh ACC team, Georgia Tech, is currently on the tournament bubble.
Creme’s projections and our power rankings could be altered after some crucial games take place this weekend.
Here are our updated Power Rankings:
Only missed: Texas A&M, Purdue, Miami, Creighton, Indiana
And here are the games you should see: