We’re roughly halfway between the start of the 2026 college baseball season and the NCAA tournament. The eighth week of the 2026 campaign saw several top teams have big weeks on the road, including the Georgia Bulldogs and UCF Knights. Not a shock, both of those schools rose in the post-Week 8 rankings.
2026 Post-Week 8 College Baseball rankings
Here’s a look at the top 25 (coaches’ poll via USA Today) after Week 8:
- UCLA
- Texas
- Georgia Tech
- Georgia (+1)
- North Carolina (+1)
- Florida State (+1)
- Oregon State (+2)
- Mississippi State (-4)
- Alabama (+7)
- USC (-2)
- Coastal Carolina (+7)
- Auburn (-1)
- Southern Miss
- Virginia
- Texas A&M (+5)
- UCF (JUMP)
- Nebraska (+4)
- Oklahoma (-3)
- West Virginia (-7)
- Oregon (-10)
- Arizona State (+3)
- Arkansas (-6)
- NC State
- Florida (-5)
- Boston College
Kentucky fell out of the top 25.
Alabama was the big winner of the past week. The Crimson Tide, led by Bryce Fowler, took a series from the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. Alabama moved to #9, while Oklahoma fell to #17.
Coastal Carolina, meanwhile, jumped up seven spots despite a weekend loss to South Alabama. The Chanticleers took two of three from South Carolina and entered play on the 6th with wins in 10 of 11 contests. CCU will face Wake Forest in Durham on the 7th before playing Arkansas State.
UCF took two of three from the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown this past weekend. It improved the Knights’ standing in 2026 to 20-9 overall, and Andrew Williamson played a major role. Williamson hit three home runs over the weekend.
Circling around the top ten, the top three remained unchanged. UCLA swept USC, while the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets both won road series. Georgia, meanwhile, moved to #4 after the Bulldogs swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road.
Georgia, yet again, looks like a prime contender for the College World Series. Four Bulldogs (Daniel Jackson, Kolby Branch, Tre Phelps, and Brennan Hudson) all have double-digit home run totals. Meanwhile, Joey Volchko and Matt Scott both have had bounce-back years under Wes Johnson’s coaching staff.
Oregon State swept Lamar in a road series.
Expanding out to the top 25, Nebraska played very well against unranked Penn State, giving the Big 10 four schools in the top 20. Oregon stuck in there at #20, despite a down weekend in Michigan against the Wolverines.
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