Last year, I wrote quite a bit about the Colorado men’s team. Why? Because during the regular season the team led by Coach Roy Edwards (below) repeatedly posted dark red numbers. They ended up making it through regionals and finished 24th at the NCAA Championship. 

This year the Buffs have continued their trademark low scoring. They are a combined 150 under par after the conclusion of their Fall season and logged a division-best 431 birdies.

Ranked 45th in the country and one of only two DI men's programs to be cumulatively under par on par-4s (University of Southern California is the other), Colorado have an incredible ability to go low. Keep an eye on the Buffs in Spring.

The women’s equivalent might just be UCF. The Knights have the joint most team rounds under par this Fall (9), tied with powerhouses Arkansas and Auburn. They are also in the top-three in DI for avoiding bogeys or worse. 

UCF is ranked 12th in the country after not finishing outside the top-five this season, as well as finishing under par in each event. They ended the 2024/25 campaign ranked 35th and missed out at regionals.

Another low scoring team on the women's side is Missouri. Swedish freshman Ebba Liljeberg has sparked the Tigers right out of the gates, winning her opening collegiate tournament in impressive fashion by shooting 19 under par at the Sam Goldman Invitational. 

Caroline Westrup Gaeta’s team is ranked 35th, up from 79th last year when they missed out on regionals after finishing 14th in the SEC Championship.

Looking to the mid-major level, Arkansas State men have been very impressive. Thomas Schmidt (above) ranks 33rd nationally after a 54-under Fall, which saw him finish outside the top 10 just once. He has led a strong Wolves squad to a 37th ranking with Coach Mike Hagen’s team second in individual rounds under par (46), trailing only Colorado.

In my season previews, I looked at some of the most eye-catching transfers and new recruits. Texas A&M women have excelled this Fall after a big refresh of their roster. Their head-to-head record stands at an incredible 41-1-0 after five tournaments with both returners and newcomers making significant contributions to Gerrod Chadwell’s team.

Returner Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (above) won the opening event at Pebble Beach and later added two other top-five finishes, while freshmen Brynn Kort and Natalie Yen (below) have both accumulated plenty of tournament reps. The Aggies have added a lot of depth and are highly motivated for success after their regionals exit last season.

Adam Bresnu (below) has made the immediate impact I predicted for Texas Tech. He’s currently ranked 10th in the individual rankings after finishing in the top-20 individual standings in all four events he’s played for the Red Raiders.

Greg Sands’ team has three guys firing on all cylinders right now with Tim Wiedemeyer and Connor Graham also playing great golf. Texas Tech men are ranked 15th following their Fall campaign and most definitely upwardly mobile.

Josh Brewer (above), Head Coach of the Eastern Michigan women’s team, was one of the busiest coaches in landing transfers ahead of this season, and they seem to be paying off.

As I wrote about in my preview, Brewer landed the Leovao sisters (Jasmine and Janae, pictured below) and Baiyok Suktern from the portal and all three are ranked inside the top-150 in the individual rankings. Eastern Michigan has jumped from #122 at the end of last season to #34 currently, which represents serious progress.

Freddie Turnell and Dane Huddleston have both played in all four of Illinois’ events this Fall and have been steady without yet completely hitting their stride. Coach Mike Small’s team is led by Max Herendeen (below), who is ranked 12th individually after finishing in the top-five three times and rounding out the Fall at a cumulative 28 under par. Illinois is currently at #12 in the rankings.

David Ford of UNC, Luke Clanton from Florida State and Gordon Sargent from Vanderbilt all turned pro after last season, leaving sizeable holes in their respective programs. All three teams picked up significant transfers in the off-season but the one who has gotten off to the best start is Niall Sheils Donegan at UNC.

Sheils Donegan’s worst finish in three stroke play events is 17th at the Ben Hogan Collegiate. He is ranked #25 individually and the Tar Heels are in the 14th spot in the rankings. Expect even better things from him in the Spring.