Vanderbilt locked in the top spot, while Florida State made a major jump into the top 10 after a pair of key victories. Notre Dame and Texas Tech also moved up, Houston broke into the Top 25 for the first time in program history, and Duke and Louisville headline the week's biggest drops.
The IWSOC Coaches Poll in partnership with United Soccer Coaches, National Poll 12, was released Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Only coaches vote on the poll, and the rankings reflect games through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Vanderbilt capped its regular season with a 3-0 win over No. 10 South Carolina on Nov. 1, finishing 16-0-1. The Commodores became just the second team in SEC history to complete an undefeated regular season, joining South Carolina's 2016 team.
Courtney Jones opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and Margo Matula and Lydia Ungashick added second-half goals in a 92-second span. Goalkeeper Alexa Gianoplus helped secure the shutout with a key save in the 60th minute.
Florida State made a major statement with a 2-1 win over No. 5 Duke on Oct. 29, earning the 500th victory in program history. Shaneil Buckley and Tanner Strickland scored in the opening 13 minutes, and Strickland's goal proved to be the game-winner. The victory also handed Duke its first loss in seven matches.
The Seminoles followed that result with a 2-0 win over Miami on Nov. 1, moving to 9-2-3 and climbing from No. 22 to a tie for No. 10. Nawreen Ahmad scored just over two minutes into the match, and Wrianna Hudson added a second-half goal. Florida State has now won five of its last six matches and is unbeaten in nine of its last 10.
Texas Tech also made a statement, moving from No. 11 to No. 7 after a 1-0 win over No. 8 Baylor on Oct. 30. Sophomore Gianna Gregoire scored her first career goal at 76:00, while goalkeeper Addie Todd recorded her 10th shutout of the season. The victory gave the Red Raiders sole possession of first place in the Big 12 and marked the program's fifth win over a top-10 opponent.
Houston earned one of the week's most significant results, defeating No. 15 Kansas 2-0 on Oct. 30 to secure its first win over a ranked opponent since 2021. Ella Morgan scored early in the second half off a cross from Skylar Miller, and Ava Shannon added an insurance goal in the 79th minute. The Cougars entered the poll at No. 25 with an 11-3-4 record, making their first appearance in the national rankings.
Notre Dame moved up to No. 6, while BYU and Virginia also climbed into the top 15. UCLA joined Florida State in a tie for No. 10, giving the top 10 a new look this week.
Louisville had the biggest fall, dropping from No. 12 to No. 24. Duke fell from No. 5 to No. 15 after losing to Florida State, while Stanford dropped from No. 13 to No. 17. Baylor remained at No. 8, now tied with Alabama, despite its loss to Texas Tech.
Update — Nov. 6 The Nov. 3 poll remains the latest posted national ranking as of this update, with records reflecting games through Nov. 1. The following Nov. 5 results occurred after the poll’s cutoff and are not reflected in its listed records.
Florida State lost 2-1 to Virginia Tech in its regular-season finale, moving to 9-3-3 overall and 5-2-2 in the ACC. Joelle Jung scored the Seminoles’ equalizer before Eliana Salama delivered the winning goal at 80:19.
Texas Tech fell 3-2 at Kansas, finishing the regular season 12-2-4 overall and 8-2-1 in the Big 12. Kansas improved to 13-4-2, with Kate Langfelder scoring the winner at 78:39.
Houston lost 2-1 at Baylor in its regular-season finale, moving to 11-4-4 overall and 7-3-1 in the Big 12. Baylor improved to 15-3-1; Lauren Omholt and Noelle Sather scored for the Bears, and Bailey Cate answered for Houston.
Only coaches vote in the United Soccer Coaches rankings, which indicate the week-to-week status of eligible programs. The rankings should not be used as a guide to eligibility for NCAA championship selection.
Ultimate ranking for poll 12:
25. Houston, 11-3-4 (NR)
24. Louisville, 10-3-3 (12)
23. Auburn, 8-2-7 (24)
22. Utah State, 12-3-3 (25)
21. Penn State, 9-3-5 (23)
20. Washington, 12-2-4 (21)
18. Kansas, 12-4-2 (15)
18. Colorado, 13-4-1 (17)
17. Purdue, 15-2-2 (18)
16. Stanford, 10-4-2 (13)
15. Duke, 9-2-4 (5)
14. Virginia, 9-3-3 (19)
13. Brigham Young, 11-3-3 (16)
12. South Carolina, 12-2-3 (10)
10. UCLA, 12-4-2 (14)
10. Florida State, 9-2-3 (22)
8. Alabama, 14-4-0 (6)
8. Baylor, 14-3-1 (8)
7. Texas Tech, 12-1-4 (11)
6. Notre Dame, 9-1-6 (9)
5. Michigan State, 13-3-2 (6)
4. Wake Forest, 13-2-1 (4)
3. Ohio State, 15-1-1 (3)
2. North Carolina, 14-2-0 (2)
1. Vanderbilt, 16-0-1 (1)
*Luci Palacios is a student-intern at Penn State University.
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