D-I Poll: Cougar Country
ATLANTA – With a clean sweep of the Colorado schools last weekend, Brigham Young is the near-unanimous top team in the MCLA Division I New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll, which was released Wednesday.
The Cougars (12-0), who have already wrapped up the top seed in the upcoming RMLC tournament, only have No. 11 Utah Valley (6-4) remaining on the regular season schedule. BYU was awarded 26 of the 27 first-place votes.
Texas (13-0) climbed a spot in the polls this week into the second chair – the highest-ever ranking for a Lone Star Alliance (LSA) program. The Longhorns are the top seed out of the LSA South in the conference tourney.
Virginia Tech (12-2), which was stunned by No. 10 Tennessee (10-1) in the regular-season finale, drops one spot to third. The Hokies did manage to snag the remaining first-place vote. Tech will host Clemson in the first round of the ALC tourney.
Holding steady in the No. 4 slot is Chapman (11-2). After dispatching UCLA, the Panthers will close the season with an SLC slugfest with No. 6 San Diego State (12-1) to determine the top seed in the league playoff.
Fresh off its win over No. 19 James Madison (9-2), Liberty (10-4) rounds out the Top 5. The Flames receive a bye into the semifinals of the ALC tournament.
There were no new additions to the poll this week.
MCLA D-I New Balance Coaches Poll – Week 9
RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1st VOTES |
1. | Brigham Young | 674 | 26 |
2. | Texas | 643 | |
3. | Virginia Tech | 617 | 1 |
4. | Chapman | 594 | |
5. | Liberty | 557 | |
6. | San Diego State | 514 | |
7. | UC Santa Barbara | 487 | |
8. | Georgia Tech | 457 | |
9. | Colorado | 425 | |
10. | Tennessee | 410 | |
11. | Utah Valley | 401 | |
12. | South Carolina | 377 | |
13. | Arizona State | 365 | |
14. | California | 343 | |
15. | Florida State | 292 | |
16. | Northeastern | 251 | |
17. | Simon Fraser | 227 | |
18. | Colorado State | 207 | |
19. | James Madison | 190 | |
20. | Florida | 187 | |
21. | Auburn | 130 | |
22. | Oregon | 125 | |
23. | Cal Poly | 123 | |
24. | Arizona | 70 | |
25. | Indiana | 66 |
Others receiving votes: Clemson (19), Michigan State (10), Boise State (5), Georgia (4), Sonoma State (2), West Virginia (2), Baylor (1).