Alright everyone, we have a new No. 1 team in my week five college softball Power 10 rankings.
1. Oklahoma (previously 2)
Oklahoma takes over the top spot in my Power 10 after sweeping South Carolina last weekend. In a battle of the last two undefeated teams in the NCAA, OU came out on top in each game by a run. The Sooners always seem to have the clutch gene.
The past couple of weeks, I couldn't justify them at No. 1 — despite their perfect record — due to lack of ranked wins. Now with three, I see no reason not to put the last undefeated team and four-time defending national champs at No. 1.
2. Texas (previously 1)
Texas is at No. 2 despite still being in contention for that top spot in my book. The Longhorns had three run rules last week as the offense continues to look lethal. BIG SEC series coming up this week against No. 3 Florida.
3. Florida (previously 3)
The Gators stay put in my top three after winning the series against Texas A&M. They dropped the first game of the series by a run but then run-ruled the Aggies in the second game and won 4-2 on Sunday.
4. LSU (previously 5)
At four, LSU moved to 23-1 on the season with two wins over Minnesota and South Alabama last week as the offense continues to shine.
5. UCLA (previously 7)
Now we have some more changes in the Power 10. UCLA moves back up to No. 5 as a few teams notched more losses last week. The Bruins have what seems to be more ranked wins than anyone at this point of the season. Jordan Woolery had two homers in their last run-rule win over LMU last week.
6. Oregon (previously 10)
At six, Oregon makes a big jump. The Ducks are 23-2 now, a great record with two HUGE wins over Florida State last week, which I think proved a lot. They blanked the Seminoles not once but TWICE. First, Lyndsey Grein threw a one-hit shutout and then Elise Sokolsky threw a two-hit shutout in the second win. This pitching staff has been lights out. They did lose a game to Oregon State last weekend, so I didn't move them above the Bruins.
7. Texas A&M (previously 6)
Texas A&M drops to seven after losing the series to Florida and moving to 21-4 on the season. The Aggies are still a top-10 team, though.
Missed it? Check it out: Two top-10 teams suffer series upsets after a busy weekend of softball
8. Arizona (previously 4)
Arizona takes a pretty big drop from four to eight after losing the series to UCF for its fourth loss this season.
9. Tennessee (previously NR)
At nine, Tennessee re-enters the Power 10 after winning a big series on the road over Georgia. The pitching staff continues to shine.
10. South Carolina (previously 9)
And then at 10, I am keeping South Carolina in despite getting swept by OU. Each loss was by one run — they were not blowouts. And the offense is still extremely legit. OU just came up clutch and in a couple of slugfests. I still think this team is one to be reckoned with, and if OU is my No. 1 team, it's still pretty dang good to compete so well against the top team in the country.
First teams out:
Florida State falls from No. 8 after two shutout losses to Oregon, and Arkansas continues to chase a spot in the Power 10.
