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Season Preview Capsules This past April, in a hotly contested battle, Florida and OU tied for the title of National Team Champions. Will Florida be able to make it three straight? Or will the Sooner pull off a repeat? Or will another upstart, like LSU, break through with a National Title. The Coaches' have designated Florida as number one in the Preseason poll, with OU just behind in 2nd. LSU is third. Both the Gators and Sooners each lost some key senior leadership, but they'll be reloading with some elite stars like Kennedy Baker (UF) and Brenna Dowell (OU). LSU returns a good portion of their lineup and will look to close the gap on the two co-champions. The battle for the spots in the Super Six will be intense once again. Bama will look to return to the Super Six, but they'll be missing some key graduated seniors, including NCAA AA Champ Kim Jacob. They have a big crew of talented frosh, as does #5 UCLA, which has been hampered by injury. But the Bruins will welcome the return of fifth-year senior Sam Peszek and a whole host of newcomers. Utah blends a talented senior class with a lot of new blood -- they'll be primed to make a charge at the title, armed with stronger balance beam sets from the newcomers. Just getting to Nationals is an achievement. As of late, there have been at least 20 to 25 teams with a strong shot at making Nationals. Every season, we see some expected qualifier or higher ranked favorite struggle at Regionals and get "knocked out" by an upstart program. This year should be no exception, and a number of the top returning teams have experienced some big losses to graduation, like Michigan and Nebraska. We also see new programs move to the forefront, and stake a claim early on as a favorite for Nationals. To qualify, it takes talent, depth, consistency under pressure and hard work. But it also takes a bit of luck -- in the Regional placement and in being able to avoid the injury bug. These wildcards and a Code that has not kept pace with a rising level of talent means the final 12 are going to be tough for anyone to call. The tables below are as complete as we know at this point in the season, as we anxiously anticipate the start of competition this January. Also, check out the Key to the Tables at the right to interpret the codes we use in the capsules. Today, we're debuting the Top 12. Stay tuned for an update with teams #13 to #25. |
Key to the Tables:
Ranking: By 2015 Preseason Coaches' Poll Coaches: Only regular, paid coaches are listed. Starting Routines: Defined by starting lineup in last meet of the post season. Fr = Freshman Status Codes for Returners: I = major season ending injury in 2014 or in preseason |
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