The other day I was chatting on the phone with my editor, and she asked me if I still thought the Big Ten was the top conference this season. When your editor questions your thinking, it’s usually a good idea to reevaluate. So, that’s what we are going to do today.

While the Pac-12 currently has three teams in the top 25, there are four conferences that can make a true case for being No. 1: the SEC, the ACC, the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Let’s break it down.

The SEC

Ranked teams: No. 1 South Carolina, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 15 LSU, No. 14 Georgia

Let’s start with the obvious: The No. 1 team in the country being in your conference gives you major points in this competition. I also count Tennessee as part of a small group of teams I think could win it all come March. Rae Burrell’s injury near the beginning of the season only helped the Vols become more well-rounded. When she was out, the rest of the team had to step up. Now that the senior is back, they will be a better, more experienced team than they were when she went down.

LSU gets points for beating Georgia and sticking with South Carolina in a 66-60 loss. The Tigers also have two losses to conference foes Florida and Arkansas that do nothing for them personally, but make the SEC look more well-rounded. Georgia’s resume is similar to that of LSU. The Bulldogs made some non-conference noise by defeating No. 3 NC State, the ACC’s top team, and then made the SEC look tougher by losing to a struggling Kentucky squad, 84-76 on Jan. 6.

Other teams of note: Ole Miss, Missouri

Ole Miss had a brief stint in the top 25 thanks to a win over Georgia, and Missouri is the only team in the country to defeat South Carolina. Not bad, SEC.

The ACC

Ranked teams: No. 3 NC State, No. 4 Louisville, No. 12 Georgia Tech, No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 24 North Carolina

When it comes to body of work, NC State is one of the most consistent teams in the country. The Wolfpack are 10-0 in the conference and have lost only to No. 1 South Carolina and No. 14 Georgia in overtime. Losing to Georgia was an upset of sorts, but going wire-to-wire with a good, ranked opponent doesn’t scream “bad loss” to me. NC State being the ACC’s top team is a great start for the conference, while Louisville continues to trend in a positive direction. The Cardinals have also lost only two games to good teams (N.C. State and No. 8 Arizona). So at the top of the ACC, we have two teams that are performing exactly how they should be, if not a notch or two better.

Now, here’s where things get interesting to me. NC State and Louisville are the conference’s best teams, but the squad who has the best chance to make a deep run this postseason? That’s Georgia Tech. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets play a gritty, intense style that is hard to replicate in practice. That means they can upset virtually anyone, and I would hate for my team to meet them in the postseason. Notre Dame and North Carolina round out the ranked ACC teams and have yet to get upset this season.

Other teams of note: Duke, Virginia Tech

The Blue Devils and Hokies have each spent weeks in the top 25, and the rest of the season at least flirting with the rankings. But Virginia Tech has some bad losses (Liberty to name one), and Duke hasn’t been healthy enough yet to show their full potential. So, we have some pros and cons for the ACC.

The Big 12

Ranked teams: No. 9 Baylor, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 13 Texas, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 25 Kansas State

To me, the Big 12 isn’t on the same level as these other three conferences, but for the sake of the argument, let’s dissect it all the same. Baylor has played some tough teams this season, but the problem for the Bears is that they haven’t beaten those teams. Maryland, Michigan, Kansas State and Oklahoma have all downed Baylor. Baylor did beat Iowa State, but to be considered among the elite, you need at least one or two more victories over top squads.

Iowa State has been more consistent than Baylor with just three losses, but their high-caliber wins (other than against Iowa) have come over conference opponents, which makes it challenging to judge the Cyclones outside of the Big 12. Texas’ win over No. 2 Stanford early in the season is something the Longhorns hung their hats on. They have suffered two conference losses since then to Texas Tech and Kansas, but other than that, they have been pretty consistent. Oklahoma has two solid wins outside of the conference, having defeated Oregon and BYU, and Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee has essentially played the Wildcats into the top 25.

Other teams of note: None

Here’s where the conference falls off for me. Outside of the top teams, I haven’t seen anything from the bottom half of the Big 12 that tells me one of those teams has a chance of going on a run or earning an upset win.

But don’t fret too much, Big 12. I’ve been wrong before.

The Big Ten

Ranked teams: No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Michigan, No. 17 Maryland, No. 23 Ohio State, No. 25 Iowa

Hello to my preseason darling, the Big Ten! I wanted to save the Big Ten for last because, up to this point, you’ve essentially been reading the contents of my brain. I didn’t do any prep work for this because I wanted you, the readers, to be able to follow along as I genuinely worked out my thoughts about these conferences. And now that I’m here, I must confess that I loved this conference going into the season, but three of these teams — Maryland, Ohio State and Iowa — have underperformed.

In my preseason rankings, I had Maryland at No. 4, Iowa at No. 5 and Ohio State at No. 13. I still think these are three solid teams, but they aren’t what they had the potential to be, so that is a point in the negative column for the Big Ten. Indiana and Michigan, meanwhile, have been as advertised. Both teams are consistent and mature, with a roster of players who know how to compete together. They are a great one-two punch when it comes to analyzing the strength of the conference.

NAZ HILLMON DOING NAZ HILLMON THINGS 😤

Michigan up 48-36 over Indiana entering the 4th. pic.twitter.com/Nymm14ZF4N

— ESPN (@espn) February 1, 2022

Other teams of note: Nebraska

Nebraska has been a nice surprise for those of us playing attention to the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers were undefeated until the start of conference play, and they are the only conference team to defeat Michigan so far.

Conclusion

I think this is a two conference race. The Big 12 doesn’t hold up in my book, so it’s the first conference I’ll eliminate. And as much as it pains me to say, neither does the Big Ten, so it’s also got to go. That leaves me with the ACC and SEC. I love the overall consistency and depth of the ACC, but the SEC has two teams at the top that I think have a legitimate chance to win a national title. I think that gives the SEC a slight edge. So for now, it’s won me over. Congrats, SEC, you reign supreme.

Poll talk

I’m going to keep this short this week. Maybe it’s because I just humbled myself with the above process, but I don’t have too many problems with the current AP Poll. I so think it’s time for Tennessee to move into the top 5 — I’ve seen enough from the Vols to vault them over Indiana, Michigan and Louisville. Their recent upset at the hands of Auburn is what dragged them down, but the overall body of work is good enough for me to overlook it.

Other than that, I’m glad to see Oregon, Ohio State and North Carolina back in the poll, and Kansas State has definitely earned its place.

JWS’ Top 25 in Week 13

1. South Carolina (20-1)
2. Stanford (16-3)
3. NC State (19-2)
4. Tennessee (19-2)
5. Louisville (18-2)
6. Indiana (14-3)
7. Michigan (19-2)
8. Arizona (15-3)
9. Iowa State (18-3)
10. UConn (13-4)
11. Georgian Tech (17-4)
12. Baylor (15-4)
13. Texas (15-4)
14. BYU (18-1)
15. Georgia (16-4)
16. LSU (18-4)
17. Oklahoma (18-3)
18. Maryland (15-6)
19. Iowa (14-5)
20. Notre Dame (16-4)
21. Florida Gulf Coast (19-1)
22. North Carolina (16-4)
23. Oregon (14-5)
24. Kansas State (16-5)
25. Ohio State (16-4)

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.

The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.

All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.

This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.

In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.

All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.

How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament

The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.

All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.

The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.

No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.

"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."

No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.

"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."

Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.

How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend

This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.

The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.