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Women’s College Volleyball Bracketology: Top seedings, bracket watch and more

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Women’s College Volleyball Bracketology: Top seedings, bracket watch and more


That’s a wrap on the regular season. All 31 automatic bids have been decided. Next up is the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN where the other 33 at-large teams along with the seeding will be revealed.

Volleyball seeds the top-eight teams in each region and the top four serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host the regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18 with the finals on Dec. 21.

Bracket watch

Pittsburgh’s win over Louisville, although much closer than the sweep would indicate, was still convincing enough to push the Panthers onto the top line as the final No. 1 seed. The other three top seeds — Nebraska, Kentucky and Texas — should be easy for the committee. The big discussion and decision-making will likely center around which teams slot as No. 2 seeds and which ones falls on the No. 3 line. That group includes teams such as Arizona State, Stanford, Louisville, Creighton, SMU, Wisconsin and Texas A&M with résumés that are so close; differentiating them won’t be easy.

The final spots for the right to host the first and second rounds will also take some time. Miami and USC seem to have played their way into the top 16 with good finishes to the regular season. Indiana slipped a bit down the stretch. The Hoosiers might just hold onto a spot in the top 16.


Top seedings

No. 1 seeds: Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Pittsburgh

No. 2 seeds: Arizona State, Texas A&M, Creighton, SMU

No. 3 seeds: Stanford, Wisconsin, Louisville, Purdue

No. 4 seeds: Miami, Minnesota, USC, Indiana

No. 5 seeds: Kansas, BYU, Baylor, Tennessee

No. 6 seeds: TCU, Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa State

No. 7 seeds: Penn State, UTEP, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa

No. 8 seeds: Marquette, North Carolina, Florida, San Diego

Rest of the field (alphabetical): American, Arizona, Arkansas State, Campbell, UCLA, Cal Poly, Central Arkansas, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, High Point, Long Island, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland-Baltimore County, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Rice, St. Thomas, South Dakota State, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Utah Valley, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Wofford, Wright State, Xavier

(The rest of the field teams wouldn’t be seeded)


Bubble watch

The biggest change on the bubble in the season’s final weekend was Arizona playing itself into the field with two wins. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati in four sets Saturday in a match that became a de facto play-in game. The Bearcats’ two losses over the past three days were backbreaking. Oregon picked up a pair of wins, but beating Rutgers and Maryland weren’t enough to elevate the Ducks, who lack a significant nonconference victory and didn’t play the nonconference schedule of South Florida.

Last Four In: Georgia Tech, Villanova, Arizona, South Florida

First Four Out: Oregon, Cincinnati, Dayton, Missouri

Next Four Out: Auburn, Florida State, Pepperdine, James Madison


Conference breakdown

Big 12: 8
Big Ten: 8
ACC: 7
SEC: 5
Big East: 4
American: 3
CUSA: 2
Summit: 2



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Lane Kiffin chooses LSU following days of drama

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Kiffin became a hovering theme of the latter part of the college football season as his future at Mississippi became uncertain.



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Bucs’ Baker Mayfield finds 320-pound lineman for touchdown pass vs Cardinals

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Bucs’ Baker Mayfield finds 320-pound lineman for touchdown pass vs Cardinals


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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went deep into their playbook against the Arizona Cardinals as Baker Mayfield found offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs for a touchdown in the second quarter.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound All-Pro tackle reported as eligible as the Buccaneers were trying to score on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Mayfield took the snap, faked it to his running back and started to scan the field. He looked around and found Wirfs wide open.

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ristan Wirfs #78 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals with teammate Graham Barton #62 during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium on Nov. 30, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

It was Wirfs’ first receiving touchdown of his NFL career.

The score was the first Buccaneers touchdown of the game. Mayfield was 11-of-15 with 117 passing yards at that point. He started the game despite suffering a shoulder injury last week against the Los Angeles Rams. He sprained the AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder, but managed to grit and bear the pain to play against the Cardinals.

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Baker Mayfield in the first half vs Cardinals

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield reacts to a Buccaneers penalty during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay entered the game with the lead over the Carolina Panthers for the NFC Division despite both teams being 6-5. The Buccaneers were slotted in as the No. 4 seed going into the week.

The Cardinals were trying to salvage the season with a disruptive win. The team has been without Kyler Murray for a few weeks and started Jacoby Brissett.

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Arizona is 3-8 on the season.

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A reunion at Stanford and trolling at the Egg Bowl lead college football Week 14 superlatives

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A reunion at Stanford and trolling at the Egg Bowl lead college football Week 14 superlatives


After a long, hard-fought fall, college football’s regular season finally came to a close with Week 14’s Rivalry Week.s

As you might expect for a slate of games that features plenty of animosity and history, shenanigans abounded. From a reunion at Stanford to Egg Bowl trolls, there was more to celebrate this weekend than highlight-reel catches.

As always, we’ve put together a list of nontraditional superlatives to honor some of college football’s most offbeat plays and protagonists in Week 14.

‘Task failed successfully’ play of the week: Nebraska

Nebraska successfully pulled off what might amount to the world’s longest onside kick in the first quarter Friday against Iowa, a clever way to steal a possession in a rivalry game. There was just one problem: The Cornhuskers weren’t actually trying to attempt an onside kick.

John Hohl sent a high-arcing kick down the field, but Hohl’s boot came up short of the end zone — by a lot. So short, in fact, that the Hawkeyes’ return unit couldn’t find its landing spot, at approximately the 22-yard line. The ball hit the ground and took a bounce forward … right into a cluster of would-be blockers and tacklers, with Nebraska able to successfully cover up the unconventional opportunity.


Best reunion: Stanford

Technically speaking, this superlative doesn’t have anything to do with any of the games being played in Week 14 specifically. But as Georgia Tech and Georgia were squaring off Friday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news that Stanford would be hiring Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard as the program’s next head coach.

The unique tie here? Pritchard and Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck go back — the program’s new leadership tandem were actually teammates and position group-mates during their collegiate careers. Prichard started 20 games for Stanford — his first career start was the Cardinal’s famous 2007 upset of USC as 41-point underdogs — and Luck beat him out for the starting job ahead of the 2009 season.


Most locked in: Jason Eck

Eck led New Mexico to a home win over San Diego State on Friday, securing the Lobos a nine-win regular season for the first time since 1997. Even as fans stormed the field at University Stadium, however, the first-year head coach wasn’t much for celebrating. There was ball to be watched.

New Mexico’s game ended before Boise StateUtah State finished, with the result having implications for the Lobos’ chances of making the Mountain West title game. After the final whistle, Eck was spotted in New Mexico’s weight room alone, watching the final minutes of Boise State’s win.


Best commitment to the bit: Texas Tech

Two weeks ago, Texas Tech made headlines when it bolstered the Heisman campaign of linebacker Jacob Rodriguez by giving the defender a unique chance to record an offensive statistic with a goal-line touchdown carry. It was a fun way to mix things up, but it figured to be a one-off stunt to put attention on Rodriguez’s Heisman résumé.

The Red Raiders had other plans. This weekend, looking to put their first points on the board early against West Virginia, Texas Tech once again found itself in a goal-line scenario. Once again, the Red Raiders put the ball in the hands of their star linebacker, who powered into the end zone for the score.


Most persistent trolling: Mississippi State

You’ve heard of college football teams trolling their opponents after wins. But how about during a loss? Despite Ole Miss cruising late in the Egg Bowl, whoever was in charge of the stadium speakers at Mississippi State‘s Davis Wade Stadium was undeterred.

Davis Wade’s PA blasted “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash, a seeming reference to Rebels coach Lane Kiffin’s uncertain future, with Kiffin undecided on taking the open LSU job or extending his contract in Oxford.

Ole Miss, of course, had plenty of its own trolls ready as well after the victory — posting a number of “our state” references to social media as well as reposting an old photo by Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby, where Lebby proudly repped Ole Miss socks.


Bravest play call: Notre Dame

Most teams, pinned on their 16-yard-line on fourth and nine, would elect to punt. Extremely reasonable, zero controversy, the game moves on.

On Saturday night, Notre Dame wasn’t most teams. In their game against Stanford, the Fighting Irish ran a fake punt deep in their own territory, with defensive lineman Joshua Burnham completing a pass to safety Luke Talich … who took it 84 yards to the house.

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ND pulls off play-fake for an 84-yard Luke Talich TD

Luke Talich takes it 84 yards to the house for Notre Dame vs. Stanford.





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