Now three weeks into the season, all our contenders have finally competed in multiple meets, helping clear the picture of where everybody stands and creating movement in this week’s power rankings. The revenge tour and title defense hold strong at the top, but the upstart Spartans continue to climb while the Utes turn their momentum around despite some adversity. With 197s becoming increasingly more common, we have got shuffling at the bottom of the rankings, too, as Alabama’s week three beam woes see the Crimson Tide slip out while fellow SEC darkhorse Kentucky makes its power rankings debut.
1. Oklahoma
Last Week: No. 1
It was more of the same from the Sooners in week three, as they started their SEC slate with a home debut win over conference darkhorse Missouri by over a point—once again opting for their full-strength, five-all-arounder lineup. That strategy has worked in Oklahoma’s favor thus far—thanks to four of those all-arounders ranking in the top eight nationally—but leaves one wondering what the depth actually looks like, with just eight Sooners having competed in 2025. Jordan Bowers, who battled Haleigh Bryant for the top spot in the all-around last season, only ranks No. 8 through three weeks and just fourth among her teammates after some opening week woes. Expect her scores to continue to build and be what pushes Oklahoma over the coveted 198 barrier sooner rather than later.
2. LSU
Last Week: No. 2
More importantly than earning a key SEC dual meet win, defending champion LSU picked up momentum as it narrowly escaped Friday night with a victory over visiting rival Florida. While the Tigers did lead wire-to-wire, they did so barely, showcasing the ability to hit pressure sets against and win just a week after suffering their first loss of the year to the Sooners despite a fall-free day at Sprouts. Bryant added floor back to her repertoire, hitting for a casual 9.9, with LSU’s potential rising as the superstar continues to add back events. As the Tigers continue to fend off other title contenders, the goal for the next month will be to find ways to close the gap between them and the Sooners before their next matchup on Feb. 14.
3. Michigan State
Last Week: No. 4
The season’s early surprise team continues to rise to the occasion, making the scoring jump into the mid-197s alongside traditional title contenders—fueled by a heated rivalry win over Michigan in front of a school-record crowd. A month after starting the year on the nationals bubble, Michigan State is now in not just the nationals conversation but the team final one, with the capability of getting even stronger with Skyla Schulte, who competed at championships last season, now back on floor. The more she adds, the more the Spartans’ chances of retaining a top-five ranking rise. Michigan State passed the first test in a tough three-week stretch, as away meets against its two top Big Ten contenders, Ohio State and UCLA, are on deck.
4. Florida
Last Week: No. 6
While the loss to LSU obviously stings, falling just a tenth short of the defending champ is far from a bad thing, as the Gators built upon their week two score significantly under far more pressure. Florida opted for stronger lineups on vault and floor than last weekend and won both leg events accordingly, but ultimately fell just shy after playing catch-up from a subpar opening bars rotation. That’s the event of possible concern for the Gators early in the season, as two gymnasts have yet to break into the 9.8s through two meets. Expect some new faces in that lineup over the coming weeks. Ellie Lazzari and Victoria Nguyen may not be as flashy as Skye Blakely or Riley McCusker, but their experience and consistency may be needed, because as we’ve seen, early lineup blips leave no margin for error.
5. Utah
Last Week: No. 7
It was an emotional rollercoaster of a week for the Red Rocks, as all was going according to plan Friday night until Avery Neff suffered an injury on floor—rendering her out indefinitely with a pair of severe ankle sprains. That low was followed by a season-high on Monday that also tied the Sooners for the top score of the year thus far. While the public opinion on scoring that evening is that it was generous, it doesn’t take away from the Utes putting together two complete performances in a single weekend, including moving down the depth chart on every event to fill in for routines lost to injury. That builds plenty of momentum, regardless of what the scoreboard says.
6. California
Last Week: No. 3
Yet to compete in a dual meet in 2025, the Golden Bears have spent their early season prepping for the postseason, competing in high-pressure multi-team events that give off regionals and nationals vibes. Honing in on consistency, California has done well in each performance but hasn’t been able to reign in as many 9.9s as we’ve seen from the other title competitors; Mya Lauzon’s floor set is the only routine that ranks in the top 10 nationally for the Golden Bears. Making its home debut in week four, California must find a way to settle into its routines and bring out the big scores, or it may put itself in jeopardy of an unfortunate postseason seeding situation once NQS starts to roll around, making a repeat team final appearance even tougher.
7. UCLA
Last Week: No. 8
Back-to-back 197s do a lot to erase a season-opening 195, as the Bruins’ week one that performance projected they’d be fighting for a regionals seed. Since then, the outlook has shifted to “nationals contender.” There are still some wrinkles to iron out, like finding reliable vault difficulty, but UCLA looks plenty capable of living up to its preseason top-10 expectations. This is all before the Bruins make their Pauley Pavilion season debut on Saturday, in position to make another jump in the rankings if they can put together a noteworthy home opener.
8. Kentucky
Last Week: Not Ranked
The perpetual nationals bubble team is back! Always floating around the six-to-12 range in the rankings, Kentucky is right where it’s familiar, making a quick and easy adjustment to the graduation of Wildcat legend Raena Worley. The Wildcats opened with a strong showing at Sprouts before dominating Alabama to debut their newly renovated Memorial Coliseum. Isabella Magnelli is leading the way, ranked in the top five on vault and beam, with her dominance key in helping solidify lineups as Kentucky continues to test and integrate its large and talented freshman class. The ceiling is high for the Wildcats.
Next Up: Oregon State, Alabama, Missouri, Ohio State, Stanford
READ THIS NEXT: The Dismount Week 3
Article by Brandis Heffner
