NCAA women’s gymnastics power rankings: Postseason is upon us

Each week, Gymnastics Now will share our “Power Rankings“ for the top 10 women’s teams, providing insight into why certain teams are trending up and others trending down.

These rankings are purely subjective. A (+) or (-) next to each team will signify how far the team rose or fell compared to the previous week.

1. Oklahoma (-)

Did you really think this was going to change? OU has remained No. 1 in the national rankings all season long and this last week is no different. They’re in the 198 club across the board – NQS and average. Not to mention they scored a huge 198.775 at home with Jordan Bowers becoming the first Sooner to earn back-to-back perfect 10s on floor and Head Coach K.J. Kindler earning her 500th win for the Sooners.

2. Cal (-)

Remaining in the No. 2 spot consistently in both national rankings and our power rankings is something to talk about. Cal deserves this spot. Much like OU, they’ve turned on that consistency nearly every week with powerful performances and big scores. In the last week before postseason competition, the Bears had two meets in three days (so important for postseason prep), and turned in a 198.500 and 197.925; yes, there’s a gap there, but at this point, the two levels of Cal gymnastics are exceptional and out of this world.

3. Florida (-)

After a slower start to the season than some of the other top teams, the Florida Gators are clearly hitting their stride at the right time. Yes, they’ve only hit 198+ twice, but their “lower” scores are consistently in the high 197s. They’ve also surpassed the 198 mark in a true road environment, which is why we have them currently ranked over…

4. LSU (-)

In all fairness to the clearly outstanding Tigers, they’ve put up three straight scores of 198+, including a 198.425 in an away meet, but that away meet was the P&G… in Baton Rouge… different venue, same home team. For now, we’re proceeding with caution and keeping the Tigers at No. 4 in our power rankings. The next true road test for LSU will come at the NCAA Regionals in April, because the SEC championship is right down the road in New Orleans.

5. Utah (+1)

Utah earned their second 198 of the season and senior Abby Paulson earned a perfect 10 on beam with a gorgeous routine which was tear-jerking. This team is capable of big scores, no doubt, but they still haven’t hit 198 on the road. Is Utah an underdog for Four on the Floor at this point? We think yes. (But who doesn’t love a good underdog.)

6. Alabama (+3)

ALABAMA! Whew, in the last two weeks they’ve shaken things up, scoring two back-to-back 198s, including one on the road against the baddest of them all: Oklahoma. Do we still need to see some consistently higher scores? Yes, but with that being said, if they keep this upward moment rolling into the postseason, they’ll be a team to watch. (A potential spoiler to one of the above teams, perhaps?)

7. Kentucky (-2)

The Kentucky Wildcats may be the wild card in the postseason. Yes, they have only hit 198 once this season, but they’ve been able to hang with the best ranked teams in the country all season long. Also, their last two scores following their 198 haven’t dropped below a 197.800, so we’re talking about cleaning up landings and making those minor adjustments to launch up the leaderboard.

8. Denver (previously unranked)

The Pioneers are a sneaky team that we think may have the chops to make it into the final eight. In terms of stats, they have the same amount of 198s as the Utah Utes and one more than the Wildcats (two). However, in terms of consistency, they’ve been a bit all over the place until the last three meets. A positive: two of those three meets have been away. A negative: they really need to remain consistent and keep in the high 197s in order to be a contender for the semifinals.

9. Michigan State (-2)

We’re calling it now: Michigan State is a dark horse this postseason. For what, you ask? Everything. To play spoiler to other top teams, to make it to the semifinals, to make it to the Four on the Floor! This team is capable of big things, so we’re interested to see if they can finally snag a Big Ten championship title after winning the regular season title outright.

10. Michigan (-2)

The other Mitten State team has made it into our final power rankings. Now listen, if you asked us Week 1 if we could predict this, we would have pleaded the fifth (that 195 gave us a jump scare). While the team hasn’t reached a 198 this season, they’ve remained consistent and built up their individual scoring. Gymnasts we expect to see representing the Big Blue at nationals include fifth year Sierra Brooks and her teammate Gabby Wilson, who just scored a perfect 10 on the floor.