This week’s Mount blends must-watch showdowns, upset alerts, and a few quietly pivotal duals, all backed by our data-driven predictions that show not just who’s favored—but why. From a loaded Collegiate Quad that feels like a preview of April to under-the-radar matchups that could swing rankings and confidence, here’s what to know heading into the second full weekend of competition.
Must-Watch Meets
Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
Session One with LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Utah
Saturday, Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. ET | ABC
Prediction: 89.9% Oklahoma, 5.9% LSU, 2.4% UCLA, 1.7% Utah
The first session of the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad brings together four national championship-winning teams and several star athletes, making for a likely preview of what fans could see come April. Fresh off its seventh national title, Oklahoma will be looking to defend its win at last year’s Collegiate Quad despite losing a strong senior class. Faith Torrez should lead the way in whatever events she is able to compete after suffering an ankle sprain in November. LSU is coming off a public intrasquad that some fans felt wasn’t its best performance. With Kailin Chio expected to be back fully from a rolled ankle, the Tigers will want to make a statement early to silence any critics. UCLA tallied the highest score in the country in week one, led by Jordan Chiles’ 39.725 in the all-around, while Utah took home a victory with Ella Zirbes’ confident debut four-event performance.
Notes about the predictions: Oklahoma’s consistency is undeniable when it comes to data-based predictions, putting it at a strong favorite despite the level of competition at this meet. Rumors of Faith Torrez being limited to just two events to start the season have floated around, but even if true, it only drops the Sooners’ win chances 2%. Counting a fall, however, would open the door to their opponents, cutting their win chances in half.
Session Two with California, Kentucky, Michigan, and Michigan State
Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Prediction: 54.0% Michigan State, 24.0% Michigan, 15.8% Kentucky, 6.2% California
Session two of the Collegiate Quad sees four teams that some might consider “the underdogs” in the national picture, but each team has its own star power that could lead to victory. California is the only one of these teams that competed in week one, placing second in the Best of the West quad meet, with Tonya Paulsson and Annalise Newman-Achee scoring 9.900s. Having that experience may give the Golden Bears a leg up in this session, but you can’t count out the other teams. Michigan is set to compete in its first meet under elevated head coach Maile’ana Kanewa-Hermelyn. In contrast, Michigan State comes in with momentum after making its second appearance ever as a team at nationals last season. Kentucky will be looking to prove that it has the depth to make another run as a team, headlined by former five-star recruit Gabby van Frayen and junior floor queen Creslyn Brose.
Notes about the predictions: California is likely underrated in this week’s predictions. Having such an inexperienced team and being the only team to have competed so far this season in a relatively low-scoring week one hurts the Golden Bears when it comes to the numbers. Michigan State is the clear favorite in our simulations, but the other three teams are all within a few tenths of each other, so expect them all to put up a good fight.
Upset Alert
Alabama at Clemson
Friday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. ET | ACCNx
Prediction: 96.3% Alabama, 3.7% Clemson
The Tigers opened the season with a win in the first meet of the Howell era, posting a 196.150—the fourth-highest score of the opening weekend. While some early-season nerves were evident, Clemson looked solid across all four events, particularly on bars and floor, where the majority of routines earned 9.8-plus scores. Junior Quinn Kuhl highlighted the performance with a career-high 9.9 and was named ACC Specialist of the Week. Alabama, meanwhile, has yet to compete in 2026 but enters the matchup as the highest-ranked team Clemson has ever hosted. Though the Crimson Tide may still be shaking off preseason rust, it appeared clean, calm, and composed at the Crimson and White intrasquad. After finishing eighth at the NCAA championships last season, Alabama figures to be motivated—and dangerous—heading into the start of its 2026 campaign.
Notes about the predictions: Clemson is an underdog against Alabama this weekend, but its secret weapon may be having competed last wee, settling first meet nerves. Winning on beam would give the Tigers their best shot at winning the meet, increasing their win chances to 21%.
UW-Whitewater at UW-Oshkosh
Friday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. ET | Free live stream
Prediction: 74.7% UW-Oshkosh, 25.3% UW-Whitewater
Is it too soon to refer to Oshkosh as a dynasty? Three straight national titles would earn any other team in any other sport such recognition. The Titans are hot off a 192-plus start (yes, in January), notching an easy win at its week one home quad. However, if any team can challenge Oshkosh so early in the season, it would be Whitewater, which has finished runner-up to the past two years at the NCGA championships. Already warmed up and riding early-season momentum, Reanna McGibboney and Lydia Hayden are poised to continue leading the Titans’ charge into week two.
Notes about the predictions: Oshkosh is coming off a very strong start to 2026, but Whitewater is already predicted to win on vault. Adding a win on bars to that would increase Whitewater’s win chances to 65%.
Arkansas at Minnesota
Saturday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. ET | B1G+
Prediction: 85.1% Arkansas, 14.9% Minnesota
Minnesota had what would be considered a fine opening meet. The most memorable part of the Gophers’ opener was sixth-year Gianna Gerdes’s return to the all-around, as well as Arianna Ostrum’s, Lacie Saltzmann’s, and Emma Slevin’s collegiate debuts. Minnesota will be looking to take another step forward in its home opener. Arkansas will be opening its season at this meet. The Razorbacks finished 2025 ranked at No. 12 and will be looking to improve on that result with the strength of its freshman class. Former five-star recruit Allison Cucci competed in the all-around in the last intrasquad and will have all eyes on her on Saturday.
Notes about the predictions: Arkansas gets an advantage from the meet predictor, having not competed in week one. Minnesota had six routines scoring under 9.7 in its first meet, which lowered its win chances from 29% to 15%. The Golden Gophers’ best chance of winning comes if they can post the higher score on the two leg events, increasing their chances to 64%.
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Stanford at Denver
Sunday, Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. ET | Midco Sports Plus
Prediction: 67.8% Stanford, 32.2% Denver
This week brings us a Western dual, as Stanford meets Denver for their respective season openers. The Cardinal enters riding high as the 2025 ACC champion, and with a roster largely unchanged, a matching title in 2026 is not a huge reach. Something especially to look forward to is the collegiate debut of Romanian elite Ana Bărbosu. With Bărbosu added to its arsenal, the Cardinal will see to some unfinished business after a lackluster regional performance last year pushed it out after round two. Denver, to its credit, surpassed all expectations as an unseeded team and earned a spot in the regional final, edging out Stanford in the process. While the Pioneers would like to duplicate their former successes, it will be an uphill battle given significant lineup changes. Even with a home advantage this weekend, the talented but unseasoned young team has its work cut out for it.
Notes about the predictions: Denver is losing a lot from last season, making its predictions… unpredictable. With only two to four returning gymnasts on each event, our meet predictor is relying heavily on the predicted impact of freshmen, including former five-star recruit Shyla Bhatia. Without her anticipated level of contribution, Denver’s win chances drop to just 19%.
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.
- Florida has opened the past few seasons with a diverse quad meet, and this year is no exception. Temple is the only team competing to have also competed last weekend, with North Carolina and West Virginia opening their seasons in Gainesville alongside the Gators. It will be exciting to watch them rise to the occasion, and for Florida to show its hand at putting together lineups of six from their trademark stacked roster.
- Georgia heads to Ohio State in an interesting Big Ten-SEC matchup. Both teams have a lot to improve upon this season, with Georgia having a disappointing postseason finish and Ohio State’s entire season being impacted by key injuries. Which team will want to start that journey on the right foot the most?
- BYU, Utah State, Southern Utah, and Utah come together for the annual Best of Utah meet on Monday for what should be an exciting weeknight matchup. It’s also a double meet weekend for all four teams, marking the first time this season they will have to be in postseason-type form (in January at that) to withstand the impact of the weekend.
Fantasy Corner
If you’re diving into fantasy gymnastics this year, you’re aiming to crush it—right? Fantasy Central has you covered with smart tips and strategic insights all season long. Tara Graeve and data editor Dara Tan will keep you up to speed on injuries, scoring trends, under-the-radar waiver wire gems, and everything else you need to stay ahead of the competition.
CGN Pick’em
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 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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