Can anyone stop Notre Dame from winning a fourth consecutive ACC title? Who will battle Baylor for Big 12 supremacy? Are the Buckeyes or Terps the Big Ten favorite?
Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel break down what to expect in the Power 5 conferences -- and cast their predictions for which team emerges as the regular-season champion.
ACC
Notre Dame is 47-1 in ACC play the past three seasons since joining the league. With perhaps the best point guard-post player duo in the country in Lindsay Allen and Brianna Turner, that success is expected to continue. Louisville, led by dynamic forwards Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore, is the biggest challenger. Keep an eye on how transfers Chatrice White (Illinois) and Imani Wright (Baylor) impact Florida State and complement its veteran core of Leticia Romero and Shakayla Thomas. Point guard Alexis Peterson is back for Syracuse, which reached last season's NCAA title game. Miami, Duke and NC State should all be in the mix for NCAA tournament berths. -- Charlie Creme
Big 12
Baylor has won or tied for the regular-season title six years in a row, and won the league tournament seven of the past eight, including six straight titles. Expect nothing different this season, with the Lady Bears led by senior forward Nina Davis and senior guard Alexis Jones, and incoming star Lauren Cox, a freshman forward. Texas and Oklahoma are the top challengers, with West Virginia and Kansas State in the next tier. Keep an eye on Iowa State guard Seanna Johnson, K-State forward Breanna Lewis and Texas guard Brooke McCarty. The Final Four is in Big 12 territory, at Dallas' American Airlines Center. -- Mechelle Voepel
Big Ten
When not outscoring opponents 72-0 in the second half of exhibition games, Maryland must blend abundant young talent with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones. Ohio State needs to mesh transfers Sierra Calhoun, Lianne Harper and Stephanie Mavunga with Kelsey Mitchell. Beyond the favorites, Indiana's Tyra Buss, Northwestern's Nia Coffey and Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty are talented catalysts with NCAA tournament-worthy supporting casts. The story for much of the league is who isn't around, whether by transfer (Nebraska's Natalie Romeo and Illinois' Chatrice White), health (Rutgers' Tyler Scaife) or the WNBA (Minnesota's Rachel Banham and Michigan State's Aerial Powers). Coach Jonathan Tsipis needs time to build at Wisconsin. -- Graham Hays
Pac-12
For the first time since 1999, UCLA is the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12. Coach Cori Close has systematically rebuilt the program, and led by junior point guard Jordin Canada, the Bruins have taken over the territory that used to be Stanford's domain. Still, the Cardinal are coming off an Elite Eight season, and senior forward Erica McCall will keep Stanford right in the mix. Kelsey Plum, Washington's all-time leading scorer, is determined to make her final season as memorable as the Huskies' first Final Four last April. Oregon State lost three starters, but is also an NCAA tournament-caliber team. Cal and Oregon are young teams on the rise. -- Charlie Creme
SEC
Defending champ South Carolina is favored to win the league again, but challengers include Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky. The Gamecocks, winners of the past two SEC tournaments, could do that in their home state in 2017 with the event in Greenville, South Carolina. Nine SEC teams made the NCAA tournament last season, with Tennessee the last standing in the Elite Eight. South Carolina forward A'ja Wilson, the 2016 SEC Player of the Year, returns. Also look for big performances from Gamecocks center Alaina Coates, Kentucky guard Makayla Epps, Mississippi State forward Victoria Vivians and Tennessee guard Diamond DeShields. -- Mechelle Voepel