The Mount: Week 2 Previews and Predictions

Week two of the college gymnastics season is set to erupt with action as the rest of the teams make their long-awaited season debuts. After a quiet opening weekend, excitement ramps up with marquee events like the Collegiate Quads in Oklahoma City, a showcase of powerhouse programs on one of the sport’s biggest stages. Adding to the buzz, two new neutral-site podium meets debut in San Antonio, Texas, and Battle Creek, Michigan, offering fresh competition environments and a glimpse at potential postseason contenders. With so many teams stepping onto the floor for the first time, week two promises to deliver high-energy performances and early season shakeups.

Must-Watch Meets

Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad

Session One with Arizona, Clemson, Michigan, and N.C. State

Friday, Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. ACCN

Prediction: 47.7% Michigan, 38.9% Clemson, 10.0% Arizona, 3.4% NC State

All eyes are on Michigan as it looks to bounce back from a rough opening meet against Denver. Multiple falls and landing issues hurt the Wolverines’ score in week one, but they still have the potential to secure a win. It won’t be easy, though. N.C. State kicked off the season with a solid, albeit unspectacular, performance, and that consistency could allow the Wolfpack to overtake Michigan if the Wolverines continue to struggle.

Meanwhile, Arizona posted a nearly identical score to Michigan in week one and has clear areas for improvement, particularly after counting a fall on beam and having struggles on the leg events. Clemson, eager to start its season strong, also has the potential to upset Michigan. Though the Tigers frequently counted large mistakes last season, on a good day, they could pose a real threat to the Wolverines. 

Notes About the Predictions: Before Michigan’s struggles in week one, the Wolverines had an 80% chance of winning this meet. However, their low scores last week have significantly decreased those odds. Clemson, having not yet competed in week one, benefits from avoiding a low-scoring opener in the predictions. Still, the Tigers will need to post the highest beam score to push their win chances to 75%. Arizona will be looking to take at least two events to boost its odds of becoming the favorite while N.C. State must dominate both bars and beam if it hopes to leave with a win.

Session Two with LSU, California, Utah, and Oklahoma

Saturday, Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. ET | ABC

Prediction: 85.5% Oklahoma, 8.0% Utah, 3.6% LSU, 2.8% California

The second session of this ESPN-produced event is shaping up to be the must-watch meet of the season’s first month. Three of last season’s top four teams will go head-to-head against the sport’s current dynasty on the Sooners’ home turf. Get ready for what could be one of the most epic all-around battles ever, as 12 of the top 17 all-arounders from week one are set to compete in Oklahoma City. Leading the charge for each program are Tiger Aleah Finnegan, Golden Bear Mya Lauzon, Sooner Faith Torrez, and Red Rock Makenna Smith. With this meet airing in a primetime slot on ABC, the gymternet should rally to give the sport the audience it deserves.

Notes About the Predictions: The reigning national champ, LSU, is currently predicted to place third in this tough matchup, largely due to Haleigh Bryant’s injury. If Bryant returns this week, LSU moves into second place with an 11% chance of winning. Even though Oklahoma is the favorite, this won’t be a runaway. In 29% of our simulations, the top team won by two tenths or less, meaning this meet could go either way. It’s anyone’s competition to win!

Session Three with Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, and UCLA

Saturday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Prediction: 53.5% Kentucky, 19.6% Arkansas, 13.6% UCLA, 13.3% Ohio State

The SEC is favored to come out on top in this quad meet, with Kentucky and Arkansas making their season debuts. While Kentucky will feel the absence of Raena Worley, it still has a strong lineup with nationals as a realistic goal, including standout transfer Skylar Killough-Wilhelm. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Arkansas’ highly anticipated freshman, Joscelyn Roberson, an Olympic alternate, making her collegiate debut.

But don’t sleep on the Big Ten contenders. Ohio State also opens its season here, and if it competes cleanly, it’ll keep this meet competitive. UCLA, the only team in this quad to have already competed, has something to prove after uncharacteristic mistakes kept it under the 196 mark in week one. If the Bruins can clean things up, they have the potential to be a serious threat.

Notes About the Predictions: Kentucky is the favorite to win the final session of the Sprouts meet, led by fifth-year Isabella Magnelli, transfer Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, and last season’s standout freshman Creslyn Brose. However, if any of these three are not at full strength, Kentucky’s win chances drop by 10%. Arkansas and Ohio State will aim to dominate beam, which could boost either team’s odds to over 50%. UCLA’s success hinges on bars, an event where their simulated scores have ranged from a low of 46.600 to a high of 49.700, making it a critical factor in the outcome.

Michigan State, Nebraska, and Northern Illinois at Florida

Friday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. SECN+

Prediction: 92.1% Florida, 7.5% Michigan State, 0.1% Nebraska, 0.1% Northern Illinois

Michigan State heads into this quad meet as one of the top-performing teams from week one, boasting a full lineup of 10.0 start value vaults. Nikki Smith, fresh off a dominant all-around win in her season opener, will lead the Spartans and should have a thrilling showdown against Nebraska’s Emma Spence and any Gator who competes on all four events. This meet is shaping up to be a showcase of standout specialists, with Northern Illinois’ veteran Kiera O’Shea and Florida’s late addition, Ly Bui, also expected to make an impact.

Notes About the Predictions: While this is a quad meet, Michigan State and Florida are the two main contenders for the win. If Skyla Schulte, who was absent from lineups in week one, is missing again, the Spartans’ chances of pulling off an upset drop below 5%. If all are healthy, Michigan State’s best shot at victory comes from winning both bars and beam, which could raise their chances to 59%. With many teams struggling to break 49 on vault in week one, Florida will need to avoid a similar fate in their first meet of the season. If the Gators falter on vault, this meet could turn into a 50/50 showdown between the two teams.

Upset Alert

Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington

Friday, Jan. 10 at 9:30 p.m. ET | B1G+

Prediction: 86.6% Stanford, 9.2% Washington, 4.1% Boise State, 0.1% UC Davis

Stanford is coming off one of its strongest seasons, finishing fifth overall at nationals last year. However, there’s a real chance Washington could surprise the Cardinal if things don’t go as planned. Stanford wasn’t always favored to reach the NCAA semifinals, but clutch performances late in the season propelled it to nationals for the first time since 2016. Now, with the departure of perfect-10 scorer Chloe Widner, the Cardinal will need some of its newcomers to step up on beam and floor to fill the scoring gap. This opens the door for Washington to potentially sneak in and steal the win in this quad meet.

While UC Davis and Boise State may not be immediate favorites to win, both teams have been steadily improving, and 2025 could be a breakout year. UC Davis is the only team in the meet that competed week one, giving it valuable exposure to the new judging system introduced during the offseason. If the Aggies can leverage that experience, they could aim for a 197-plus score, which would mark just the second time in program history and result in a possible upset of one of the more established teams.

Notes About the Predictions: Stanford kicked off last season with a bars meltdown, and while it’ll look to avoid a similar fate this time, a sub-49 score on bars could be costly. A misstep there could increase Washington’s chances of winning to 39% and Boise State’s to 19%, setting the stage for a possible upset. Watch for either team to capitalize, especially if they can also secure a win on vault, which could make them frontrunners to take the meet.

Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver

Sunday, Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. ET | Midco Sports Plus

Prediction: 51.4% Missouri, 29.9% Georgia, 18.6% Denver, 0.01% LIU

Denver and Missouri enter this meet with week one scores already on the board. Missouri impressed, currently ranked fifth nationally after a solid 196.700, with the third-highest bars score in the country and the fifth-highest in program history. Denver, competing at home again, will look to improve on its 195.700 after beam errors against Michigan.

This meet also marks the debut of Cécile Canqueteau-Landi as co-head coach of the GymDogs. Georgia showed early season jitters at last week’s preseason intrasquad but also displayed much-improved depth, especially on bars and beam, compared to past seasons.

For LIU, this meet is a key wellness check after significant roster turnover. The Sharks will rely heavily on freshmen to fill the lineups, making it a pivotal moment under new head coach Taylor Colwell.

Notes About the Predictions: Denver’s beam struggles from week one are weighing down its chances in this meet. Before last week’s performance, the Pioneers had a 30% chance of winning, but multiple falls dropped their odds below Georgia’s. If Denver counts a fall again, their win chances plummet to just 2%. The same risk applies to Missouri and Georgia—if either team counts a fall, their chances of winning drop to under 10%. This meet could come down to which team stays on the beam.

Wondering how we came up with the predictions for each meet? Read more about our methodology.

There’s Other Stuff Happening Too

We’d be remiss to let a preview for week two go by without bringing up these additional areas of interest.

• We were all disappointed when last year’s groundbreaking MLK Day Invitational, supposed to consist entirely of teams with Black head coaches, was canceled due to inclement weather. This Monday will see three of those teams—Rutgers, William & Mary, and Fisk—reconvene in Nashville, with brand new program Wilberforce joining the fun. While the meet isn’t taking place on MLK Day, it will still be a historic occasion. 
• We know… Podium meets are a bit of a sore subject after last week. Regardless, in addition to the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, we have several more on the books this week. Saturday’s San Antonio Podium Meet will feature two tri-meets, with Arizona State, Auburn, and Penn State competing in the afternoon, and Iowa, Maryland, and Temple in the night session. We don’t know if this meet will be streamed, which is a shame because it would mark Auburn’s second week in such a situation, but these teams should be fairly evenly matched nevertheless. 
• Saturday will also feature the Next Level Podium Challenge in Battle Creek, Michigan. George Washington, Illinois State, Pittsburgh, and Western Michigan will compete at the meet. Same disclaimer for this one: We don’t have streaming information at this time, but this is an exciting opportunity for some non-Power Four teams to get on the podium and hopefully have a bigger stage on which to perform. 
• Alabama will make its season debut on Friday night when North Carolina comes to town. The Crimson Tide’s freshman class was all over its preseason intrasquads and preview meet, and it will be interesting to see where those gymnasts, especially Ryan Fuller and Paityn Walker, contribute. Tar Heels head coach Danna Durante and assistant coach Sami Durante-Money will be returning to a familiar SEC arena with the team. 

Fantasy Corner

If you’re playing fantasy gymnastics this year, you want to do the best you can, right? We have you covered with tips and tricks all season long in Fantasy Central. Managing editor Emily Minehart and data editor Dara Tan will be bringing you the latest updates on injuries, scoring statistics, sneaky waiver wire targets, and more.

CGN Pick’em

Brandis (Last Week: 4-1; Overall: 4-1)

• Collegiate Quad S1: Arizona
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma
• Collegiate Quad S3: Kentucky
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Missouri

Elizabeth (Last Week: 4-1; Overall: 4-1)

• Collegiate Quad S1: Michigan
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma
• Collegiate Quad S3: Kentucky
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Denver

Emily M (Last Week: 2-3; Overall: 2-3)

• Collegiate Quad S1: Michigan
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma
• Collegiate Quad S3: Kentucky
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Denver

Jenna (Last Week: 5-0; Overall: 5-0)

• Collegiate Quad S1: Michigan
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma
• Collegiate Quad S3: Kentucky
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Missouri

Rebecca (Last Week: 4-1; Overall: 4-1)

• Collegiate Quad S1: Michigan
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma 
• Collegiate Quad S3: Arkansas
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Missouri

Week 2 Guest: KT

• Collegiate Quad S1: Clemson
• Collegiate Quad S2: Oklahoma
• Collegiate Quad S3: Kentucky 
• Boise State, Stanford, and UC Davis at Washington: Stanford
• Georgia, LIU, and Missouri at Denver: Denver

Want to join in on the predictions? Tag us on social media with your picks then tune into the meets to see how well you do!

How to Watch

Looking for more info on how to watch your favorite gymnasts and teams in action? Head to our master schedule for all the scoring, video, and live blog links, or head to our annual “How to Watch” article to see what platforms you have access to with various streaming services.

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Article by the editors of College Gym News