2026-27 NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: Pre-Invite Edition ...Middle East

By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam

As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings are somewhere between dual meet rankings and a pure prediction of NCAA finish order. SwimSwam’s rankings take into account how a team looks at the moment, while keeping the end of the season in mind through things like a team’s previous trajectory and NCAA scoring potential. These rankings are by nature subjective, and a jumping-off point for discussion. If you disagree with any team’s ranking, feel free to make your case in our comments section.

James Sutherland, Braden Keith, Anya Pelshaw, Terin Frodyama, and Robert Gibbs contributed to this report.

With October almost over and mid-season invitationals around the corner, SwimSwam is publishing our pre-invite power rankings based on the first part of the season.

There was quite a bit of movement on the back end of the rankings as we try to iron out the finer details of each team’s point scoring potential, but most of the top-10 stayed the same.

The biggest shift in the top-10 comes from Arizona State, who was originally ranked 6th in our pre-season ranking, but they have moved up to 4th after very strong showings from their freshmen and from Ilya Kharun to open the season.

Honorable Mentions: Army, Northwestern

#25: Purdue -3 (Previous Rank: 22)

There are a few teams on this list that are shifting around just as the SwimSwam staff tries to figure out how much weight to give diving, and Purdue is one of them. They return all of their diving scorers from 2026, and freshman sprinter Luca Scampicchio is turning out to be a very strong addition to the program. — M.F.

#24: Miami (FL) -4 (Previous Rank: 20)

The Miami men are another program shifting as we weigh diving. Matteo Santoro already has a few wins under his belt this year and will be a big portion of their NCAA scoring roster. — M.F.

#23: Wisconsin +3 (Previous Rank: NR)

The Badgers have only raced once this season, taking down Notre Dame in the middle of October, but Yoav Romano has already swam a personal best in the 1000 free, setting the 9th fastest time in the country this season. — M.F.

#22: Florida State +2 (Previous Rank: 24)

It wasn’t clear how Florida State would fare after losing Michel Arkhangelskiy, but they did well at the Georgia Tech Dual Meet Tournament and Matias Christensen has already had a big swim in the men’s 200 fly to sit 10th in the country this season. — M.F.

#21: SMU -3 (Previous Rank: 18)

Francis Brennan and Andy Baklanov have seen a few strong performances to open the season for the Mustangs, and Luke Sitz has yet to lose a diving event this season. — M.F. 

#20: Auburn +1 (Previous Rank: 21)

While Auburn saw an early exit from the College Swimming League, some new names popped up for them that are encouraging. There’s still a lot of weight on the shoulders of freshman Mike Rice, but so far he’s looked pretty good. — B.K.

#19: Kentucky +4 (Previous Rank: 23)

Lost in the Indiana uproar is that Levi Sandidge is, for now, eligible for Kentucky. He was 3rd at NCAAs last season, and those points can make a huge difference in the 18-30 range. — B.K.

#18: Ohio State -3 (Previous Rank: 15)

Ohio State was the first team eliminated from the College Swimming League, which contributed to their drop in the rankings. Matthew Klinge had some strong performances in their first few meets, however, and will be crucial for the team moving forward. — M.F.

#17: USC — (Previous Rank: 17)

The Chmielewski twins are huge members of the USC program and Michal already has a top-10 time this season, coming in at #6 in the men’s 200 butterfly with his 1:41.79. — M.F.

#16: Alabama +3 (Previous Rank: 19)

Alabama has some quality pieces, including Tommy Hagar, who has already been 45.87 in the 100 back this season. They’re thin in the freestyle sprints, though, which limits their upside in the NCAA Championship format. — B.K.

#15: Georgia +1 (Previous Rank: 16)

It wasn’t clear how the Georgia Bulldogs would perform without Luca Urlando, and they were off their game at the first CSL match, but they did very well in their 2nd match. The addition of Jacob Johnson from Minnesota has been huge for the Bulldogs and Sean Green and Tomas Koski have both continued building on strong seasons last year. — M.F.

#14: UNC — (Previous Rank: 14)

Ben Delmar and Sean Setzer shined in UNC’s dual meet with Duke, and diver Rodolfo Vazquez has also been strong, earning a few wins in their first two meets. — M.F.

#13: LSU — (Previous Rank: 13)

Shocking absolutely nobody, Jere Hribar’s performances have been fast and furious so far this season, but Nikola Simic and Volodymyr Lisovets have also been good for the Tigers and the LSU men are currently undefeated — M.F.

#12: Virginia Tech -1 (Previous Rank: 11)

Virginia Tech took 2nd to ASU at the SMU Classic after a big performance from breaststroker Eli Martin, who is currently ranked 8th in the country in the 200 breast, and their relays have strong NCAA scoring potential, especially with Brendan Whitfield in the mix. — M.F.

#11: Louisville +1 (Previous Rank: 12)

Nikita Sheremet has become a bona fide superstar and one of the most exciting talents on the men’s side. The question going forward will be whether the rest of the roster is able to get themselves into a sure-fire top-10 position heading into the midseason portion of the season. — T.F.

#10: Michigan — (Previous Rank: 10)

Another team that saw an early exit from the CSL, the Michigan Wolverines are strong in certain events, but they have a few gaps that could hurt them. Lorne Wigginton and Colin Geer will be crucial in staying in the top-10. — M.F.

#9: Stanford — (Previous Rank: 9)

Stanford had a massive performance in their first CSL match, but was rather lackluster in their 2nd match. Breaststroker Daniel Li has been consistently fast, and sophomore Ethan Ekk has already set a host of lifetime bests in the backstroke events.

#8: Virginia — (Previous Rank: 8)

Williamson and Heilman continue to be a strong duo. The team still searches for a sprint freestyler to anchor the relay but another top 10 finish seems to be in the cards. — A.P.

#7: NC State — (Previous Rank: 7)

The Wolfpack bounced back from a tough defeat in their first CSL match to win against a stacked group of opponents in their second. The sprint core is strong, as always, and Jan Gajda seems poised to fill the seemingly-perenniel breaststroke gap. — R.G.

#6: Cal -1 (Previous Rank: 5)

Cal has some serious weapons. Ryan Erisman has been phenomenal in the first part of the season. Yamato Okadome is looking to sweep both breaststroke events at NCAAs again this year, and Michel Arkhangelskiy has also been fast in his Golden Bear openings. All eyes will be on them to see how they swim at midseason invites and if they can move back up the rankings.

#5: Tennessee -1 (Previous Rank: 4)

Tennessee did not move down due to anything they are showing, and they could easily end up shifting back around as the season moves on. Freshman Drew Eubanks is handling the NCAA transition phenomenally. Add Eubanks in with Ulises Saravia, Julian Koch, and Nikoli Blackman, and the Volunteers will be scary in the post-season.

#4: Arizona State +2 (Previous Rank: 6)

Ilya Kharun picked up right where he left off in the sprint events and Nathan Muratory is already adjusting well to SCY. Nick Simons might be the revelation of the season, though. — A.P.

#3: Florida — (Previous Rank: 3)

The news of Matt Richards’s addition for the spring semester is eye-popping, though it won’t move the needle much for the current program. They had several strong performances to take down Virginia and have been well tested this season, including a win over SEC foe Kentucky. — T.F.

#2: Indiana — (Previous Rank: 2)

If Zalan Sarkany and Owen McDonald can stay eligible and the Indiana men continue to perform the way they have over the last month, we could see the Hoosiers challenge for the NCAA title in March. — M.F.

#1: Texas — (Previous Rank: 1)

Texas continues to be the top dog in the NCAA, despite not having the same levels of racing as many of the teams in the CSL, with only about a month or so in the books, early impressions show that the Longhorn men are still poised for another NCAA title. — T.F.

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