Here’s your weekly look at the current RQS picture and what RQS/ranking teams can reach based on scores from their next meets.

For reference, these were the RQSs required last season for a series of benchmarks if you’re feverishly watching what a certain team might need:

Advance to regionals – 195.420 RQS
Seeded #3 at regionals – 196.380 RQS
Seeded #2 at regionals – 196.845 RQS
Seeded #1 at regionals – 197.355 RQS

Scores in bold will be part of the six scores used for final RQS and can no longer be removed.

Maximum possible RQS after next meet: 197.980

With four scores of 198 recorded this season, Oklahoma is sitting pretty, having already cinched the #1 ranking for next Monday because no other team can catch OU’s current RQS of 197.855, even if they all score a billion. Once again this year, Oklahoma looks like it is competing against itself in the ranking race. 

Maximum possible RQS after next meet: 197.755

UCLA can’t catch Oklahoma this week, so the goal will be to maintain this #2 ranking, though it will be a close fight with LSU. UCLA has the higher maximum RQS after this week and can therefore guarantee staying ahead of LSU regardless of what LSU scores with a 197.925. There is a very, very outside chance that Florida could catch UCLA this week as well, but it would take more than a 198 from Florida a weak meet from UCLA. The Bruins can remove any chance of being caught by Florida with a 197.350. 

Maximum possible RQS after next meet: 197.730

The #2 ranking is in UCLA’s hands this week since the Bruins have the higher possible RQS, but LSU is in with a good shot. It would take at least 197.575 for LSU to have any chance at UCLA, so that’s the minimum score to watch when the two teams compete simultaneously on Sunday. LSU is also potentially at risk of being passed by Florida if the Gators have a big day, but LSU can ensure staying ahead of Florida with a 197.625 this weekend. 

Maximum possible RQS after next meet: 197.540

Utah does not compete this weekend, so that maximum possible RQS is what will be attainable the following weekend. For this week, Utah will have to hope its 197.415 holds up against a potential Florida challenge.

Maximum possible RQS after next meet: 197.615

It’s a huge weekend for Florida on the road against Missouri. With two road meets remaining and two 196 road scores to drop, the Gators need a big meet and could move up pretty dramatically if things fall just right (or could be stuck counting a 196 if things don’t).

The most attainable goal will be passing Utah. Since Utah doesn’t compete this week, Florida will be guaranteed to pass Utah by scoring 197.175. LSU and UCLA will be much tougher, but Florida would be in the game to pass LSU with a 197.825 and UCLA with a 198.150 if either of those teams do have a bad one.

Continue reading RQS Update – Week 8 →

1. Oklahoma Sooners

RQS: 197.855
Previous ranking: 1

Oklahoma removed the taste of that (shudder) 196—like what dirty peasants score—by recording its fourth 198 of the season and reestablishing its margin of advantage over the remaining teams. It was not one of OU’s best performances, but it was comprehensive and acceptably March in quality, each event with room for improvement. Nicole Lehrmann entered the floor lineup this week (the one real lineup question we still have for Oklahoma, besides the identities of the basically equivalent Yfulls) and provided a realistic option, though hers is probably a stop-gap routine until Natalie Brown is able to return in full. Brown hit her first beam routine of the season this week, making that lineup look pretty finalized.

2. UCLA Bruins

RQS: 197.610
Previous ranking: 3

UCLA went big in its Utah-meet-rehab competition by breaking the 198 marker and recording the highest team score of the week, enough to launch the Bruins back to the #2 spot. The score was built on excellent beam and floor rotations that, while not necessarily going to score 49.7s when we get down to it, were both very legitimate 49.5+ events. UCLA would be quite happy repeating those exact performances in the postseason—though watch the fight for the floor lineup once Tratz is back in. With Kocian debuting there, and Dennis’s night-and-day composition change, it may end up that Ross is now the #7 floor routine on this team. At the same time, do you really want to give away the potential for an AH KYLA 9.975 I HEART YOU score? Decisions, decisions. No one is sold on vault yet. I’d like to see the next few road meets used to finalize who the actual vaulters are.

3. LSU Tigers

RQS: 197.545
Previous ranking: 2

LSU drops a spot behind UCLA following a nonetheless perfectly acceptable victory over Georgia for 197.575, which just wasn’t the 198 it took to be in the top 2 this week. The Tigers will be pleased about not returning to their “weird mistake that counts so we get 197.1” ways, though there were still a couple weird mistakes—like Hambrick on floor. Her miss didn’t have to count but it did remove a potential huge number from the docket that would have bumped up the final total to something slightly more championshippy. Beyond that, we’re moving into the landings portion of the season, and LSU will need to get rid of those one-tenth lunges on vault to get the necessary score there. These 1.5s can’t be all 9.850ish.

4. Utah Utes

RQS: 197.415
Previous ranking: 4

Utah stays fourth after a surprising loss to Cal, a loss built predominately on not having the landings the way we typically expect—and not having Skinner to bump up those vault and floor totals, which probably took the team’s scoring potential down .200-.250. Breaking news, her scores are kind of important to the team. The 197.450 is still a very solid road total that Utah will welcome in the RQS picture and will use to stay comfortably in the top-5 heading to the postseason, with the big 5 teams continuing to cultivate a significant gap over everyone else.

Continue reading Week 8 Rankings →