Week 5 Rankings and Reactions – The Balance Beam Situation

Week 5 Top 25

Note: These rankings include Monday’s fixtures because, you know, they’ve already happened. They will therefore differ from the official classification of week 5, which does not include the meetings of Monday.

What is a good score?

Michigan’s basically unprecedented score of 198.525 over the weekend – the highest team score since 2004 and the highest road score ever in college gymnastics – reignited my question about what actually constitutes a competitive scoring in the 2022 season. When Utah scores 197.7 with a count drop and Oklahoma scores 198 even with a jump spin which is tied for their worst score on this event in nine yearsit is clear that typical expectations need not apply.

But what is it really about here? How good is a 197 this year? Is it useful? What are the teams trying to do?

This season, for the very first time, he would have to take an NQS out of 196 just to finish in the top 36 and qualify for regionals. Scores are on track to clear last season’s 195.769 threshold, and the NC State team currently sitting on the bubble are averaging 195.131, a score that would have seen them rank 8 spots higher at this point. in each of the past three seasons. Based on how things have changed over the past 10 years between now and the end of the season for teams in this area of ​​the standings, this would put this season’s projected regional threshold somewhere around 196,300.

Similarly, current scores would indicate an SQL of approximately 197.150 required to finish in the top 16 (seeded at Regionals) and an SQL of 197.900 to finish in the top 8 (seeded to advance to Nationals). Right now I’m leaning towards the low end of the range with these because we’ve got a week less in the regular season this year than most years and because of COVID game cancellations messing up plans (and because 197.900 ????????), we will see.

With these benchmarks in mind, I give teams a X for each score they currently have that reaches each level. As long as NQS runs as normal this season, you’ll want to find yourself in six weeks with at least four countable scores at the desired level to feel safe and dandy. By next week, many teams should have enough scores to start making real NQS projections.