Every week we’ll release a “Power Rankings,” aiming 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’s name relates to how far they rose or fell from last week’s rankings.

This year’s power rankings are an average based off of the individual rankings of five individuals:

Logan Bradley (former Illinois gymnast)
Ben Cooperman (former Penn State gymnast)
Alex Wittenberg (former Minnesota gymnast)
Andrew Misiolek (former Stanford gymnast)
Jessica Frankl (CGA gymnastics expert/photographer)

To see a list of each individual’s rankings, scroll all the way to the bottom of this page.

1. Oklahoma Sooners (-)

Oklahoma bested Nebraska and Illinois last Saturday to add another win to their streak. The Sooners did struggle somewhat on horse and high bar, but the errors were hardly enough to dull the usual OU pomp. They face Iowa next weekend in what should be something of a repeat. Expect some of the mainstays to be sitting out on some events to rest before Winter Cup. -- Alex Wittenberg

2. Stanford Cardinal (-)

While Stanford's 418 from last weekend probably wasn't an actual 418, it was still a great showing from a great team. I want to use this space to wonder aloud how judges are still so massively off at certain meets, but that's not what the Power Rankings are for. To get back on track: I'm already excited to see what Brody Malone will be able to do on a national stage at NCAA Championships. -- Logan Bradley

3. Michigan Wolverines (+1)

Five weeks into the season and Michigan finds themselves in a terrific spot. Cameron Bock is a legit top-five all-arounder. Emyre Cole has transitioned from a FX, VT guy to an all-around stud, Kevin Penev is coming alive and to top it all off: they are currently first place in the Big Ten regular season standings. All is well in Ann Arbor. -- Ben Cooperman

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers (+2)

Minnesota again distanced themselves from their early-season struggles, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes on their home turf last Saturday. In Illinois’ loss to Nebraska, Minnesota gained new optimism about their chances in the Big Ten regular season race. They face Arizona State at home this weekend, which should make for a good opportunity to stride forward further. -- Alex Wittenberg

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (-)

Penn State was off last weekend but will return to the competition this weekend as they travel to Chicago to face UIC and Springfield. -- Logan Bradley

6. Illinois Fighting Illini (-3)

The Fighting Illini took the biggest tumble down the rankings after a devastating Big Ten defeat at the hands of Nebraska. While this loss does not bode well for their chance at the regular season title, there is no reason for Illinois to panic. This team is young. After the senior class they lost, it is only natural for them to stumble. The Illini will be back, hungrier than ever the next time they take the floor. -- Ben Cooperman

7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (-)

Nebraska is sitting pretty after upsetting rival Illinois in Lincoln last Saturday. It was a huge improvement for the Huskers, whose 395.0 against Penn State the week before seemed to be symptomatic of a rocky Big Ten season. They’ve done away with that notion for now. The Huskers are off this weekend but face Minnesota, whom they beat at the Rocky Mountain Open, at home on Feb. 23. -- Alex Wittenberg

8. Iowa Hawkeyes (-)

Iowa has been consistently sitting in the 8-9 range so far in 2019. Even though at times it has felt like there's a significant gap between the top-seven and the Hawkeyes, they proved otherwise last weekend. Finishing within five points of a solid Minnesota squad should give the rest of the NCAA pause for concern when matching up with Iowa. Nobody expects the Hawks to beat Oklahoma this weekend, but keeping the deficit within single-digits would be a victory in itself. -- Logan Bradley

9. Ohio State Buckeyes (-)

Ohio State clearly has not started the season the way they were hoping to. On a brighter note: wherever there is struggle, there is room for growth. It will be interesting to see how this team handles the adversity going forward, more specifically, looking at freshman Jesse Tyndall and Angel Leon. Both of these two have extremely high ceilings. -- Ben Cooperman

10. Navy Midshipmen (+1)

Navy, by less than a point, prevailed over Army in a dogfight of a meet that the rival teams had been anticipating since the start of the season. More impressive yet, Navy did it on the road. The Midshipmen have real talent in their ranks, evidenced by their clutch high bar performance to seal the win. They’re at home this weekend against Army and Air Force (All-Academy Championships). Expect another battle. -- Alex Wittenberg

11. Cal Golden Bears (-1)

Despite a season-best team score, Cal falls one spot in this week's rankings. Such is the nature of the beast. Though they were handily beat by their BFF (Stanford), their day was still highlighted by a 70.3 FX rotation -- the eighth-single rotation we've seen from a team on that event in 2019. Still, (cover your ears/eyes if you're sick of hearing it) pommel horse continues to bite. It's the only event that the Golden Bears fall outside of the top-13 nationally. -- Logan Bradley

12. Army Black Knights (-)

Despite a great performance this past weekend, Army came up just shy of beating Navy in the highly-anticipated matchup. There is still reason for the Black Knights to be optimistic moving forward, they are currently sitting at No. 12, meaning a trip to Champaign in April if they can sustain this success. -- Ben Cooperman

13. Air Force Falcons (-)

Air Force didn’t compete last weekend, but expect the Falcons to come prepared for a fight against Navy and Army this Saturday. -- Alex Wittenberg

14. Arizona State Sun Devils (-)

I really wish Arizona State was afforded the opportunity to compete against more top-10 teams. The Sun Devils came within three points of an improved Cal team at the Pac-12 Invitational and could certainly put a scare into many teams ahead of them in these rankings. It's also a shame that Kiwan Watts doesn't get the national attention that he probably deserves. -- Logan Bradley

15. William & Mary Tribe (-)

The Tribe had another solid performance this weekend and featured a healthy Cutter Fugett. William and Mary will get a few weeks of rest as they prepare for their back-to-back matchups on the road February 23 and 24. -- Ben Cooperman

16. Springfield Pride (-)

Springfield didn’t compete last weekend. They face Penn State and UIC this Sunday. Springfield hit 388 in their last meet, and it’d be huge if they can again manage to get close to the 390 mark. -- Alex Wittenberg

17. Washington Huskies

Though they finished a distant fourth at the Pac-12 Invitational, last weekend marked a season-high for the Huskies. They continue to be buoyed by all-arounder Nathan Tsuji whose 79.9 placed him just outside the top-five. The major hurdles for this team are PH and HB. If you took the average of their other four events at Pac-12's, Washington was on pace for a 392.775. -- Logan Bradley

18. UIC Flames (-)

UIC posted another score in the 350's this past weekend as the No. 3 team in a tightly-contested B1G meet. The Flames will host Springfield and Penn State this coming weekend as they try to crack the 360 mark. -- Ben Cooperman

#NCAAMGym Week 5 Power Rankings