Every year, the team at College Gym News releases a preseason poll where our staff predicts the top 36 teams by season’s end. Thirteen editors submitted a preseason poll, but some were more accurate than others. As the season approaches, let’s take a look back at the CGN 2025 preseason polls to assess for accuracy. Which editor on our staff had the most accurate preseason poll?
Methodology
Data editor Emma Hammerstrom compiled every staff-submitted preseason poll from last season, for a grand total of 13 individual polls. She then compared each poll with the final 2025 season rankings, calculating a differential value between how each editor ranked each team and where that team ranked by the end of season. For example, if an editor ranked Oklahoma in fifth place for their preseason poll, that ranking would carry a differential value of -4. Differential values were summed for each editor. The most accurate poll had a differential closest to 0.
The Good
- 9/13 editors correctly predicted Oklahoma as the national champion. The other four editors had LSU as their first-place choice.
- Four editors correctly chose Utah as the fourth-place team: Mariah, Tara, Annie, and Claire.
- Across all of our individual preseason polls, 31 correct rankings were predicted by at least one editor.
- 241 individual rankings out of a total of 461 correctly predicted a team’s final placement within three ranks.
The Bad
- UCLA placed second at the national championships in 2025. The highest any of the editors ranked UCLA was sixth (Brandis, Jenna, Alyssa).
- Not a single editor ranked Missouri within the top four. They would go on to advance to the national championship.
- Our editor-in-chief, Elizabeth, had the worst underestimation of the editors. She picked Arizona to finish 34th, but the Wildcats would go on to place 16th and reach the national quarterfinals.
- Editor Annie had the biggest overestimation of the 2025 CGN preseason poll. She had Washington finishing in 19th, but the Huskies only managed a dismal 38th-place finish.
The Data
| Editor | Differential | Accurate Rankings | Biggest Overestimation | Worst Underestimation |
| Mariah | -20 | Oklahoma, Utah, Arkansas, Iowa | Kent State | Arizona |
| Elizabeth | -30 | Oklahoma, BYU | Michigan | Arizona |
| Rebecca S | -30 | Oklahoma, Maryland | Iowa State | Arizona |
| Savanna | -36 | Minnesota | Iowa State | Arizona |
| Julianna | -41 | Oklahoma | Washington | Arizona |
| Tara | -41 | Oklahoma, Utah, Arkansas | San Jose State | UCLA/Southern Utah |
| Emily L | -47 | None | San Jose State/Towson | Maryland |
| Alyssa | -48 | Oklahoma, Auburn, Boise State | Kent State | North Carolina |
| Claire H | -49 | Oklahoma, Utah, Michigan State, Iowa | San Jose State | N.C. State |
| Annie | -51 | Utah, Alabama | Washington | Arizona |
| Brandis | -53 | Minnesota, Illinois | Towson | Southern Utah |
| Jenna | -61 | Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas | San Jose State | Minnesota |
| Sophie | -66 | Oklahoma, Boise State | Kent State | Arizona |
Data editor Mariah had the most accurate poll with a differential of -20. What is the key to an accurate poll? Mariah shares that she moved each team up or down from its2024 ranking depending on its losses/gains on each event. She also predicted which postseason round she thought a team would make, and made adjustments as needed from there. Looking ahead, she predicts that Oklahoma will win the 2026 national championship. For the rest of our team’s predictions, stay tuned for the 2026 CGN preseason poll release later in November.
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Article by Emma Hammerstrom
