LOUISVILLE, Ky. –Undefeated Washington ascends to No. 1 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. In a wild week, the Huskies (10-0) were one of two top-5 teams not to suffer a defeat.
UW was one of five teams to receive first-place votes (15) and edged out No. 2 Florida (9) by a margin of seven points, 750-743. No. 3 UCLA (2), No. 4 Oklahoma (5) and No. 6 Texas A&M (1) also picked up first-place nods.
Washington returns to No. 1 for the first time since the final regular season poll of 2010. Behind a high-powered offensive, the Huskies have run-ruled nine of their first 10 opponents with their closest margin of victory being seven runs. Last week, UW participated in Sam Houston State’s Bearkat Invitational and outscored its opponents 46-1 and through 10 games outscored the opposition 116-4. That lone run in the tournament finale snapped an eight-game shutout streak.
The Gators (8-1) opened the week with three straight shutouts, including two down in Lafayette, La. against then-No. 16 Louisiana (4-0, 9-0). UF did fall in the finale of the three-game series to the Ragin’ Cajuns, 4-3 in 11 innings.
UCLA moved up two spots to No. 3 as it went 4-0, including a 3-0 start at the Mary Nutter Classic I. The Bruins (9-0) posted three shutouts and surrendered one run in the four wins. Previous No. 1 Oklahoma, went 1-1 at a rain-shortened Troy Cox Classic in New Mexico. The Sooners (6-1) were upset by Boston University in their opener, 4-3, but rebounded with a 1-0 win over host RV New Mexico State.
Oregon slipped one spot to No. 5, following a 3-1 week at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge. After three shutouts to open the tournament, the Ducks (9-1) potent offense was held in check in a 1-0 nine-inning defeat to then-No. 15 Ole Miss.
No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 7 LSU remained in their spots with undefeated showings at home. Baylor returned to the top-10 after a one-week absence. The Bears (7-0) went 4-0 at the Balck & Gold Challenge in Hattiesburg, Miss., which included wins over then-No. 24 McNeese State (11-1) and then-No. 9 Alabama, 2-1.
Florida State dropped to No. 9 after a 4-1 week. The Seminoles (8-1) put in a strong showing hosting the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. FSU knocked off then-No. 14 Minnesota twice and split with No. 20 Michigan.
No. 10 Alabama suffered its first loss of the season and fell one position each. The Crimson Tide (6-1) went 3-1 at the Black & Gold Challenge, falling to then-No. 11 Baylor.
South Carolina, which is off to a 9-1 start, joined the top-25, tied for 24th with Utah. McNeese State dropped out of the poll after a 2-3 weekend.
The 2018 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Records reflect games played through Feb. 18.
2018 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – Feb. 20 (Week 2)
Rank
School
Totals (1st Place Votes)
2018 Record
Last Poll
1
Washington
750 (15)
10-0
4
2
Florida
743 (9)
8-1
2
3
UCLA
714 (2)
9-0
5
4
Oklahoma
701 (5)
6-1
1
5
Oregon
696
9-1
3
6
Texas A&M
649 (1)
9-0
6
7
LSU
615
10-0
7
8
Baylor
565
7-0
11
9
Florida State
550
8-1
8
10
Alabama
496
6-1
9
11
Tennessee
475
10-1
10
12
Auburn
462
13-0
13
13
Arizona
433
8-1
12
14
Georgia
328
9-1
17
15
Louisiana
322
7-2
16
16
Ole Miss
313
6-2
15
17
Arizona State
282
9-1
18
18
Oklahoma State
257
8-2
19
19
California
208
9-0
23
20
Michigan
160
5-4
20
21
Ohio State
128
8-1
22
22
Minnesota
95
5-4
14
23
Kentucky
86
5-2
25
t24
South Carolina
62
9-1
RV
t24
Utah
62
5-4
21
New to Poll: No. 24 South Carolina
Dropped Out: No. 24 McNeese State
Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (50), Long Beach State (47), Mississippi State (39), Arkansas (29), USC Upstate (20), Nebraska (16), Colorado State (14), Texas State (14), Oregon State (11), Louisville (4), McNeese State (4).
The 2018 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Records reflect play through Feb. 18, 2018