Power rankings: Top 5 conferences

Welcome back to another week in the Wildman’s Corner. It’s Monday, which means it’s time for the power rankings. This week I’ll tell you which conferences currently have all the bragging rights.

MEN:

1.) Pac-10. This one is a no-brainer. The Pac-10 has seven teams ranked in the top 20 of the country! This conference is so good that you can have a serious debate on the best team in the conference. We could easily do a power rankings for just the Pac-10. (Hmmm . . . maybe I’m on to something.)

2.) Big 12. Any conference with the No. 1 team in the country (Oklahoma State) and defending national champions (Texas A&M) is legit. Also, Texas has been playing like a No. 1 team in the country lately, and Baylor has been a nice surprise.

3.) SEC. I would have never guessed that Florida would be carrying the load for the SEC this season, but Buddy Alexander seems to have that magic touch. Georgia has been playing hurt (no Hudson Swafford), and South Carolina is solid as always. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be stepping up.

4.) Mountain West. I’m starting to get a little worried that there are so few teams from these conferences that are in the Eastern Time Zone. TCU has been a solid team all year, UNLV is always strong in the spring, BYU just won big and San Diego State gets better every year.

5.) ACC. I’m a little disappointed with the ACC. The conference has so many schools with so much tradition, but haven’t really had a lot of marquee wins this year. I know that the ACC has a lot of “traditional” teams, but it’s recent results that count for this poll. At least Florida State is playing well.

Just missed the cut:

6.) Atlantic Sun
7.) Big 10
8.) CAA

• • •

Women

1.) Pac 10. ASU, UCLA or USC . . . which one will win the national championship this year? Also, welcome back to the top 10, Arizona!

2.) SEC. It has been a bounce-back year for teams in the SEC. After failing to make it out of regionals in 2009, Auburn is determined to give the big three a run for their money. Florida has a had a great season and are back to winning tournaments, ’Bama is in the top 10 and the “good” Tennessee is playing right now.

3.) ACC. Is it just me or does it seem that people are forget about Duke? The Blue Devils are still a top-10 team and did win the Fall Preview. Virginia continues to climb the rankings and Wake Forest is in the top 20 as always.

4.) Big 10. As always, Purdue is in the top 5 and Michigan State is in and out of the top 10. However, things are looking up for the Big 10. Ohio State is playing well, and Northwestern is in the top 50.

5.) Big 12. The only reason this conference makes the top 5 is because it has multiple teams in the top 50. Oklahoma State is No. 19 and Texas A&M has won three times this year. On a bright note, Texas Tech is a team on the rise and one to watch the next couple of years.

Just missed the cut: