Week 7 NQS Update | Balance Beam Situation

NQS is officially here, and it’s already gigantic. Let’s take a look.

Any scores in BOLD can no longer be dropped.

Oklahoma debuted in the NQS rankings with 198.105, which already ranks as the 5th-best NQS in college gymnastics history, behind Oklahoma, Florida, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma. By scoring a 198.125 this weekend, Oklahoma would set a new all-time NQS high—with four meets still remaining to continue improving on it.

Florida cannot catch Oklahoma this weekend and has no chance to remove that road 197.3 while at home on Friday. With Michigan competing on both Friday and Monday, Florida could be vulnerable to losing the #2 ranking this week, even with a season high.

Michigan’s planned meet against Nebraska this week was canceled and rescheduled for Monday, meaning Michigan will head to Nebraska and compete for two road scores in the coming days, providing a huge opportunity to drop the 196.975 and the 197.400. On Friday, Michigan’s goal score will be 197.975, which would ensure moving ahead of Florida regardless of what Florida scores. But if it doesn’t happen then, there will be another chance on Monday.

Monday’s loss to Arizona State produced a counting score but not the total Utah was looking for, meaning that Utah is now locked into using a 197.750 road number, lower than the bold road scores of the three teams ranked ahead. The bright side for Utah is that there’s still a very droppable 197.275 here, poised to fall out the moon door at Friday’s meet against Cal. If everything goes just right, Utah could move as high as 2nd this week, but with a lower maximum NQS than Florida or Michigan, that’s not in Utah’s hands. At very minimum, Utah needs a 197.550 this week to make sure UCLA can’t do anything.

Auburn went with a semi-resting meet away against Missouri on Sunday that, coupled with some mistakes, produced a season low and non-counting score and suddenly put Auburn in some ranking trouble. LSU and Alabama both have higher maximum NQSs than Auburn this week, which means Auburn could score a season high against Georgia on Friday and still drop out of the top 8 if LSU and Alabama both go crazy.

Alabama’s NQS currently sits a step behind the top 8, but with two 196s still to get rid of, Alabama is beginning to look quite dangerous to knock one of those teams out. If Alabama goes 197.800+ against LSU on Friday, that would clinch a spot ahead of Auburn in the top 8 in next Monday’s rankings.

Denver held onto a spot in the top 10 this week with a season high 197.650 and will spend this weekend at another away meet with a chance to drop that 196.725. Denver has a slight chance of picking off LSU or Alabama should they miss, but mostly Denver will be aiming for 197.450 this weekend, which would ensure retaining a spot in the top 10.

Oregon State also has a chance to get rid of its last remaining 196 at a road meet this weekend and could challenge Denver if Denver doesn’t score with as much gusto. But the Beavs will also be vulnerable because #12 Kentucky has a higher maximum NQS after this week and could use its own huge score to move ahead regardless of what Oregon State scores.

Kentucky experienced that classic NQS conundrum this week where you score an all-time program record and lose a spot in the rankings. You know that. But, heading to Florida on Friday, Kentucky will now have a chance to get rid of a lower road 196 and do some actual ranking damage. It’ll take a SCORE score, a 197.625 to guarantee moving ahead of Oregon State, but that will be the aim.

The large gap that has emerged between the top 12 and everyone else means Ohio State has no chance to move up in the rankings this week. A 197.375 at Big Fives this weekend would ensure that OSU keeps the #13 spot in Monday’s rankings even if everyone else gets 199.

NQS is Georgia’s best friend right now, the switchover coinciding with a 5-spot ranking gain compared to last week. Friday’s visit to Auburn will provide another opportunity to get rid of a lower 196, and Georgia will have its sights set on its first road 197 in three years, which would keep UGA ahead of Missouri.

Missouri finally got its 197 this week, which was an important step in the quest to stay in the top 16. Missouri’s max NQS is not as high as Ohio State’s or Georgia’s this week, so any chance to move up will depend on them, but Missouri will still need a big one to try to stay in the top 16 since Arkansas has a huge chance to move up this week and MSU has meets on Saturday and Monday and scores to drop.

Southern Utah saw a massive rise into the top 16 with the change to NQS, but with a lower maximum NQS after this week than Arkansas, Michigan State, and Arizona State, SUU will need to go big and hope those teams have issues in order to hold onto this spot. 

The balance beam situation at Kentucky dumped Arkansas out of the top 16 for the week, but Arkansas does still have a 195 to get rid of and a higher maximum NQS than Georgia, Missouri, or Southern Utah this week. It would take 196.650 to guarantee moving ahead of SUU, 197.050 for Missouri, and 197.350 to ensure moving ahead of all three.

Minnesota is fairly comfortably situation at this point but has a lower peak NQS this week than #19 MSU or #20 ASU, so could get dropped a spot or two. Minnesota needs only a 196.400, though, to be assured of staying in the top 20.

Michigan State now has two competitions scheduled for each of the next two weekends, so basically we know very little at this point about how this NQS picture will end up. Check back in a week. But, MSU does have a chance to move ahead of a number of teams after Friday by dropping that 195.

Arizona State used the big result in defeating Utah to secure a place in the top 20 this week and could move even higher if that kind of scoring is kept up. A 196.900 this week would put ASU ahead of Minnesota regardless of Minnesota’s score.

Iowa heads up the group of teams in a pretty comfortable ranking position but that cannot move into the top 16 on Monday (seeded for regionals) no matter what happens this weekend.

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.585

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.595

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.530

Maximum NQS after Friday’s meet: 196.490

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.265

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.380

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.290

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.105

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.135

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.085

Maximum NQS after Wednesday’s meet: 195.980

Maximum NQS after Wednesday’s meet: 195.965

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 196.045

Maximum NQS after Wednesday’s meet: 195.985

Maximum NQS after Saturday’s meet: 195.780

A couple meet relocations and reschedules have put Big Fives AND the dual against Michigan both in Nebraska now, turning two prospective road meets into home meets. That would usually be a problem in terms of removing opportunities for road scores, but Nebraska’s road scores are the best ones right now.

Maximum NQS after Friday’s meet: 195.645

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.740

Maximum NQS after Friday’s meet: 195.765

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.620

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.705

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.645

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.450

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.440

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.545

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.245

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.395

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 195.020

Maximum NQS after this weekend: 194.925

Maximum NQS after Friday’s meet: 194.780