Bracketology: Texas moves up to No. 2 overall, but UCLA is the 1-seed to watch

2 hours ago 1

By Charlie Creme Updated: 12/02/2025 at 9:00 a.m. ET

The first month of the season is complete. Just like that, the first quarter of the 2025-26 campaign is done. The ACC/SEC Challenge arrives this week, and then the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten start to dabble in conference play. Bracketology is here for all of it, with weekly updates each Tuesday. Once the calendar flips to January, we'll update our projection twice a week (every Tuesday and Friday).

Bracket Watch

The Players Era championship wasn't intended to provide clarity on the pecking order of the nation's top teams. But with Texas beating UCLA and South Carolina in Las Vegas, the Longhorns leapfrog both to claim the No. 2 overall spot behind UConn (the Gamecocks and Bruins are Nos. 3 and 4, respectively). Until one of these teams stumbles to someone outside of the group, that order will stay intact. Keep an eye on UCLA. The Bruins just concluded a busy month in which they played five Quad 1 games -- something reflected in UCLA's No. 4 spot in the first NET rankings of the season released Monday. The loss to Texas is the only blemish; wins over OU, UNC and Duke were all decisive. And they did it short-handed. Coach Cori Close is essentially using six players, as wing Timea Gardiner and post Sienna Betts remain out with injuries. The schedule eases a bit: USC on Jan. 3, Maryland two weeks after that and the only meeting with Michigan not until Feb. 7. The Big Ten is deep, but it isn't the gauntlet at the top like the SEC. The Bruins are the fourth No. 1 seed for now, but a healthier, deeper UCLA could still find its way to the top overall spot for the second year in a row.