Gym fans in Lincoln got a sneak peak at what could be the NCAA title showdown this past Sunday, when No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Stanford battled it out at Nebraska.

In the end, even Oklahoma’s season high (360.3) couldn’t keep them ahead of the Cardinal, which notched a whopping 361.65, including a massive 65.55 team tally on vault—1.2 better than the Sooners on that same event. (Not coincidentally, Stanford topped OU by 1.35 overall.)

Stanford frosh Eddie Penev and senior Alex Buscaglia turned in 6.8 Start Value efforts (Yurchenko half-on, double twist off), with Stanford counting nothing lower than a 16.3 on vaulting. To put that in perspective: the Sooners best score, from No. 1-ranked all-arounder Jake Dalton, was a 16.35. (Dalton, capable of a 7.0 Start Value Kas-double, which he performed last week for the first time in NCAA competition, went with a 6.6 effort in Lincoln.)

This is the second time in as many weeks that Stanford has knocked off the nation’s No. 1 time, both times with the highest score in the nation to date. (Impressively, it was also the Cardinal’s second meet of the weekend; they competed at Air Force on Friday night.)

In the new national rankings, released today, Stanford jumped into the No. 1 spot with an untouchable 359.917 average, dropping Oklahoma to second (358.75). Illinois is a relatively distant third (355.283 avg.) despite a season-high 357.5 team total at Iowa this past weekend. (NOTE: The men’s ranking system will change next week when they go to a four-score average and drop each team’s highest score.)

As the season winds down, Stanford, the defending NCAA champ, is unquestionably the team to beat. And, once again, Oklahoma, who can claim five of the last seven NCAA titles—including a 2008 upset win at Stanford—could prove their toughest challenge.

“Last year it was the reverse situation,” OU head coach Mark Williams said of this weekend’s loss. “We got the win over Stanford during the year, then they got us in the end. Hopefully we can reverse that."

Stanford and Oklahoma will next face off at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Championships April 3 on the Sooners home floor in Norman.

NEW NCAA RANKINGS
(released March 9, 2010 and based on each team’s three-score average)…

1. Stanford, 359.917
2. Oklahoma, 358.75
3. Illinois, 355.283
4. Michigan, 354.033
5. Ohio State, 350.85
6. Penn State, 349.033
7. Minnesota, 347.883
8. Nebraska, 346.05
9. Cal, 345.433
10. Iowa, 342.583

Photo: Stanford’s Tim Gentry, courtesy Stanford Athletics

In both cases the underdogs (and home team) emerged victorious. The Sooners set a new scoring standard with a massive 197.95. Led by senior Hollie Vise, a double gold medalist at the 2003 World Championships (OU gymnastics first-ever world champion, men or women), Oklahoma has had a spectacular season and proven themselves the most consistent team in the NCAA. The team, guided by fourth year head coach K.J. Kindler, seems on track to OU's first-ever Super Six berth … and maybe more.

Alabama, competing without sophomore star Ashley Priess (flu), a 2006 World team member, held their own at the Lloyd Noble Center, notching their best road score of the season (197.275) and holding onto the No. 1 ranking in official polls released today. (Oklahoma, which had been No. 1 as recently as two weeks ago, remains No. 2.)

"I can tell you that Oklahoma is the best team that we have competed against this season," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson noted post-meet.

The reigning queens of the sport, Georgia, have won a record 10 NCAA crowns, including the last five, but got off to a slow start this season under first-year head coach Jay Clark. Now the GymDogs, currently ranked fifth, are emerging once again as title favorites.

On Saturday night, Senior Grace Taylor notched a 10.0 on beam to led her team to victory to 197.9 victory over UCLA.

Photo courtesy Oklahoma Athletics

“It feels great, it really does,” head coach Jay Clark said of the win. “The team finally showed up and did what we all knew we were capable of."

UCLA also proved its title potential, scoring a 197.875—the third best mark of the year, nationally. And, as in the case of Alabama-Oklahoma, though Georgia got the win, UCLA remains the higher-ranked team, coming in at No. 3 in today’s poll.

But a strong road score for Georgia when they travel to Michigan this Friday could dramatically shake up those stats. The GymDogs are currently counting a tally more than two points lower than this past weekend’s mark, and are poised to make a big move next week.

“This blows my mind—this is Georgia,” freshman Christa Tanella said of this past weekend’s performance. “This is who we are and what we’ve been waiting for and trying to show, and finally we did it.”

As the NCAA season passes its midway point, the title picture is becoming clear. In the final year of the Super Six (NCAA finals will feature only four teams in 2011), perennial favs, and the only teams to ever win a women’s NCAA title—Alabama, UCLA, Georgia and Utah—all look very much in the hunt. But new names—Oklahoma, NCAA host Florida (currently ranked No. 4) and No. 6 Stanford—are all poised to play spoiler to the status quo when the Championships kick off this April in Gainesville.

NEW NCAA RANKINGS (released March 8, 2010 and based on each team’s current Regional Qualifying Score, a.k.a. RQS) …

1. Alabama, 197.155
2. Oklahoma, 196.92
3. UCLA, 196.9
4. Florida, 196.685
5. Georgia, 196.615
6. Stanford, 196.45
7. Arkansas, 196.375
8. Oregon State, 196.355
9. Utah, 196.22
10. LSU, 196.11