#NCAAMGym Week 8 Power Rankings Presented by SPIETH America
Every week we’ll be releasing a “Power Rankings” (presented by SPIETH America) that aims to provide a fluid picture of how each team across the NCAA is doing at the moment. The idea is to try not to focus too much on scores and look more at the current state of the team. The (+) or (-) next to each team relates to how far they rose or fell from last week’s Power Rankings.
This year’s Power Rankings are an average based on the individual rankings of five individuals:
Yordan Aleksandrov (former Cal gymnast)
Logan Bradley (former Illinois gymnast)
Ben Cooperman (former Penn State gymnast)
Jess Frankl (photographer/CGA expert)
Alex Wittenberg (former Minnesota gymnast)
1. Stanford Cardinal (-)
Stanford will head into the second half of the season with a strong grip on the No. 1 spot in the country. They also got good news this past weekend with the selection of Brody Malone to the USA National Team after a strong showing at Winter Cup. He will take his place as the anchor of this team as the Cardinal host Cal this coming weekend.
2. Michigan Wolverines (+1)
The Wolverines capped the first half of the season with a convincing defeat of Oklahoma, landing them in the No. 2 spot going into five-up, five-count format. The Wolverines appear to be the top dog in the Big Ten and the team best positioned to challenge Stanford. They take on Minnesota at home this weekend.
3. Oklahoma Sooners (-1)
After a tough road loss to Michigan, the Sooners find themselves in the No. 3 spot. Considering they were ranked No. 1 every single week in 2019 and No. 2 every week in 2020 thus far in our power rankings, it is safe to say that this is an uncommon position for OU. Gage Dyer, coming off of an impressive first place finish on floor at Winter Cup, will look to lead this team forward in the second half of the season and fend off some of the up-and-coming Big Ten teams.
4. Illinois Fighting Illini (-)
Illinois ended the first half of their season with a season-high total. A week before, they took down the Huskers in a crucial statement win. That means the Illini enter Week 8 with plenty of reason to feel confident in their ability. They face the Hawkeyes in Iowa City this Sunday.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (-)
After going above 409 for the second time this year, Nebraska got some time off for the Winter Cup bye week. They will face a tall test at home as Penn State comes to Lincoln. If the Huskers can execute, they should be able to secure another quality win.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (-)
The Buckeyes have been steadily improving throughout the season, but the biggest sign of potential success came in their narrow loss to Michigan a few weeks ago. Ohio State kept it close, and considering how good Michigan has proven themselves to be, that was quite a feat for the Buckeyes, who entered the season in the No. 9 spot. They take on Navy at home this weekend.
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (-)
The Nittany Lions seem to be lacking some depth as they continue to battle through some injuries. After the week off, Penn State could come back strong and maybe even see the return of Sam Zakutney to the floor and vault lineups. It is also worth noting that Stephen Nedoroscik has retained his National Team spot after he won pommel horse at the World Cup in Australia. Not a bad week off for Penn State.
8. Minnesota Golden Gophers (-)
Minnesota had an up-and-down first half of the season. They scored a huge victory over Illinois at home at the end of January, but they also lost to Iowa and Nebraska. Neither of those losses was a Big Ten matchup, so the Gophers may have been holding out on us. If they were, they’ll no longer get to. They take on Michigan in Ann Arbor this weekend.
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (-)
Iowa is having a strong regular season thus far as they did in 2019. This week they will face quite the test as they host Illinois. If they are able to pull off the upset, it will be time to revisit the ceiling of this Hawkeye team.
10. Navy Midshipmen (-)
Navy has been one of this season’s best stories, and their success so far is a testament to Kip Simons’ ability as a head coach. The Midshipmen haven’t dipped below 400 in the last four meets. This weekend will be a test, though. Navy travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. They’ll need to show the country they can perform just as well against formidable opposition.
11. California Golden Bears (-)
Cal has only finished above the 400 mark once this season; a feat that top-ten teams are able to do fairly consistently. If they can pull off a string of great meets, the Golden Bears could have an argument to move out of the No. 11 spot. They will head to Stanford this weekend to kick off the second half of the season.
12. Arizona State Sun Devils (-)
Arizona State hasn’t been able to match the score they put up at the West Point Open early in the season, but there’s reason to believe the Sun Devils’ ceiling is higher than it might seem.
13. Army Black Knights (-)
Army will face a struggling Air Force team at home this Saturday. This is a great opportunity for the Black Knights to put up a big number after a week of rest.
14. William & Mary Tribe (-)
William & Mary delivered a decisive defeat to Springfield last weekend, elevating themselves to the No. 14 spot. Their 397.55 was a huge season-high, and it was the perfect way for W&M to cap the first half of the year. They’re off this weekend.
15. Springfield Pride (+1)
Springfield put up a season high 387.85 on the road this past weekend. This comes after an impressive win against Washington. This team is certainly on the right track and will be chasing the 390-mark for the remainder of the season.
16. Air Force Falcons (-1)
Air Force has struggled this season, but there are signs the Falcons’ star is rising. They put up a season-best at their last meet and kept it close with Army. The Falcons get to try to knock off the Black Knights again this weekend. They take on Army in West Point.
17. Washington Huskies (-)
Washington had a great meet two weeks ago but it was not enough to take down Springfield. They will head to Arizona State for the Sun Devil Classic this weekend.
