It’s been a little over a month, but I’m back from parental leave, which means our weekly college volleyball power rankings are also back.
Creme’s projections have Nebraska as the overall No. 1 seed, and the Cornhuskers are joined on the one-line by Texas, Pitt and Louisville. Nebraska remains undefeated with a perfect 16-0 record and are 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 seed.
But Texas, Pitt and Louisville all look like real contenders too. The Longhorns are also unbeaten at 14-0 and have dodged a few upset bids, 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 at Miami was a surprise, but it’s one they could afford with so many other ranked wins on their schedule. Elsewhere in the ACC, Louisville is 14-2 and has won seven in a row.
Despite Creme projecting the Big Ten and Big 12 to get the most teams into the field of 64 with 11 apiece, the ACC looks like a real winner in his bracketology. Four of his top eight projected seeds are from the ACC, with SMU and Stanford currently on the two-line. Miami is projected to get a No. 3 seed, while North Carolina is saddled with a No. 8 slot. A seventh ACC team, Georgia Tech, currently finds itself on the tournament bubble.
Creme’s projections, and our power rankings, could get shaken up after some crucial games take place this weekend.
Here’s our updated Power Rankings:
Just missed: Texas A&M, Purdue, Miami, Creighton, Indiana
And here’s the games you need to watch:
