Week three is when the early-season picture starts to sharpen. Coaches have a clearer sense of what lineups they trust, freshmen are settling into the rhythm of college competition, and the numbers are finally beginning to tell a more reliable story. This week’s Mount leans into that growing clarity, pairing marquee matchups with potential upset spots and rivalry duals that could reshape early rankings. With our data-driven predictions as a guide, here’s what to watch as the season takes its first real step from experimentation toward expectation.
Must-Watch Meets
Alabama at Florida
Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET | SECN
Prediction: Florida 85.3%, Alabama 14.7%
A top-five matchup helps kick off SEC play, as No. 1 Florida welcomes No. 4 Alabama to Gainesville. The Gators kicked off their season in resounding fashion, tallying the highest score of the weekend and hitting 100% of their routines. Selena Harris-Miranda began her senior season in style, hitting a 9.975 on beam to lead the way. With Florida being at home, the competition will be stiff, but Alabama has proved it can handle the challenge. The Crimson Tide won against Clemson on the road week two, with freshman Azaraya Ra-Akbar’s first collegiate routine scoring 9.975. The Tide also hit 24 for 24. If Alabama can strike quickly on bars as it did last weekend, this will be a tight matchup that will come down to the very last routine.
Notes about the predictions: Beating Florida at home will be a tough task. The Crimson Tide will want to win on at least two events to have a chance. Bars and floor are the pair that gives Alabama the best chance of winning at 61%.
Oklahoma at Missouri
Friday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Prediction: 99.0% Oklahoma, 1.0% Missouri
Oklahoma and Missouri both opened the season with wins, offering an early glimpse of continued competitive excellence. Oklahoma debuted in week two with several new faces joining the reigning champions’ lineups. Freshman Mackenzie Estep delivered on the hype in her collegiate debut, scoring 9.900 or higher on all three of her events. Faith Torrez, the nation’s top returning all-arounder, was strong in her return despite lingering effects of a preseason ankle injury that kept her out of the floor lineup. While Oklahoma looked sharp overall, the Sooners were not flawless, finishing in a hard-fought tie with LSU.
Missouri, meanwhile, has shown no signs of slowing after its run to the national final last season. The Tigers return a deep core of proven contributors while also integrating freshmen and transfers who have made an immediate impact. Missouri currently owns the fourth-highest team score of 2026 and has room to build on it this week. Junior Hannah Horton set a career high with a 9.975 on vault in week two, while sophomore Ayla Acevedo has bolstered the floor lineup, averaging a 9.887 across her first two appearances. With strong starts, deep rosters, and plenty of momentum, both teams enter this meet poised to make an early statement as the SEC race begins to take shape.
Notes about the predictions: While the Sooners have the clear advantage on paper, Missouri certainly has the opportunity to capitalize if any of the errors from Oklahoma’s first meet reappear in Columbia. The Tigers were only two and a quarter tenths behind Oklahoma in week two, and have bested the Sooners’ opening score on floor in both of its meets thus far. Missouri has a 57% chance of winning floor and could add key tenths to their total by continuing their current streak on that event. However, if senior Addison Lawrence is missing from lineups or does not perform to the excellent standard she has set thus far, the Tigers’ win chances drop to just 0.4%.
Upset Alert
Clemson at N.C. State
Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. ET | ACCNx
Prediction: Clemson 65.2%, N.C. State 34.8%
Clemson closed out its second meet of the season with the fifth-highest score in program history, posting a 196.550 while hosting Alabama last week—the highest-ranked opponent the Tigers have ever welcomed to Littlejohn Coliseum. That total marked nearly a full-point improvement from Clemson’s season opener, underscoring steady progress from meet to meet. While the Tigers are trending upward, the Wolfpack is just getting started. N.C. State opened its season on the road at Auburn with a program-best season-opening score of 196.075. Syniya Thomas was named ACC Specialist of the Week after a career-high 9.925 on floor. These two teams are no strangers to close battles, as N.C. State edged Clemson last season in Littlejohn. Clemson may enter as the favorite, but with this meet serving as the Wolfpack’s home opener, N.C. State should not be underestimated.
Notes about the predictions: Clemson is the favorite to win this meet, but don’t count out the Wolfpack. If N.C. State wins just one event, the matchup becomes 50/50. Vault is the most likely place for that to happen.
Michigan at Minnesota
Saturday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. ET | B1G+
Prediction: 72.9% Michigan, 27.2% Minnesota
Michigan was one of the biggest surprises of week two. The Wolverines dominated the second session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad with a huge 197.225. The beam rotation particularly stood out, as Michigan set a new program record with its 49.650. While not a program record, Minnesota also put up a strong beam rotation in its upset over Arkansas. That steady beam work from the Golden Gophers allowed Minnesota to record a team score over a point higher than its week one mark. Michigan will be favored in this one, but don’t sleep on the home squad either.
Notes about the predictions: At the start of the season, Minnesota was the favorite to win this matchup with a 55% chance. Michigan’s strong first meet performance, particularly on beam, gave it the advantage. Beam will be a critical event once again, with the winner of that event winning the entire meet in 74% of our simulations.
Western Michigan at Central Michigan
Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Prediction: Central Michigan 84.6%, Western Michigan 15.4%
At full strength, this annual conference matchup often comes down to the final routine. This year, however, the early meeting introduces several question marks that could reshape the narrative. Will the Broncos’ freshmen sustain their heavy lineup presence after a road meet marked by inconsistency? How many 9.800+ scores can the Chippewas reliably produce week to week? And which team will adjust on vault and start finding sticks first? Ultimately, the answers come down to roster depth—and how many athletes can stake a claim to a back-half lineup role.
Central Michigan holds a clear edge in Luciana Alvarado-Reid’s scoring ceiling; she has already eclipsed 9.900 twice en route to a 39.200 all-around total to open the season. She is supported by Samantha Shannon and a group of two-event specialists who give the Chippewas a dependable core on each apparatus. Western Michigan enters as the underdog based on its week two performance, but can lean on Reilan Garvey and Reese Samuelson to anchor the bar lineup in the opening rotation.
Notes about the predictions: Western Michigan has seen a full point swing between its two beam performances so far this season. Repeating or besting its strong week one performance gives it a 43% chance of winning the meet.
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.
- LSU made headlines last week with its controversial showing at the Sprouts meet, culminating in another of Jay Clark’s now trademark encounters with the judges. The team could make headlines again in its iconic rivalry meet against Georgia, which returns home after its first 197+ season-opening score since 2007. With the GymDogs starting so strong, this might just be a more competitive meet than it’s ever been.
- It will be a battle of two big freshman floor routines when Stanford travels to North Carolina to open ACC play. Sydney Seabrooks had an impressive freshman debut that included a 9.950 on floor, and Ana Barbosu was as good as advertised on all four events, but especially with her dramatic floor routine.
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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