The road to the 2026 NCAA national title will be fiercely contested, promising a weekend of unforgettable performances and high-stakes drama. In one semifinal, expect LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Stanford to throw everything they have at making the final. Meanwhile, the other semifinal pits Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas, and Minnesota in a high-stakes contest. Only two teams from each session will make it to the grand finale on Saturday.
If individual glory is more your speed, we have that covered, too, with a preview of the athletes looking to claim national titles publishing tomorrow.
Want to learn more about the postseason format? Our NCAA postseason guide has all the details.
The Contenders
No. 1 Oklahoma
Semifinal II: April 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Vault
Relevant Stats: 197.980 NQS | 198.350 regional final | 197.971 average | 198.425 season high
Chance to Advance: 97.96%
Why It’ll Win: Oklahoma has shown throughout the season that it has one of the highest scoring ceilings of the elite eight. The Sooners have scored over a 197 team total since week one, and have continued to steadily build to the regional final, notching just under their season high for the biggest score of the weekend. Oklahoma is strong from front to back in its lineups, with freshmen Ella Murphy and Mackenzie Estep scoring big numbers across all four events, and veterans Addison Fatta, Lily Pederson, Faith Torrez, and Kiera Wells as reliable as ever.
Why It Won’t Win: Oklahoma’s weakest events by rankings are bars and floor; that being said, both are tied at No.4 in the nation. The Sooners do not truly have a weak event and have not scored below a 49.100 on any event this season, but looking at the year as a whole, the lowest-scoring event has been bars, so if Oklahoma does run into any issues, this may be the event it comes down to.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: The reigning national champions would love to go back-to-back and get their eighth title in history. If the Sooners do pull off the win in Fort Worth, it would be their eighth national championship win in just the last 12 years.
No. 2 Florida
Semifinal I: April 16 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Beam
Relevant Stats: 197.753 NQS | 198.050 regional final | 197.714 average | 198.575 season high
Chance to Advance: 93.28%
Why It’ll Win: Florida has scored the nation’s highest total of the year and is coming off its sixth 198+ score this season at the regional final. The Gators have scored five consecutive 198+ scores since March 8, and they don’tlook to be slowing down anytime soon. Florida is ranked No.1 on bars and beam, where it has scored as high as a 49.800 and has seen perfection from senior Selena Harris-Miranda and sophomore Skye Blakely, each with a 10.0 on these two events. If the Gators can repeat their season high from early March, the national title could be going back to Gainesville.
Why It Won’t Win: Florida’s lowest-ranked event is vault at No. 9, and it has given the Gators trouble a few times this season. With three scores below a 49.00 on the year, the Gators need to hone in on their power and minimize these deductions in order to really be at their best when it counts.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: The Gators have not won a national championship since 2015, and this could certainly be the year to do it, already coming off an SEC championship win, the first for the team since 2022. Although Florida started off a bit shaky at the beginning of the year, the back half of the season has been lights-out, scoring five consecutive 198+ scores since March 8, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
No. 3 LSU
Semifinal I: April 16 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Vault
Relevant Stats: 197.920 NQS | 197.825 regional final | 197.865 average | 198.325 season high
Chance to Advance: 87.46%
Why It’ll Win: LSU has the potential to put up huge scores across the board with two athletes, Kailin Chio and Kaylia Lincoln, each notching 10.0s this season. LSU is ranked in the top three on every event and is currently the No. 1 team in the nation on floor heading into championships. The team has shown its high scoring potential, surpassing the 198+ mark six times this season. If the Tigers can repeat the performance of their season high, they could win their second national title in just three years.
Why It Won’t Win: With the potential loss of Konnor McClain, who suffered an injury in the regional finals, the Tigers will have to make up three big scores. With McClain being a staple on three events, especially bars and beam, where the Tigers are sitting at No. 3, finding a replacement if she is out is going to be essential to keeping itself in the mix. LSU is also seeded in semifinal one alongside Florida, which has posted a higher team total this season. Although the top two will qualify to the finals, the Tigers would love to go in having qualified with a top score and, in order to do so, they will need to put together not just a complete performance but a clean, controlled win to give themselves the best chance against the nation’s best.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: LSU’s first and last title to date was in 2024, but the Tigers failed to qualify to the final day last year. If the Tigers can get back to the finals and contend for another title, they could become two-time national champions in just three years.
In the Mix
No. 4 UCLA
Semifinal II: April 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Bars
Relevant Stats: 197.540 NQS | 197.725 regional final | 197.542 average | 198.150 season high
Chance to Advance: 73.98%
Why It’ll Win: UCLA is coming off a narrow win in the regional final and showed its fight until the very end to advance to Fort Worth. The Bruins are strong across the board, bringing in a standout trio of freshmen in Tiana Sumanasekera, Nola Matthews, and Ashlee Sullivan, as well as returning experienced veterans who have been high scorers all year. The regional finals showed the depth and adaptability of the Bruins with last-minute lineup changes, and with another potentially two-day competition, UCLA knows it has athletes it can count on to deliver when it counts.
Why It Won’t Win: UCLA’s lowest-ranked event is floor at No. .8, but the lowest scoring for the Bruins throughout the season has been vault. With just a handful of scores above the 49.400 mark, going up against Oklahoma in the second semi-final, who has gone as high as a 49.725 here, the Bruins need to maximize their scoring potential to give them a bigger number to stay competitive against three good, consistent vault teams in order to advance.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: The last national championship for the Bruins came in 2018, and with a second-place finish last season just behind Oklahoma, getting the win this year would be huge.
No. 5 Georgia
Semifinal I: April 16 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Bars
Relevant Stats: 197.391 NQS | 197.750 regional final |197.404 average | 198.075 season high
Chance to Advance: 13.49%
Why It’ll Win: Georgia hit the 198 threshold once this season, having its best competition in early March. The Bulldogs have shown consistency throughout the entire season, with all team totals staying above a 197 with the exception of a 196.875 early in the year. The team has been the strongest on floor this year, coming in at No.3 on this event with standouts CaMarah Williams and Nyla Aquino leading the big scoring here that could help get the Bulldogs to a top spot.
Why It Won’t Win: Although Georgia has shown major improvements in its consistency from previous seasons, the Bulldogs have run into some of their former issues on beam this year. Most recently in the regional semifinals, the Bulldogs went under a 49.00, counting a low score in this lineup, but they bounced back well in the finals. However, beam is still the lowest-scoring event across the board, and in order to make it to the final round, the Bulldogs need some bigger scores on this event to really give themselves a chance.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: Georgia’s last national title came in 2009, and winning a title on that fact alone would be huge for the Bulldogs. In just the second year under co-head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts, Georgia has already made major strides under their leadership, and getting back to the finals and potentially winning would be a remarkable achievement for this duo.
No. 7 Stanford
Semifinal I: April 16 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Floor
Relevant Stats: 197.248 NQS | 197.225 regional final | 197.252 average | 198.150 season high
Chance to Advance: 5.77%
Why It’ll Win: Stanford proved it can hit under pressure, just narrowly beating out Clemson in the regional final by less than a tenth. The Cardinal has shown it can notch big scores, having seen perfection from senior Anna Roberts on both floor and vault this season, as well as Ui Soma scoring a perfect 9.95 on vault. Bars and floor are both strong events for the Cardinal, and if it can put up or top its best performances to date, it could be in contention for a top two spot heading to the final.
Why It Won’t Win: Semifinal one is stacked, and qualifying out and into the finals is going to be challenging for each team. Stanford certainly has the potential to, but needs to have its best meet of the season to stay competitive with the other three to get a top spot. Vault for the Cardinal is currency ranked outside the top 10, with a majority of its scores being in the low 49.00s. Stanford needs to capitalize on its best events on bars and floor, and really minimize any issues it has had on the other two events to advance to the finals.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: Stanford is one of three teams coming into nationals having never won a team title for the program, and if it won, it would become the ninth team in history to win it.
The Dark Horses
No. 6 Arkansas
Semifinal II: April 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Floor
Relevant Stats: 197.170 NQS | 197.450 regional final | 197.115 average | 197.700 season high
Chance to Advance: 18.87%
Why It’ll Win: Arkansas has proven its consistency throughout the year, which will be its biggest asset going into nationals. The Razorbacks have individuals who have become lineup staples in Joscelyn Roberson, Morgan Price, and freshman Allison Cucci that the team has been able to rely on to put up big scores. Earning that second spot in Lexington over Missouri and Ohio State should certainly give the Razorbacks confidence heading into this second semifinal.
Why It Won’t Win: In order to qualify into the finals, the Razorbacks are going to have to outscore Oklahoma, UCLA, and Minnesota, all of whom scored higher in the regional finals to advance. Arkansas also has the lowest season high entering the competition, and with a lower scoring ceiling, it is going to need its best meet of the year to move on.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: Arkansas is another team that has yet to claim a national title, and doing so would give the Razorbacks their first title from a team or individual since 2014.
No. 8 Minnesota
Semifinal II: April 16 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Starting Event: Beam
Relevant Stats: 196.842 NQS |197.625 regional final | 196.848 average | 197.825 season high
Chance to Advance: 9.19%
Why It’ll Win: Minnesota had one of its best performances of the year at the regional final, scoring just a tenth behind UCLA to advance for the first time since 2022. The Gophers defied expectations, besting both Utah and Alabama to earn the second spot in Corvallis, proving they can be consistent in a two-day competition and hit when it counts. With standout freshman Arianna Ostrum, who has reached perfection already this season, as well as Jordyn Lyden, another top scorer for Minnesota, the Gophers could certainly make a run for a top-two spot.
Why It Won’t Win: Minnesota has the lowest team NQS coming into nationals and has posted a few lower team totals early on in the year. With all of its events ranked outside of the top 10, this may be a disadvantage in terms of scoring potential, but if the Gophers proved anything at the last competition, it is that they have fight and will keep it close till the end.
Why It Would Be Cool If It Won: Minnesota has never won a national title, and returning to nationals for the first time in four years, it could be the ninth team to win it and a historic end to one of its best seasons.
Team Final By the Numbers
Saturday, April 18 at 4 p.m. ET | ABC
The final four teams will pick their starting event in NQS order.
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Article by Julianna Roland
