Florida enters the 2026-27 college basketball season at No. 1 in both of the rankings that matter most right now, and the reasoning is the least exciting and most convincing thing in sports: the Gators brought almost everyone back.
CBS Sports has Florida first in the latest Top 25 And 1, published Sept. 28. Andy Katz has Florida first in his NCAA.com Power 44, published Oct. 1.
The Current CBS Top 10
1. Florida, 2. Duke, 3. Illinois, 4. UConn, 5. Texas, 6. Arizona, 7. Michigan State, 8. Louisville, 9. Virginia, 10. Arkansas.
If that order looks unfamiliar, it is because an earlier version floating around has Michigan at No. 3 and Gonzaga at No. 8. That was an older edition. In the current one, neither is in the top ten.
CBS’s case for Florida is straightforward: the Gators return six of their top seven scorers from a team that earned a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. In a sport reshaped by the portal, continuity is now the rarest asset on the board.
The Eligibility Rulings Changed the Board
Two legal developments moved these rankings more than any recruiting class did.
A preliminary injunction granting athletes a fifth year of eligibility returned Tamin Lipsey to Iowa State and Malik Reneau to Miami. Separately, Kansas joined the Top 25 And 1 after a court ruling cleared Tre White to play.
That is where college basketball is in 2026. Preseason polls move on filings.
The Teams Behind Florida Have Real Cases
Michigan won the 2026 national title at 37-3 and added five-star Brandon McCoy Jr. plus Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella, which makes its absence from the current top ten the single most interesting thing about this ranking.
Duke went 35-3 and reached the Elite Eight, adding Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell. Illinois made a Final Four at 28-9. UConn went 34-6 and lost the championship game. Arizona was 36-3 and also reached a Final Four. Florida returns Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon from a 27-8 team and added Kentucky transfer Denzel Aberdeen.
Katz Expanded His Rankings for a Reason
Andy Katz moved from ranking 37 teams to 44 this year because the NCAA Tournament field grows from 68 to 76 beginning this season. His first 2026-27 edition back in May had Duke first. Florida took over after the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline in late May and has not moved since.
A bigger field means more bubble teams matter in November, which is the actual story buried inside a preseason poll.
My Pick
Florida is the right No. 1 and it is not a bold call. Returning six of seven scorers from a one seed is worth more than any transfer haul, because those teams know where each other are going to be in March.
Michigan is the team I would bet on to be ranked highest by January.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.