Starting in 2019, college gymnastics decided to switch to the NQS (National Qualifying Score) system after changing the format of finals from Super Six to Four on the Floor. The system’s purpose is to determine which 36 out of 82 gymnastics programs will advance to the NCAA Regionals in the postseason. It also determines the seeding of teams and which of the four locations they’ll compete at.
NQS is quite confusing at first glance since the factor of wins and losses are pretty much disregarded. For the most part though, the scoring system is effective in accurately determining which teams should make it to Regionals and ultimately the National Championship.
A team’s national ranking is determined by taking their top six scores, removing the highest one and then averaging out the remaining five scores. However, an additional requirement has made the past two seasons challenging for programs due to COVID-19 cancellations.
The NCAA requires three out of the six scores to come from away or neutral site meets. Each team usually has around 11 to 12 meets per season. The inclusion of away meets is to eliminate the possibility of home-scoring bias from judges.
During the 2021 season, the rules were adjusted due to the pandemic preventing teams from even having enough scores to fit the requirements. This year, the scoring system is back to following its usual protocol.
Unfortunately LSU, who was forced to postpone their second and third meets of its season, is now scrambling to fit in extra meets to ensure qualification for Regionals. So far, the Tigers have competed twice at home and once on the road. They have both three home meets and three away meets left in the season. Their performance at the SEC Championships can also be counted within the scoring system.
Considering their first two scores were within the 196 range, it’s vital that the team grabs every opportunity they can so they’ll have more numbers to work with besides the bare minimum of NCAA requirements.
LSU’s postponed matches have been rescheduled into a tri-meet with Missouri and Arkansas at the Hearnes Center on Feb. 20. This means the Tigers will have to compete almost back-to-back that weekend. On Friday, they’ll face Alabama at home and then travel to Columbia, Mo. for the tri-meet on Sunday.
The NQS system won’t officially take effect within rankings until the eighth week of competition. Until then, teams are ranked according to their season average. The purple and gold are currently sitting at the No. 5 spot after their win against Auburn.
This system gives every team the chance to make it to Regionals despite a few atypically bad meets. It also ensures teams are not given an unfair advantage if they are over scored in a meet. Despite its peculiarity, the NQS rankings undoubtedly bring the best teams to Regionals each year.
This week, the Tigers will travel to Gainesville, Florida to compete for the second time on the road this season. The meet will begin at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 11.