Week 1: Power Rankings
Every week we’ll be releasing a “Power Rankings” 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 four individuals:
Bailey Perez (former Stanford gymnast)
Ben Cooperman (former Penn State gymnast)
Jess Frankl (photographer/CGA Social Media Director)
Max Soifer (former Washington gymnast)
1. Stanford (-)
Despite having arguably the most tumultuous offseason of any team in the country, Stanford remains the favorite after the first week of competition without having competed. With the University operating completely remote, team members have been scattered all across the nation to train on their own. It will be interesting to see how the pandemic affects the Cardinal, but it does not change the fact that they have the most talented team on paper in the country.
2. OU (-)
In typical fashion, OU came out of the gates swinging. Scoring a 414.45 at the end of the season is impressive, let alone the season opener during a pandemic. The Sooners counted only one fall in their romping of Air Force and ASU. OU looks to be the team to beat moving forward. Their next showing will be a home, a dual meet with Air Force and we’ll watch to see if they can keep the momentum they created this past weekend.
This weekend: Air Force @ Oklahoma Saturday, Jan 23 at 7PM EST
How to watch: Live on Fox Sports Oklahoma at 7PM EST & delayed coverage on Fox Sports Southwest on 1/24 at 10:30AM EST
3. Michigan (-)
Michigan is coming off an impressive performance at their first competition where they scored a 409.00, strong enough for the second-highest score in the country. The Wolverines looked competitive on every event with the exception of floor. Once they pick up the slack here, we can expect their team score to be challenging that of Oklahoma. The team heads to Nebraska this weekend for their first B1G competition of the season.
This weekend: Michigan @ Nebraska Sunday, Jan 24 at 1:30PMEST
How to watch: BTN+
4. Nebraska (-)
With Illinois and Penn State struggling in week one, the door has opened for Nebraska to take the number two spot in the Big Ten behind Michigan. Expectations will be high as the Cornhuskers make their 2021 debut at home against the Wolverines on Sunday.
This weekend: Michigan @ Nebraska Sunday, Jan 24 at 1:30PMEST
How to watch: BTN+
5. Penn State (+1)
After scoring a 383.65 this past weekend, the Nittany Lions moved up one spot in this week’s power rankings. Head Coach Randy Jepson was encouraged by his team’s season debut, “I was really proud of a lot of our guys … they pulled through it and rocked it today”. Speaking of debut’s, or lack-there-of, missing from the Nittany Lion lineup were many members of last year’s top ranked recruiting class. As those highly anticipated routines make appearances, look for Penn State to continue moving up in the rankings. The Nittany Lions next opportunity to prove themselves will be on Jan 30th at home against Illinois.
6. Minnesota (+2)
Minnesota jumps two spots to no. 6 after a rough season debut from Illinois. We have yet to see the Golden Gophers compete, but one thing we can be sure of is that senior Shane Wiskus is hungry to compete and ready to lead his team into their final season. Minnesota has plenty to be motivated about this season, and we can expect them to start off strong as they head to Iowa to face off against the Hawkeyes next Saturday.
7. Illinois (-2)
Illinois got off to a shaky start in their home gym over Virtius this past weekend. Freshman, Logan Myers, was the highlight as he garnered NCAA Freshman of the Week honors. The Illini will look to bounce back as they host Ohio State at home on Saturday.
This weekend: Ohio State @ Illinois Saturday, Jan 23 at 1:00PM EST
How to watch: BTN+
8. Ohio State (-1)
Dropping one place this week without having stepped onto the mat this season, the Buckeyes will look to show their potential when they face off against the Illini on Saturday in Champaign. We’ll watch to see if the talented Ohio State Freshman class can make up for the loss in leadership from last year’s senior captain, Michael Chan.
This weekend: Ohio State @ Illinois Saturday, Jan 23 at 1:00PM EST
How to watch: BTN+
9. Navy (-)
The Midshipmen have yet to compete this season and we won’t be seeing them until February 13th. They lost ten routines from last year and will have their work cut out for them once they hit the competition floor. However, if coach Kip Simons' team comes out of the gates like they did in the 2020 season, we will see them quickly climb in the rankings.
10. Iowa (-)
With it unfortunately being their last season as an NCAA team, the Hawkeyes will look to build on the momentum they gained over the past few years. Evan Davis and Bennett Huang will look to send this team out with something to celebrate when their season starts on the 30th.
11. California (-)
The young Bears team maintains their 11th place ranking for this week, but if they aren’t careful, they could easily slip to a spot in the teens. We’ll get a taste of how Cal is coping with the loss of last year’s strong senior class when they take to Virtius against ASU on Jan 30th.
12. Air Force (+1)
Air Force started the season with a 384.1, a score they hope to improve upon. Similar to last year, the Falcons seemed to increase their difficulty on many routines, but their failure to execute on them proved to be costly to their team score. They head to Oklahoma this Saturday where they will be in a battle with their own consistency in hopes of elevating their team score.
This weekend: Air Force @ Oklahoma Saturday, Jan 23 at 7PM EST
How to watch: Live on Fox Sports Oklahoma at 7PM EST & delayed coverage on Fox Sports Southwest on 1/24 at 10:30AM EST
13. Arizona State (+1)
ASU got off to a strong start at the Rocky Mountain Open, posting a 384.1. They will have the week off before facing off against Cal on Virtius on January 30th.
14. Army (-2)
Army had a rough day in their opener against the Nittany Lions, registering a 355.2. Head Coach Doug Van Everen looks forward to “shaking the rust off and getting some of the regulars back for our next meet”. Although their score was abnormally low for the typically consistent Army team, their lineup was notably missing their MVP, Matt Davis. The Black Knights will look to improve upon last week’s outing when they face Oklahoma for a virtual competition on January 30th.
15. Springfield (-)
We won’t see Springfield compete until February 17th where they will make their season debut against Cal. Coach Matt Davis has been developing his team over the past few years, and with young new talent on the roster, Springfield has the opportunity to work their way up the rankings as the season progresses.
16. W&M (-)
The Tribe will have to wait some time before their season kicks off. Once things get started in February, they will look to vye for a coveted trip to NCAAs as a team.
17. Washington (-)
Washington holds onto their 17th place ranking this week, but the Huskies won’t be in action until they face off against ASU and the Rocky Mountain Pride on February 27th.
18. UIC (-)
UIC started off the season with a tough performance against Michigan scoring a 328.1. The Flames struggled on pommel horse and rings which drastically brought down their team score. They will look to build upon this performance as they take on Northern Illinois February 6th.