NCAA fall sports prepare for the postseason

The GIST: Late October means three things: daily PSLs, Halloween costume stress, and autumn sports teams, ahem, falling into place as they race toward the postseason. In the last few days, three NCAA selection committees released their Top 16 lists (aka the official natty frontrunner rankings), so let’s dive into what to expect for the playoffs.

⚽ Women’s soccer: The golazo gals are roaring into the regular season’s final week, with most teams scheduled for just one or two more matches before conference tournaments begin. Thursday’s Top 16 list offered NCAA tourney insights, but with this much talent in the league, a lot can happen before November 15th’s first round.

• Nearly every major conference has a tie atop their standings, but like their aforementioned football teams, the Big 12’s fútbol gals are extra dramatic: Four teams are in striking distance of the regular-season title and, therefore, the conference tourney’s top seed. Buckle TF up.

⚽ Men’s soccer: With just two regular-season weeks remaining, the fellas aren’t far behind. One surprise in their Top 16 drop yesterday? Ohio State — who are ranked No. 5 in the coaches’ poll — snagged the committee’s top spot over legacy programs like No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 Pitt. Fascinating.

🏐 Women’s volleyball: Because it’s stacked with a bunch of overachievers, volleyball’s committee also dropped their Top 16 list yesterday — six weeks before the sport’s postseason. No such thing as too much information, right?

• Notably, the committee put a premium on strength of schedule — that’s how No. 2 Nebraska and their seven Top-25 wins snagged the first spot over nearly flawless No. 1 Pitt, who swept No. 5 Stanford for their sixth ranked win mere minutes after the list dropped.