Women's college basketball Power Rankings: South Carolina secures grip on No. 1 after NC State win

The opening week of the 2024-25 women's college basketball season is now in the books, and South Carolina remains No. 1 in CBS Sports' women's college basketball Power Rankings.

South Carolina has welcomed the return of Ashlyn Watkins, but their overall depth is what helped them register a 71-57 win over NC State in Sunday's Final Four rematch. The score is a little deceiving because the Wolfpack put on a decent fight against the Gamecocks and almost made a comeback after being down by 20 in the third quarter. Any other loss would have moved the Wolfpack lower in the rankings, but they only moved down one spot this week to remain in the top 10.

That was South Carolina's 40th consecutive win dating back to last season, meaning the Gamecocks have officially joined UConn as only the programs in NCAA history to have multiple 40-game winning streaks. 

Speaking of the Huskies, they are still waiting for the return of some of their key players, but kept the No. 2 spot this week after well-rounded performances by Paige Bueckers and freshman Sarah Strong.

USC had an upset scare in their season opener against Ole Miss, but pulled off a 68-66 victory. They followed that performance by dominating Cal Poly, 90-35, on Saturday.

Ole Miss improved one spot after nearly upsetting USC. They also bounced back from that loss with an impressive 85-24 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. That was the fewest points allowed in program history.

Stanford enters the Power Rankings at No. 21 this week following convincing wins against Washington State and Gonzaga. Oregon has also entered the chat after upsetting Baylor, 76-74. The addition of former star North Carolina star Deja Kelly has already paid off for the Ducks, as she led the upset with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Here are the official CBS Sports women's college basketball Power Rankings: 

First five out: TCU, Utah, Iowa, Florida State, Michigan