Three Big 12 Softball Teams in Top 5 of Latest NFCA Coaches Poll
We’re heading into the final weekend of the 2024 college softball regular season, and we have one heck of a race on our hands in the Big 12.
Six of the 10 teams in the Big 12 are virtual locks to make the NCAA Tournament next month, but the top three teams in the league are in great shape to be hosting through Super Regional play.
That’s because Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State all rank among the top five teams in the nation, according to the latest NFCA Coaches Poll.
Texas (42-6) comes in as the No. 1 team in the country with a 13-game winning streak heading into the final weekend. Just behind them at No. 2 is Oklahoma (45-4), who actually leads in the Big 12 standings as of today. Then, at No. 4, is Oklahoma State (42-8), who folks seem to have forgotten have already won 40 games and look every bit as dominant as the Longhorns and Sooners to this point.
Texas just one game behind Oklahoma for the conference lead and will face Texas Tech this weekend. If the Longhorns can sweep the Red Raiders, and Oklahoma State can steal one game in Norman, it will crown Texas the Big 12 Champions. That would be the first time that a team other than Oklahoma won the Big 12 regular season title since the 2011 season.
If Oklahoma can sweep the Cowgirls in Norman, it would give OU their 12th consecutive Big 12 title, but there’s a chance that Oklahoma State could win the title as well. A sweep over OU and a Texas loss would give OSU the title, as would a 2-1 decision for the Pokes and a 1-2 weekend for the Longhorns.
It’s going to be one heck of a race to the finish line, and then we’ll get to see them duke it out once again in the Big 12 Tournament next weekend.
Here’s a look at the entire USA Today/NCFA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (30) | 42-6 | 798 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma (2) | 45-2 | 770 | 2 |
| 3 | Tennessee | 37-9 | 720 | 3 |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | 42-8 | 696 | 4 |
| 5 | Duke | 44-6 | 658 | 5 |
| 6 | Stanford | 39-11 | 621 | 7 |
| 7 | UCLA | 30-10 | 574 | 9 |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 39-9 | 546 | 10 |
| 9 | Washington | 31-10 | 545 | 8 |
| 10 | LSU | 36-13 | 535 | 6 |
| 11 | Florida | 39-12 | 452 | 12 |
| 12 | Florida State | 40-10 | 430 | 16 |
| 13 | Missouri | 37-13 | 424 | 14 |
| 14 | Georgia | 37-13 | 404 | 11 |
| 15 | Arkansas | 34-13 | 15 | |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | 38-11-1 | 333 | 13 |
| 17 | Alabama | 32-14 | 244 | 17 |
| 18 | Arizona | 32-15-1 | 202 | 19 |
| 19 | California | 33-15 | 194 | 20 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 30-16 | 167 | 18 |
| 21 | Louisiana | 38-14 | 147 | 25 |
| 22 | Boston University | 45-4-1 | 136 | 23 |
| 23 | Clemson | 33-16 | 111 | 22 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 30-18 | 90 | 21 |
| 25 | Oregon | 27-16 | 65 | 24 |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Northwestern (62), South Carolina (33), Miami (22), Texas State (16), Grand Canyon (6), Virginia (3), Baylor (2)
