The Weekend Agenda (March 24th)

Well, here we are again. Conference Championships, aka the most frustrating day in college gym. Because of TV deals, we don't get live streaming of any crucial competitions. Those who get the Big 10 Network will be able to watch those championships live on TV, but the rest of the world is left to feast on the scraps of live scoring and audio feeds like the miserable peasants we are. Both the Pac-12s and SECs will not be broadcast on TV until the 29th.

I'll be here popping in throughout the day on Saturday with all sorts of opinions, potentially even judgmental and unfounded ones. It'll be a great day. A lot of the action is happening at the same time, so we'll have to create a situation room with all the live scoring windows. The SEC always seems to suddenly forget how the internet works when championships come around, so we'll have to keep on top of that scoring and make sure it's working before the meet starts. Get Kevin Copp on it.

Championships Schedule:
Friday – 3/23/12
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – BYU @ [14] Boise State

Saturday – 3/24/12

2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – Big 10 Championships Session 1 – [21] Michigan, [23] Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State

2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – EAGL Championships – [20] NC State, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Maryland, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, George Washington Rutgers

3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – MAC Championships – Kent State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ball State

4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – SEC Championships – [1] Florida, [3] Alabama, [5] Georgia, [8] LSU, [10] Arkansas, [15] Auburn, [24] Kentucky

4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – Pac-12 Championships Session 1 – [17] Arizona, [22] Washington, Arizona State, Cal

5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – Big 12 Championships – [2] Oklahoma, [19] Missouri, [25] Iowa State

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Big 10 Championships Session 2 – [6] Nebraska, [12] Penn State, [13] Ohio State, [16] Minnesota

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Pac-12 Championships Session 2 – [4] UCLA, [7] Utah, [8] Oregon State, [11] Stanford

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – WAC Championships – [18] Denver, San Jose State, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, Utah State

The Weekend Agenda (March 16th-18th)

Top 25 Schedule (and other events)
Friday – 3/16/12
4:30 ET / 1:30 PT – Pac Rim Women's Subdivision 1
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Michigan State @ [21] Michigan
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [7] Utah @ [1] Florida
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [9] Arkansas @ [16] Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Iowa State @ [6] Nebraska
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – West Virginia @ [10] LSU
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – BYU @ [14] Auburn
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – North Carolina @ [4] Alabama
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [15] Boise State @ Southern Utah
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Air Force, Bridgeport @ [18] Arizona
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – New Hampshire, Seattle Pacific @ [8] Oregon State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – Pac Rim Women's Subdivision 2 (USA Session)

Saturday – 3/17/12
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – NBC Pac Rim Broadcast (Women's Event)
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [2] Oklahoma @ [13] Ohio State
4:30 ET / 1:30 PT – Pac Rim Men's Subdivision 1
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – State of Illinois Classic ([22] Illinois)
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Maryland @ [12] Penn State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – William & Mary @ [20] NC State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [23] Kentucky @ Centenary
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [19] Minnesota, [25] Arizona State, Iowa @ [17] Denver
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – Pac Rim Men's Subdivision 2 (USA Session)

Sunday – 3/18/12
3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – Pac Rim Junior Event Finals
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [24] Washington @ Cal
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Pac Rim Senior Event Finals

We have some more elite action this weekend, and it will be fun to follow the scores on Friday so that we can devote our time on Saturday solely to the broadcast, asking the tough, important questions like, "Huh?" and "Really?" Pac Rims will provide a crucial look at how Kyla Ross fits into the Olympic question.

In NCAA this weekend, all of the lower-ranked teams will be trying to position themselves for the postseason, getting into the all important top 12 or top 18. However, the main focus will be on Utah and Florida. The biggest question for Utah is whether the home Utes can show up on the road, and the biggest question for Florida is whether the old, collapse-y Gators will show up at all. Caquatto will not be competing, and King is coming back from a pec aggravation (though will compete) so we'll have to keep an eye on that bars lineup.

Oklahoma and Alabama will also be hoping to position themselves with a big score while showing what their postseason lineups are capable of. Oklahoma had to move things around a little last weekend to disastrous effect, and I still have some questions about Alabama's beam and floor lineups. This is the week for the big guns. The time for accepting anything less than a 9.8 has passed.

Oregon State also has to prove that they are part of a Top 8, not a Next 4. They haven't made the jump to consistent 197s with the rest of the best teams, and they are falling back along with multi-injured Arkansas.

The Weekend Agenda (March 9th-11th)

Top 25 Schedule
Friday – 3/9/12
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [5] Georgia @ [20] Michigan
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [16] Auburn @ Southeast Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [9] LSU @ Iowa
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – [14] Missouri @ [4] Alabama
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [6] Nebraska @ [7] Utah
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [11] Stanford @ [23] Arizona State
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Cal @ [15] Boise State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – San Jose State @ [24] Washington

Saturday – 3/10/12
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – [13] Ohio State @ North Carolina
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [8] Arkansas @ West Virginia
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Iowa State @ [18] Minnesota
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [9] Oregon State @ [22] Denver


Sunday – 3/11/12
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – [17] Arizona @ New Hampshire
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – [19] Illinois @ Western Michigan
2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – George Washington, Ball State @ [25] Kentucky
2:30 ET / 11:30 PT – [21] NC State @ [5] Georgia
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [2] Oklahoma @ [3] UCLA
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [12] Penn State @ Pittsburgh


Just two more weeks left in the regular season, and UCLA, Georgia, and Stanford all finish their seasons this weekend. The most important meeting of the weekend is Oklahoma @ UCLA, and I will be live blogging that meet on Sunday. Both of those teams will probably be feeling pretty 198 about themselves going into that clash. UCLA will have Sam Peszek back in the all-around.

On Friday, Georgia visits Michigan, so we'll obviously be watching the scores closely (Couch and Tanella, in particular). Remember the last time Georgia visited Michigan and they got all upset about the low scores? Ah, the good old days. [Applause for gymnastike's easily accessible archives].

"Robbed" in unison. Excellent.

Later on Friday, we should all follow Alabama hosting Missouri and Utah hosting Nebraska. This is an important opportunity for Utah to make the argument that the last few weeks have been a aberration instead of an indication. They will certainly feel displeased that Nebraska is ranked ahead of them and will be looking to prove they are the better team. This could be an interesting preview of a clash between these two at Nationals because I don't necessarily see both of these teams advancing to finals. I'd love to see them in the same prelim. My ideal prelims would have an SEC session and a Pac-12 session just to provide the best possible drama. [So,  Session 1) Oklahoma, UCLA, Nebraska, Utah, Oregon State, Stanford. Session 2) Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Whoever gets the last spot]. Admit it, it would be fun. (And it's kind of possible.)  

The Weekend Agenda (March 2nd-4th)

I had not intended to spend much time on elite gymnastics, but lately I've found myself coming down with a low-level case of . . . dare I say it . . . Olympic fever. To channel this fever, I'm going to try live blogging this weekend's American Cup. I won't be doing detailed quick hit commentary because there are likely several thousand other, mostly official, people doing that. My commentary will be focused more on providing exhausted observations and Daggett-induced apoplectic ramblings. It should be a good time. Use it as an opportunity to feel better about the NCAA scoring system.

My main focus, though, will remain NCAA gymnastics through the end of the collegiate season, and we have a lively showdown weekend ahead of us, highlighted by UCLA @ Georgia on Friday. UCLA is performing with an unseemly amount of confidence all of the sudden, and Georgia will be trying to solve a problem like Shayla and finally get a win over a top team. Expect high scores.

At the same time as the Georgia/UCLA meet (thanks, scheduling) will be the annual Nastia Liukin "I swear I'm not an elite" Pink Leotard Sleepover. This has become a fun opportunity for us to see our future NCAA gymnasts and make prognostications about how they will fare in a few years. Also at essentially the same time, Alabama will be visiting Oklahoma in an attempt to prove they are the better team and gain a much-needed high road score. Watch how Oklahoma compares to Alabama on vault and floor. If they can stay with Alabama, it will go a long way in proving how much they belong.


Top 25 (and other events) Schedule:
Friday – 3/2/12
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [23] Michigan, North Carolina, Centenary @ [11] Penn State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Kent State @ [14] Ohio State
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [3] UCLA @ [4] Georgia
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – Nastia Liukin Cup
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [5] Alabama @ [2] Oklahoma
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [18] Minnesota @ [8] Arkansas
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [20] NC State @ [10] LSU
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Southern Utah @ [15] Auburn
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Kentucky @ [21] Illinois
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [9] Oregon State @ [7] Utah
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Utah State @ [16] Boise State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [17] Arizona, SJ State, Alaska @ UC Davis
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [22] Arizona State @ [25] Washington

Saturday – 3/3/12
11:30 ET / 8:30 PT – AT&T American Cup
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [13] Missouri, [24] West Virginia, W. Michigan @ [19] Denver

Sunday – 3/4/12
3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – [1] Florida @ [6] Nebraska
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [17] Arizona, California @ [12] Stanford

The Weekend Agenda (February 24th-26th)

Top 25 Schedule:

Friday – 2/24/12

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [3] Georgia @ [1] Florida

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [15] Auburn, Pittsburgh @ Kentucky

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Kent State, William & Mary, Towson @ [19] NC State

7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – Bowling Green @ [17] Missouri

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [21] Michigan, Texas Women's @ [2] Oklahoma

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [3] Alabama @ [13] LSU

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [9] Nebraska @ [7] Arkansas

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [22] Minnesota @ Iowa

9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [12] Stanford @ [5] Utah

10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [16] Boise State @ [8] Oregon State

10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [25] Washington @ [14] Arizona

Saturday – 2/25/12

4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [10] Penn State @ [11] Ohio State

6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [18] Illinois @ Illinois-Chicago

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [23] West Virginia @ New Hampshire

8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Sacramento State @ [20] Denver

Sunday – 2/26/12

3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – [22] Minnesota @ Iowa State

5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [24] Arizona State @ [6] UCLA

Is anyone else having premonitions of a big scoring weekend? (I mean even more than usual, snarkypants.) Nearly all of the top teams are either at home or visiting a high scoring venue. I think we can all assume that the judges at the Georgia/Florida meet will be viewing the 197.850 from two weeks ago as a challenge.

Georgia is coming off a strong home meet led by Kat Ding's emergence as a national all-around threat with a 39.550. Of particular importance for the Gym Dogs over the next two weeks will be solidifying those beam and floor lineups. Will Moffat, Breazeal, and Box stay in? When will Earls be back? Is Chelsea Davis going in on those events?

As we've been saying for two years now, Florida is crazy talented. They have a team that is absolutely capable of hitting that 198 mark given the scoring this year. What remains to be seen is whether Rhonda's master plan will work and finally get them showing their best gymnastics at championships. Of possible issue is Mackenzie Caquatto's status. Do they need to get her on more events? Is there time?

As for live blogs, I'll be providing various nonsense about Stanford/Utah, a meet where both teams could really use a big score. Stanford has to work on moving up into the top 12 (a mid-196 or more should help the cause), and Utah has to mentally recover from some low scores away. Momentum is no longer on their side.

I'll also be following UCLA's meet against Arizona State on Sunday. UCLA has lineup spots up for grabs and needs to get out of the 9.7 territory in the first and second spots. Peszek and Larson's statuses (and Val's selection of hairstyle) will be key.

The Weekend Agenda (February 17th-19th)

Both Arkansas and Alabama are coming off weak scores of 195.875 and 196.000, respectively, which saw them fall from the 3rd and 2nd spots to the 5th and 6th.  The loser of this dual meet may be on downward spiral watch.  The last time Alabama competed at home they put up an enormous score, and we can probably expect the same thing this week when away 9.775s become home 9.850s.  The vault judges at Alabama are 2/2 for giving out 10s, do I hear a third?  I'm betting on Gutierrez this week.

Arkansas struggled last week because Grable struggled.  That was a test of whether their depth could make up for a weak meet from one of the stars, and they didn't really pass.  There are a lot of missed handstands and low landings in the early lineups, so keep an eye on how those routines are progressing. I finally got the chance to catch up and watch the Arkansas/Florida meet from forever ago, and I was not wholly impressed by Arkansas.  I need to see something more in the third and fourth positions.

I'll also be following the scores for the UCLA @ Oregon State (with Cal) meet, watching specifically for Oregon State's vault and floor scores because I still wonder about their amplitude and landing position  and for UCLA's bar scores (and lineup decisions).  Also, it will be interesting to see how much Zamarripa does.  They're praying that ankle issue is just a minor annoyance.

Georgia, Alabama, and Oregon State are the major teams competing at home, so they look the most likely candidates for the highest score of the week, especially with Utah visiting Michigan.  I'll go with Alabama because I think they have the highest scoring potential of the three, but I don't feel completely certain about that.

Top 25 Schedule:
Friday – 2/17/12
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [1] Utah @ [21] Michigan
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – New Hampshire @ [19] NC State
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [3] Oklahoma @ [16] Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [2] Florida @ [17] Auburn
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Michigan State @ [18] Illinois
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Iowa State @ [24] Iowa
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – [5] Arkansas @ [6] Alabama
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – San Jose State @ [14] Boise State
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – BYU @ [15] Arizona
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [7] UCLA, Cal @ [8] Oregon State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [13] LSU, Seattle Pacific @ [23] Washington

Saturday – 2/18/12
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – Kentucky @ [4] Georgia
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [20] Denver @ [11] Ohio State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [9] Nebraska @ Minnesota
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Brockport @ [10] Penn State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [23] West Virginia, Rutgers, William & Mary @ Maryland
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – Metroplex Challenge ([12] Stanford, Brown, Bridgeport)

Sunday – 2/19/12
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [18] Illinois @ [25] Arizona State

The Weekend Agenda (February 10th-12th)

On Friday, keep an eye on Florida and Georgia.  As the major home teams, they will be expected to lead the way with scoring this weekend.  This year, scoring under 197 at home is a loss for the top teams, which means that there is such pressure to keep pace, even when teams should be comfortable competing at home.  You can't count a fall for 196.400 and expect to remain at the front of the conversation.

Alabama finally converted last week for a huge 197.725 to bring the team up to #2.  Much like we were saying with Florida last week, it is necessary to maintain the momentum this week on the road and not suffer a letdown.  Bars will be the rotation to watch because these gymnasts need to get out of the 9.825 funk.  (I'd also like to see a little more contribution from the freshmen.  Kayla Williams has been a non-factor so far.)

UCLA and Oklahoma are at USAG meets this Friday, so it may be difficult to get the kind of live scores we're used to.  UCLA will be providing updates via twitter.  Not exactly ideal.....

On Sunday, Utah is visiting Arizona State.  I haven't tried out the live streams for the Arizona State meets this year, but we'll give it a whirl for a live blog for that meet to watch how Utah carries this momentum on the road.

Top 25 Schedule:
Friday – 2/10/12
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [2] Alabama @ Kentucky
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [14] LSU @ [4] Florida
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [23] Iowa @ [11] Ohio State
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [3] Arkansas @ [6] Georgia
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Perfect 10 Challenge ([5] Oklahoma, Iowa State, SEMO)
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – IGI Chicago Style ([7] UCLA, [15] Boise State, [18] Missouri, [19] Illinois)
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [17] Denver @ BYU
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [9] Oregon State, Sacramento State @ UC Davis
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [25] Arizona State @ [16] Arizona


Saturday – 2/11/12
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [20] Washington, [22] Michigan, Southern Utah @ [8] Nebraska
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [10] Penn State, William & Mary, George Washington @[21] NC State


Sunday – 2/12/12
2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – [11] Ohio State, [13] Auburn, Ball State @ [24] West Virginia
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [1] Utah @ [25] Arizona State
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [12] Stanford @ California

The Weekend Agenda (February 3rd-5th)

We have a huge weekend ahead of us, with a lot of interesting rivalry matchups that will go a long way toward determining the momentum of the season.  There are a few teams that need a big score this week, otherwise "slow start" begins to become "bad season."  Stanford and Alabama are two of these teams, but for different reasons.  Alabama has been strong enough, but they haven't broken out to show they can post a big score.  A meek loss to Florida at home would be disastrous.  On the other hand, Stanford has scored 194 in two of three meets.  If this is to be a year of redemption, they have to start showing talent immediately.

There are so many meets to watch (and keep an eye on Arkansas and Oklahoma, both competing twice this weekend), but I'll be paying special attention to three meets: Florida/Alabama, Georgia/Utah, and Stanford/UCLA.  Now, due to unfortunate circumstances, Florida/Alabama and Georgia/Utah are at the same time on Friday.  I think I'm going to live blog Florida/Alabama because I'm more interested in the storylines there, and I'll probably catch up with Georgia/Utah on Saturday.  Florida/Alabama could really go either way, while I'm pretty sure we know what to expect from Georgia/Utah.  It'll get interesting for Utah once they have to go on the road again.  

Then, on Sunday, I'll be back to live blog Stanford/UCLA.  Both of those teams are urgently in need of a redeeming score.  I really hope we don't see more dueling 194s.  Pick it up, everyone.  

Also, watch this video of Florida on vault and bars last weekend for Marissa King's reaction after vault (and for the crazy overscoring on bars).

Top 25 Schedule:
Friday – 2/3/12
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [20] West Virginia @ [22] Michigan
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [23] NC State @ [17] Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [13] Auburn @ [2] Arkansas
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [9] Nebraska, [25] Minnesota, Centenary @ [5] Oklahoma
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [10] Penn State @ [24] Iowa
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Kentucky @ [14] LSU
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [18] Arizona @ Texas Women's
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – [3] Florida @ [6] Alabama
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [4] Georgia @ [1] Utah
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [8] Oregon State @ [21] Washington

Saturday – 2/4/12
2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – [16] Boise State @ BYU
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [11] Ohio State @ [19] Illinois
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Iowa State, Alaska @ [15] Denver

Sunday – 2/5/12
3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – [5] Oklahoma @ [2] Arkansas
3:30 ET / 12:30 PT – [12] Stanford @ [7] UCLA

The Weekend Agenda (January 27th-29th)

The last meets of January mean the last few opportunities for allowances.  Teams are still permitted to be lackluster this week, but the window is closing.  Starting next week, teams better have one or more (preferably two) scores that they would be willing to count toward RQS, otherwise they are going to be under pressure to deliver every week from here on out.  Once we get into March, it's a good idea to start resting some of those top performers so that they will be ready for the postseason, but teams won't feel comfortable doing that if there is RQS pressure to get into the top six (or top twelve, or whatever the goal may be).  Even though the season seems brand new, we will be more than a third of the way done after this weekend.  January rust has to come off.

Florida has a big meet at home this weekend.  Arkansas is by far the more in-form team, and Florida's trajectory (and injury situation with Caquatto coming back) won't have them ready to start putting up huge scores yet.  But at the same time, I expect to see a more accomplished lineup from Florida than we have seen so far to avoid the potential upset (even though it's not a numerical upset, it would still be an upset if Arkansas won).  This is a major confidence meet for Florida against their first serious competition of the year, and all the big scorers should be in the lineup wherever they are prepared to compete.

As always, I will be following along with all the Friday scores and potentially checking in with some of the live streams we will have.

Top 25 Schedule:
Friday – 1/27/12
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [14] Illinois @ [19] Michigan
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [1] Arkansas, [24] Maryland @ [8] Florida
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [11] Ohio State @ Pittsburgh
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [23] Iowa @ Iowa State
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [20] NC State @ [5] Oklahoma
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [6] Alabama @ [16] Auburn
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – BYU @ [3] Utah
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [13] Boise State, Southern Utah @ Utah State
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – [15] Arizona @ Arizona State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [1] UCLA @ [22] Washington
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [12] Stanford @ [10] Oregon State

Saturday – 1/28/12
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – [17] LSU @ [7] Georgia
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [20] Missouri @ [4] Nebraska
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [9] Penn State @ Minnesota
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Air Force, Centenary @ [18] Denver

Sunday – 1/29/12
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – George Washington, Towson @ [25] West Virginia

The Weekend Agenda (January 20th-22nd)

First, a bit of news: Natasha Kelley has retired from gymnastics.  This announcement was expected after her body broke down on her yet again with the Achilles tear during preseason.  Even before this latest injury, she was running mostly on grit and knee braces.  How many devastating injuries can a person really come back from?

As for this week's schedule, the live streams are rather unkind to us on Friday (and then fast forward two weeks to when Florida @ Alabama and Georgia @ Utah are happening at the same time.  Dear Schedule: Be better.  Love, Everyone).  Nonetheless, I will do an abbreviated follow along blog for the scores of earlier meets on Friday and another for the Alabama and Michigan meets on Saturday.  Then on Sunday, I will be back with a real live blog of surprising #19 San Jose State @ UCLA.


Top 25 Schedule:
Friday – 1/20/12
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [8] Florida @ Kentucky
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Alaska-Anchorage, Bridgeport @ [23] Maryland
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [1] Nebraska @ Iowa State
7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – [16] Denver @ [22] Missouri
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [25] LSU @ [3] Arkansas
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [6] Georgia @ [20] Auburn
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Sacramento State @ [17] Boise State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – [4] Oregon State @ [13] Arizona

Saturday – 1/21/12
4:00 ET / 1:00 PT – George Washington @ [12] Ohio State
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [15] Illinois @ Iowa
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [18] NC State @ UIC
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – [21] West Virginia @ Bowling Green
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [5] Alabama, Michigan State, Cornell @ [9] Penn State
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – [11] Michigan @ [24] Minnesota
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – [10] Oklahoma, Utah State, Centenary @ Texas Women's

Sunday – 1/22/12
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – [19] San Jose State @ [7] UCLA
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – Washington @ [14] Stanford

The Weekly Agenda

After a sparsely populated first week of the season, everyone is in action this weekend to give us a much clearer view of how the teams stack up against one another.  Friday, in particular, will be a busy day for us score vultures, so we need to have a little situation room action going on with all the scoring windows.

The star meet on Friday is clearly Georgia @ Alabama, and I will be here live blogging that one.  While the rivalry doesn't have quite the same oomph without Suzanne around (and I do wish it were later in the season), Alabama would absolutely die if they lost to Georgia at home as defending national champions. That should provide the necessary intrigue.

Meets of note:
Friday – 1/13/12
6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – Ohio State @ Michigan
7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Illinois-Chicago @ Florida
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Kentucky @ Arkansas
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Denver @ Nebraska
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Auburn @ LSU
8:30 ET / 5:30 PT – Georgia @ Alabama
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Utah State @ Utah
9:00 ET / 6:00 PT – Washington @ Boise State
10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – Oklahoma @ Oregon State

Saturday – 1/14/12
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – Minnesota @ Illinois

Sunday – 1/15/12
1:00 ET / 10:00 PT – Kent State @ Western Michigan
2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – Rutgers @ West Virginia
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – UCLA @ Cal
5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – Stanford Quad Meet (w/ San Jose St., UC Davis, and Sacramento St.)

Get. Ready.

As always, the start of the season has snuck up on us, and it's now only four days away.  Here's a look at what's happening this weekend so you can plan accordingly:

• Friday: The season begins, and I will be live blogging the broadcast of Florida @ NC State at 7 ET / 4 PT.  Special attention will be paid to Florida's preparation schedule.  I don't need to see a 197 this week.  I'll also be following the scores of Denver @ Georgia and making completely unfounded comments about Shayla's performance level.  

• Saturday: Oklahoma has a quad meet away that they should win easily.  Note who is making lineups right now and how they are attempting to compensate for Natasha Kelley.

• Sunday: I'll be back to live blog Utah @ UCLA at 5 ET / 2 PT.  This should be the closest and most interesting meet of the weekend.  How are Mattie and Vanessa coming along?  Does Utah have enough star performances to contend?  Is Tiffany Hyland going to get all the water bottles in time?

Meets of note:

Friday – 1/6/12

6:30 ET / 3:30 PT – Washington @ Michigan State

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Florida @ NC State

7:30 ET / 4:30 PT – Denver @ Georgia
8:00 ET / 5:00 PT – Cancun Classic – (Arkansas, LSU, Iowa, Auburn, Arizona, San Jose St.)

10:00 ET / 7:00 PT – UC Davis @ Arizona State

Saturday – 1/7/12

6:00 ET / 3:00 PT – Oklahoma, Bowling Green, Wisconsin-Oshkosh @ Kentucky

7:00 ET / 4:00 PT – Ohio State @ Minnesota 

Sunday – 1/8/12

2:00 ET / 11:00 PT – Penn State, Maryland @ West Virginia

3:00 ET / 12:00 PT – Iowa State @ Missouri

5:00 ET / 2:00 PT – Utah @ UCLA

2012 NCAA Schedule

The NCAA season is just a little more than a month away, so it's time to look at the road we have ahead of us.

Below is a schedule of the major meets that will be important to follow in 2012.  At first glance, a few important things jump out:

1) Note the scarcity of meets during the first weekend.  Alabama, Michigan, Oregon St., Stanford, and Nebraska (among others) won't compete until the second week.  Because of this schedule, most of these schools will be competing every weekend through conference championships without a break.  Pacing and resting major contributors will be paramount.  UCLA and Georgia may benefit by having that crucial week off at the end of the regular season.

2) Stanford only competes at home three times, two of which are their first two meets of the season. This means they will have to rely heavily on road scores for their RQS, which can be a risky little game.  (On the other hand, they will be incredibly reliant on their freshmen this year, and with the injury history there, the sparse schedule of only 9 total meets could be in their best interests.)  

3) There is a strong degree of difficulty overall.  Each of the top teams has at least 3 (and usually 4) meets against other top programs.  Even schools like Oklahoma and Nebraska that don't have built-in challenges against strong conference rivals have loaded their schedules.  This means that nearly every weekend has at least one interesting matchup.