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.

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.