The latest women’s soccer rankings from SoccerWire keep Vanderbilt at No. 1 with an unbeaten 15-0-1 record, ahead of North Carolina (13-2-0), Ohio State (14-1-1) and Wake Forest (12-2-1). The poll, which covers games through Oct. 25, 2026, arrives as conference tournaments and the NCAA bracket come into view.
Quick summary
- Vanderbilt is No. 1 with 8 first-place votes and is the only unbeaten team in the top 25.
- Notre Dame made the biggest jump, from No. 17 to No. 9, at 7-1-6.
- Stanford fell from No. 7 to No. 13, and Washington dropped from No. 12 to No. 21.
- The ACC has eight teams in the top 25, ahead of the Big Ten with six.
Women’s Soccer Rankings: The Top 10
The table below shows the top 10 from the SoccerWire Division I poll published Oct. 27, 2026. Alabama and Michigan State are tied for sixth.
| No. | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt | 15-0-1 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 13-2-0 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 14-1-1 |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 12-2-1 |
| 5 | Duke | 9-1-4 |
| T6 | Alabama | 14-3-0 |
| T6 | Michigan State | 12-3-2 |
| 8 | Baylor | 14-2-1 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 7-1-6 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 12-1-3 |
Biggest Movers
Notre Dame’s leap from No. 17 to No. 9 was the headline of the week, and it came with an unusual record: one loss but six draws. Texas Tech rose from No. 14 to No. 11 (11-1-4), Kansas climbed from No. 18 to No. 15 (12-3-2), and BYU moved from No. 20 to No. 16 (9-3-3).
On the way down, Stanford dropped six spots to No. 13 at 9-3-2, and Washington fell nine spots to No. 21 at 11-2-4. Michigan State slid from No. 5 to a tie for sixth. Colorado entered the poll at No. 17 (12-4-1) and Penn State debuted at No. 23 (8-3-5).
The Rest of the Top 25
Behind the top 10, the poll runs Texas Tech (11-1-4) at No. 11, Louisville (10-1-3) at No. 12, Stanford (9-3-2) at No. 13, UCLA (11-4-2) at No. 14 and Kansas (12-3-2) at No. 15. BYU (9-3-3) is No. 16, Colorado (12-4-1) is No. 17, and Purdue (14-2-2) is No. 18. Virginia (8-3-3) is No. 19, Arkansas (7-4-4) is No. 20, Washington (11-2-4) is No. 21, and Florida State (7-2-3) is No. 22. Penn State (8-3-5), Auburn (8-2-6) and Utah State (11-3-3) complete the top 25 at Nos. 23, 24 and 25.
Michigan, Clemson, Xavier, West Virginia and Liberty also received votes. Purdue is the notable name at No. 18: its 14 wins match Ohio State, Alabama and Baylor, and only Vanderbilt has more at 15. Win totals alone do not explain the ranking, but they show how crowded the middle of the poll is.
Who Has the Best Résumé
Vanderbilt is the only team in the top 25 without a loss. Six more teams have just one: Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Texas Tech and Louisville. Ties matter in this poll, too. Notre Dame and Auburn each have six draws, and Duke has four, so a handful of tight results separate a top-five team from one that sits in the middle of the rankings.
Conference Strength
By our count of conference affiliations, the ACC has eight teams in the top 25: North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, Stanford, Virginia and Florida State. The Big Ten has six (Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State, UCLA and Washington). The SEC and Big 12 each have five, and Utah State rounds out the poll. That means 24 of the 25 ranked teams play in one of the four power conferences, so most of the ranked teams will already know each other from league play by the time the postseason arrives.
The SEC has the No. 1 team in Vanderbilt, plus Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas and Auburn. The Big 12’s five are Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, BYU and Colorado. For a look at another fall sport’s race, see our NCAA field hockey rankings.
What Comes Next for the Rankings
With the regular season finishing, the next weeks bring conference tournaments, then the NCAA selection process. The NCAA’s women’s soccer committee released its first top-16 rankings on Oct. 25, and those committee rankings, not the polls, drive the tournament seeds. A poll like this one is a good guide to perception, and it is worth tracking how often the two lists line up as the bracket nears.
Teams with many draws, like Notre Dame and Duke, are worth watching in the conference tournaments, where draws are no longer part of the equation and a winner has to emerge. You can follow the schools involved on their RallyFuel pages and see how programs rank on the RallyFuel NIL Score leaderboard.
FAQ
Who is No. 1 in women’s college soccer?
Vanderbilt is No. 1 at 15-0-1 with 8 first-place votes in SoccerWire’s poll through games on Oct. 25, 2026.
Which team is unbeaten?
Vanderbilt is the only unbeaten team in the top 25.
Which team rose the most?
Notre Dame, up eight spots from No. 17 to No. 9.
Do the polls decide the NCAA tournament field?
No. The NCAA’s women’s soccer committee selects and seeds the field. Polls such as SoccerWire’s reflect how the sport sees the teams.
Follow College Athletes on RallyFuel
Follow women’s soccer programs and athletes on RallyFuel, browse every college athlete profile, explore the school pages, and make free game women’s soccer predictions all season.
