There is a new No. 1 team in the country entering the last week of the regular season.
Texas has ascended to the top spot, receiving 19 of the 31 first-place votes, in the latest shakeup of the AP Top 25. Although the Longhorns have not played since defeating LSU on Feb. 16, they benefit from last week’s top-team, Notre Dame, dropping a double-overtime road matchup against NC State on Sunday.
Having held on to a close win over Iowa, UCLA moved up to No. 2, while the Fighting Irish dropped to No. 3. USC remains at No. 4 and UConn remains at No. 5.
Tennessee, NC State and Duke highlighted the biggest movers of the week. The Wolfpack surged back inside the top-10, to No. 9, after defeating the Fighting Irish. The win marked NC State’s fifth win over a No. 1 opponent in school history and third in coach Wes Moore’s tenure, but first at home since 1978. Tennessee also climbed four spots, to No. 11, after picking up wins over Florida and Alabama.
Duke was the biggest faller, slipping five spots to No. 16. The Blue Devils lost to Notre Dame and Louisville last week, but picked up a victory over Syracuse on Sunday.
Here’s the full poll, along with the ballot of The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings.
No. 1 doesn’t come with any safety
The Longhorns are the country’s top-ranked…
