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The Top 10 saw some shakeups this week, after several top teams suffered losses to unranked teams.
Then-#3 Arizona saw its undefeated conference winning streak come to an end, while previous-#4 Alabama dropped a series to Kentucky.
Let’s see how the teams line up heading into the last week of play before conference tournaments…
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1. Oklahoma Sooners (45-2, last week: 1)
The Sooners run-ruled Wichita State in midweek play before sweeping a series over Iowa State, outscoring the Cyclones 31-5.
2. UCLA Bruins (43-2, last week: 2)
The Bruins earned a pair of run-rule wins to close their conference series against Utah and posted a pair of shutouts, outscoring the Utes 22-1 in 17 innings in the series.
3. Washington Huskies (39-7, last week: 5)
The Huskies had an off week from Pac-12 play, recording a midweek win over Utah Valley to put the squad within a single victory of the 40-win plateau.
4. Florida State Seminoles (45-8, last week: 7)
Continuing their re-ascent through our rankings, the ‘Noles return to the top five after sweeping through a weekend conference series against Duke and posting a midweek win over Troy.
5. Arizona Wildcats (40-8, last week: 3)
The Wildcats saw their 15-game conference winning streak come to an end with a 9-inning loss to Cal in game two of their series, but bookended the loss with a pair of wins to open and close the series and record their sixth Pac-12 series win of the season.
6. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (46-4, last week: 6)
The Cajuns beat Louisiana Tech in Ruston in a midweek game and swept a home conference series against Coastal Carolina but withstood some tight gameplay from the Chanticleers in what could be their toughest Sun Belt test of the season.
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers (37-10, last week: 8)
A midweek doubleheader against Wisconsin gave the Gophers a pair of convincing wins, with a weekend sweep of Iowa following. The Gophers twice shutout the Hawkeyes to open the series and outscored their opponents 23-1.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (47-6, last week: 4)
After a tight midweek win over Belmont, the Tide dropped a conference series to Kentucky, splitting the first two games of the set before falling in a 13-inning affair in the series finale.
9. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (36-11, last week: 10)
A midweek win over North Texas led into a three-game road series against Texas Tech that saw the Cowgirls comeback more than a couple of times to sweep past the Red Raiders.
10. Ole Miss Rebels (36-13, last week: 11)
Senior Weekend in Oxford saw the Rebels continue their impressive season, as they took a series win over Tennessee to move to 13-7 in SEC play.
11. Northwestern Wildcats (41-7, last week: 13)
The Wildcats remain perfect in conference play, moving to 20-0 against B1G opponents after sweeping a midweek doubleheader against Illinois and a weekend three-game series vs. Michigan State.
12. Tennessee Lady Vols (37-12, last week: 9)
On the road against Ole Miss, the Lady Vols dropped the series to the Rebels moving them to 12-9 in conference play with one regular season series remaining on the schedule.
13. James Madison Dukes (41-7, last week: 14)
The Dukes dominated a midweek doubleheader over ACC opponent Virginia before recording a series sweep over the Drexel Dragons in convincing fashion, as the Dukes rode the strong arm and hot bat of Odicci Alexander to a 35-6 outscoring of their opponents.
14. LSU Tigers (40-12, last week: 12)
Playing out of conference in a three-game set against Baylor, the Tigers won the series’ first two games, but dropped the series finale to the Bears in a lopsided affair that saw the two teams end the weekend with seven runs scored in the three games.
15. South Florida Bulls (38-15, last week: 15)
USF moved to 16-2 in conference play with a series sweep over Memphis, besting the Tigers in convincing fashion and outscoring the team from the Bluff City 9-4, including a shutout victory in the series opener.
16. Texas Longhorns (39-12, last week: 16)
The Longhorns took a three-game sweep over Kansas in Lawrence, shutting out the Jayhawks in game one of the series and recording a 10-1 run-rule victory in game two. The Horns moved to 10-6 in conference play with the trio of victories.
17. Florida Gators (39-13, last week: 19)
With two wins over Auburn this weekend, the Gators moved back to the plus side of the .500 mark, now 11-10 in conference play. The squad shut out the Tigers in the series opener, 7-0, and bookended a loss in game two with another dominant win in game three.
18. Colorado State Rams (36-8, last week: 17)
The Rams bested in-state foe Northern Colorado in a midweek run-rule win before taking the series win over conference foe San Diego State in a weekend series.
19. Virginia Tech Hokies (43-8, last week: 22)
The Hokies clinched the ACC regular-season championship with a series sweep over Boston College, earning a pair of run-rule wins to open the series and outscoring the Eagles 29-4 in the series.
20. Michigan Wolverines (37-11, last week: 21)
The Wolverines moved to 19-1 in Big Ten play with a midweek win over archrivals Michigan State and a trio of wins over Penn State, including a run-rule shutout win in game two of the series.
21. Kentucky Wildcats (32-19, last week: T25)
After beginning the calendar week with a shutout win over Auburn, the Wildcats run-ruled Eastern Kentucky in midweek play and took a series win over Alabama. A 13-inning win in the series finale put a thrilling conclusion on the series and the Wildcats’ conference slate.
22. Arizona State Sun Devils (28-17, last week: NR)
The Sun Devils offense came alive in a series at Stanford, helping the team to a convincing three-game sweep over the Cardinal that saw ASU put 27 runs on the board in the series.
23. Georgia Bulldogs (36-16, last week: NR)
Despite a subpar record in conference play, the Bulldogs took a series win over South Carolina over the weekend, dropping the series opener in eleven innings before rebounding for an extra-innings win of their own in game two and a one-run victory in the series finale.
24. Texas Tech Red Raiders (35-12, last week: 18)
The so-so showing in conference play took a downswing for the Red Raiders, as they suffered a series sweep at the hands of Oklahoma State. The three games were tight, but the Red Raiders let the Okies come back more than a couple of times.
25. North Carolina Tar Heels (33-16, last week: 24)
The Tar Heels swept a pair of midweek games over conference opponents before taking the series win over Louisville. The Tar Heels dropped the series finale to the Cardinals on Sunday, however.
Dropped out: #20 Arkansas, #23 South Carolina, #T25 Wisconsin
— Justin McLeod, Extra Inning Softball College Correspondent