The Associated Press has released their first (and only) preseason WNBA Power Rankings poll. The Mystics came in at number 8, just barely squeaking into the playoffs (remember, new WNBA playoff rules seed teams with no regard to conference).
The top four are hard to argue with. The Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury have both terrorized the league over the past few seasons, causing many to call the Western Conference Finals the "real" finals (a factor that probably influenced the new seeding rules). The Chicago Sky and New York Liberty are each lead by an MVP in her prime (reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne and 2012 MVP Tina Charles, respectively) and topped the Eastern conference last year.