Women's Power Rankings: South Carolina still on top, OSU out - ESPN

The final days of 2023 delivered for women's college basketball fans.

Two top-20 teams were upset by unranked opponents over the weekend, with Michigan taking down No. 17 Ohio State on Saturday and Syracuse defeating No. 13 Notre Dame on Sunday.

Three of the weekend's matchups between top-25 teams lived up to the billing: No. 2 UCLA-No. 6 USC and No. 10 Baylor-No. 5 Texas were close until the final moments before the Bruins and Bears pulled away to win by seven and six points, respectively. Out West, No. 8 Colorado erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat No. 12 Utah by 11. And No. 15 UConn thrashed No. 18 Marquette by 31 after falling behind 10-0 to start.

By the weekend's end, seven teams ensured they'd take the plunge into 2024 undefeated: South Carolina, UCLA, NC State, Baylor, TCU, West Virginia and Oregon State.

The results made for an interesting process trying to figure out ESPN's Week 8 women's college basketball Power Rankings. Ohio State (10-3) dropped from the list after suffering its second loss in three games, but don't be surprised if the Buckeyes reappear later this season if they figure things out as the Big Ten slate progresses.

Here are the first Rankings and weekly awards of the 2024 calendar year.

Watch the Game Highlights from Colorado Buffaloes vs. Utah Utes, 12/30/2023

Sherrod was one of the final cuts from ESPN's list of the top 25 players last month, but on Saturday the Colorado point guard made her case for belonging on it. The fifth-year senior tallied the first 30-point performance of her career, as she exploded for 34 points and impacted every other aspect of the game, finishing with 4 assists, 4 rebounds and just 1 turnover. Thirteen of Sherrod's points came in the