For weeks, Texas sat at No. 1 in every major college softball poll. They earned the ranking with a 29-game win streak, dominant pitching, and a record that invited comparisons to the great programs in the sport’s history. Then Alabama came to Tuscaloosa, took two of three games, and changed everything.
This week, the polls caught up. Softball America’s Week 10 rankings — released as the NFCA Coaches Poll is also expected to reflect the same movement on Tuesday morning — have Alabama at No. 1 for the first time in 2026. Texas falls. A new order has arrived at the top of college softball.
Alabama’s Ascent
The Crimson Tide’s series win over No. 1 Texas on April 2-4 at Rhoads Stadium was the defining result of the season to this point. Alabama won two of three, with Katie Stewart going off in the series clincher — two home runs, the 19th and 20th of her season — to secure a 7-4 win in Game 3. It was Alabama’s first series victory over a No. 1 ranked team since April 2016.
That kind of result demands recognition from the coaches who vote in these polls. Alabama is now 34-3 overall, ranked No. 1 in Softball America’s Week 10 poll, and entering the final stretch of the regular season with legitimate national title aspirations. The Crimson Tide did not stumble into first place — they earned it in the most direct way possible.
What the Week 10 Rankings Look Like
Texas Tech remains at No. 2 in Softball America’s Week 10 poll with a 34-2 record. The Red Raiders have been a model of consistency all season — no dramatic series wins over ranked opponents, but no series losses either. At 34-2, they have one of the best records in the country and a pitching staff that makes them a legitimate national title contender.
Oklahoma climbs to No. 3 at 38-3. The Sooners have been dominant all spring, with Kendall Wells’ historic freshman season — 30 home runs, .383 batting average, 60-plus RBIs — providing both production and national attention. Nebraska makes a notable move to No. 5, one of the bigger climbers in the poll. Florida State is at No. 6 with a 24-game win streak and a 12-0 ACC record — a ranking that arguably undersells what the Seminoles have accomplished.
The full top 10: Alabama, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Florida State, Arkansas, Florida, UCLA, Tennessee. New entrants in the broader top 25 include Kansas, Louisville, and Southeastern Louisiana. North Alabama debuts at No. 18 — a milestone for the Atlantic Sun program that has been quietly building something real.
Texas Is Not Done
Texas dropping to No. 4 in the polls is not the end of the world. The Longhorns are 32-4 overall and 9-3 in SEC play — a record that still supports a national seed come tournament time. They have the talent and the schedule to reclaim a top ranking before the season ends.
The path back to No. 1, however, runs directly through the Red River Rivalry. Texas hosts Oklahoma at McCombs Field this Friday, April 10 (6 PM CT, ESPN2), Saturday (7 PM CT, ESPN), and Sunday (ESPN). A series win over the No. 3 Sooners would send a clear message that the Alabama loss was a blip, not a trend. A series loss would compound the damage and make the path to a national seed considerably harder.
