Charlie Creme Oct 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

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Charlie Creme projects the women's NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.

Even with an expanded NCAA tournament for the 2026-27 women's college basketball season, winning a conference is still important. That is especially true for the nonpower leagues, where an automatic bid remains the goal -- and often the only way for teams to earn a March Madness trip.

That might seem a long way off, but the competition for those spots begins as soon as the season tips off Nov. 1.

So what does the landscape look like? The return of the Pac-12 returns the total number of conferences back to 32 -- and will provide an intriguing race this season. And the Western Athletic Conference has reformed as the United Athletic Conference, with many former members scattering to other leagues.

In some conferences, the player of the year races will be just as fun.…