INDIANAPOLIS — With less than four weeks to go before selections, the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee has revealed its top 16 teams.
“The committee is very excited to provide this in-season top 16 ranking,” said Keri Mendoza, Senior Associate AD at Cal Poly and this year’s committee chair. “There have been a lot of great games the past few weeks, including some upsets, which makes for an exciting season and leads to shake-ups in the rankings.”
Using results through games on October 16, Duke comes in as the top team in the committee rankings. The Blue Devils have won 11 straight games, including three wins inside the top 15 of the RPI, highlighted by a victory over rival North Carolina.
The Tar Heels have six wins inside the RPI’s top 50, boast the second-best strength of schedule in the country, and are second in the ranking. Wake Forest makes it three straight ACC teams atop the committee’s list, checking in third. The Demon Deacons have played the nation’s toughest schedule and racked up four victories over teams in the top 15 of the RPI.
Rounding out the top four, which would be the final #1 seed in the bracket, is Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have six wins against teams in the top 50 of the RPI and have only allowed three goals this season, the best mark in the country.
“Per our established selection criteria, we evaluated each team’s adjusted Rating Percentage Index (RPI), head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents and strength of schedule,” said Mendoza. “New to our criteria this year, we also emphasize wins and ties against teams ranked in the top 25 and 50 of the adjusted RPI.”
The next spot in the rankings goes to Arkansas, while Iowa, Stanford, and Penn State conclude the group that would make up the two seeds in the bracket.
Auburn and Michigan State round out the top 10, followed by Southern California and UCLA. Ohio State, TCU, Notre Dame, and Pepperdine are recognized as the final teams in the rankings.
“We look forward to the final weeks of regular season play,” Mendoza added. “Unlike previous years, the teams ranked in the top four spots all have at least one loss, which demonstrates the parity of the top-ranked teams this season. Many teams are still in contention for the top 16, so the final rankings could change a lot in the next three weeks from what we see now.”
The 2024 championship field will consist of 30 automatic qualifiers and 34 at-large selections, which will be revealed on Monday, November 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
During selections, the committee will identify the top 32 teams, seeding them into four groupings of 1 to 8. The top 16 teams will be identified in rank order and assigned a seed grouping from 1 to 4.
The tournament opens on Friday, November 15. The championship will take place at campus sites through the quarterfinals as teams look to earn a trip to the Women’s College Cup.
The 2024 Women’s College Cup will return to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with semifinals on Friday, December 6, followed by the national championship game on Monday, December 9.
For more information, please visit: https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/womens-college-cup/champinfo
NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee Top 16 Ranking
(record through games on October 16)
1. Duke (11-1-0)
2. North Carolina (13-2-0)
3. Wake Forest (9-2-2)
4. Mississippi St. (12-1-0)
5. Arkansas (11-1-1)
6. Iowa (11-1-3)
7. Stanford (12-2-1)
8. Penn St. (11-3-2)
9. Auburn (12-1-2)
10. Michigan St. (9-1-5)
11. Southern California (11-1-2)
12. UCLA (12-2-2)
13. Ohio St. (10-2-3)
14. TCU (11-2-2)
15. Notre Dame (8-1-3)
16. Pepperdine (9-2-3)
