2026 NCAA Gymnastics Conference Championships: Which Teams are Leaping to the Top?

The NCAA gymnastics conference championships are here! And this weekend is about more than just crowning winners: this is the last chance for teams to finalize their National Qualifying Score (NQS) to lock in a spot in the top 36 for the postseason.

It's the busiest and one of the most exciting weekends of the NCAA gymnastics season. Let's take a look at who I predict to win the conference championships today!

ACC

Since growing to six teams last season, the ACC has gotten stronger. Stanford won the ACC Championships last year and will be the definite favorite to win again, as they rank at the top of the conference with more than half a point over Cal, and also rank #7 nationally. Stanford has been building momentum and is even stronger than they were last year. Their season best is a 198.150, which is nearly a point higher than the highest scores posted by Cal, Clemson, NC State, and North Carolina. If Stanford makes a mistake, though, that could open the door for Cal, Clemson, and NC State to capitalize and step up.

#22 North Carolina and Pittsburgh compete in the first session today at 2:30 PM EST on ACC Network, and #7 Stanford, #14 Cal, #15 Clemson, and #20 NC State compete tonight at 7 EST on ACC Network.

Big 12

Utah won the Big 12 title and went undefeated in the conference this year. And while the Red Rocks sit at the top of the conference with an average score six-tenths higher than Denver, they have not had a strong or consistent season. Utah is still the favorite to win the Big 12 this year, but it likely won't be the cake walk it was for them last year, and I think there is a chance for Denver or BYU to win.

Arizona State and West Virginia compete today at 2 PM EST on ESPN+, and #12 Utah, #23 Denver, #24 BYU, and Arizona compete tonight at 7 EST on ESPNU.

Big Ten

UCLA has taken the Big Ten by storm since joining last year and has gone undefeated in the conference in both seasons. Ranking #5 nationally, the Bruins are expected to defend their B1G title. My dark horse candidate to win the conference, though, is Minnesota. While the Golden Gophers have three B1G teams that rank higher than them nationally, they have shown the biggest scoring potential after the Bruins, and they also posted the highest score in the conference during the Big Four competitions.

Nebraska, Rutgers, Washington, and Illinois competed last night. Rutgers currently leads the meet with a 195.700, Washington is behind them with a 195.475, then Illinois with a 195.125, and Nebraska with a 195.075.

#17 Penn State, #17 Ohio State, #21 Iowa and Maryland compete today at 1 PM EST on the Big Ten Network, and #5 UCLA, #13 Minnesota, #10 Michigan, and #11 Michigan State compete this evening at 5 EST on BTN.

EAGL

Last year, George Washington pulled off an upset to win the EAGL championships, where less than three-tenths separated the top four teams. Towson, the 2023 and 2024 champions, ranks at the top of the conference again this year and will look to reclaim the title. New Hampshire ranks just three-tenths behind Towson and definitely has a good shot at the title, too. After that, more than a point separates New Hampshire and Temple.

In their regular-season matchup at the beginning of February, New Hampshire beat Towson by nearly eight-tenths. It will be exciting to see which EAGL team comes out on top, especially if it's a super close meet again!

Towson, New Hampshire, Temple, LIU, and George Washington compete this evening at 5 EST and will be livestreamed for free on NEC Front Row.

GEC

Penn is having an incredible season despite missing their star athlete, Skyelar Kerico. They are at the top of the conference and average nearly a point higher than Yale and are the only GEC team to surpass the 196 mark this season. Penn won last year's GEC Championship by over a point-and-a-half, but in their two regular-season matchups this year, Yale has gotten within three-tenths behind them. While I think Penn's strength and resilience can power them to another conference title, Yale will be right on their heels.

Bridgeport, Southern Connecticut, William & Mary, and West Chester compete today at noon EST on ESPN+, and Penn, Yale, Brown, and Cornell compete this evening at 5 EST on ESPN+.

MAC

Central Michigan is going for their fifth straight MAC Championship title. They rank at the top of the MAC, with an NQS three-tenths higher than Ball State. While I think Central Michigan can come out on top again, Ball State, Kent State, and Western Michigan all have an NQS and average within five-tenths of Central Michigan and have high scores within three-tenths. And if the Golden Flashes can get every event to click in one meet, I think they have a good shot at the MAC title.

Central Michigan, Ball State, Kent State, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Northern Illinois compete today at 2 EST on ESPN+.

MIC

Texas Woman's was the favorite going into last night's MIC Championship. Their highest score this season was 196.100, the highest in the conference by over a point, and they had victories over four Power 4 schools this year.

In last night's meet, S. E. Missouri pulled off an upset over Texas Woman's to win their first MIC Championship title since 2014! S.E. Missouri finished with a 194.950, their highest score of the season, Texas Woman’s finished in second with a 194.725, Illinois State finished in third with a 194.550, and Centenary College finished in fourth with a 189.325.

MPSF

Southern Utah is the most dominant team in the MPSF. Their NQS is nearly two points higher than Sacramento State's, with both their average and season-high also being more than two points higher. While it looks like the Thunderbirds could easily get their three-peat, the past two seasons, UC Davis was just a couple of tenths shy of them.

Southern Utah, Sacramento State, UC Davis, and Alaska compete tonight at 8 EST and will be livestreamed on Overnght.

MW

The Mountain West has been a very exciting conference this season, and I really think it could be anyone's game. Utah State, the reigning champions, sits at the top, but all four teams are separated by only six-tenths in NQS. Last year's meet came down to the final two tenths between Utah State and Boise State. The team to watch this year, though, is Air Force. The Falcons have broken their program record four times this season and have put up the highest score in Mountain West history with a 197.150 just last week. This is the tightest conference, but Air Force is showing no signs of slowing down!

Utah State, San Jose State, Air Force, and Boise State compete tonight at 8 EST and will be livestreamed for free on the MW website.

SEC

The evening session of the SECs will be one of the biggest meets of the season, as it features the top four teams in the country: Oklahoma, LSU, Florida, and Alabama. I think this year's SECs will be a three-horse race between Oklahoma, LSU, and Florida, and come down to the final tenths. Reigning champions Oklahoma will look to win their first SEC title, LSU will look to defend their title, and Florida is peaking at the right time and looking to claim the SEC for the first time since 2023. These are the top-scoring teams in the country, with Florida owning the top two highest scores of the season from just the past two weeks, and all of them have put up multiple team scores of 198+. This is going to be the meet to watch this weekend!

#6 Georgia, #8 Arkansas, #9 Mizzou, #16 Auburn, and #19 Kentucky compete today at 3 EST on the SEC Network, and #1 Oklahoma, #2 LSU, #3 Florida, and #4 Alabama compete tonight at 8 EST on SECN.

Edited by Mithzi Silva