NCAA SEC championships will include all nine teams going forward

[Sasha]

I can only assume they worked out whatever broadcast constraints led them to the eight-team decision.

2025 SEC Spring Meetings: Day 3 Notebook - Southeastern Conference

The 2025 Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings concluded Thursday at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort. The annual gathering included meetings of the SEC's Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Faculty Athletics Representatives, Head Football Coaches and...

www.secsports.com

 

[cuuf]

Not gonna lie, I kinda liked the drama of "who gets left out" as the end of the season neared.

 

[irichluck21]

They can do the first session with a bye.
If not, go Big Ten route and have three sessions of three. 7,8,9 first session 4, 5, 6 and session 3 1-3

 

[BB12]

I'm in the minority but I dont think every team needs to go to conference championships. The drama of who was gong to make it was one of the only interesting things in the last month of the regular season.

But since they are sending everyone, they need to put the bye in the afternoon not the evening session.

 

[irichluck21]

IF they choose to do a bye.
They could so three sessions of 3. Which I think that is the route they will go to be honest.

 

[BB12]

IF they choose to do a bye.
They could so three sessions of 3. Which I think that is the route they will go to be honest.

According to the Gymnastics Now article, it's going to be 4 in the afternoon and 5 in the evening.

SEC Gymnastics Championships to include all 9 schools moving forward - Gymnastics Now

Arkansas won’t have to worry about being left out of the SEC Gymnastics Championships moving forward.

gymnastics-now.com

 

[Aeris]

If lukewarm, childish routines are still getting 9.95's and 10.0's, I won't be watching anyway. Can go rewatch NCAA meets from the 90's, 00's, and early 10's and see much more interesting gymnastics than we've been getting. NCAA got lame as soon as judges stopped looking for risk and virtuosity. It used to be necessary to go beyond the basic routine requirements to get a top score.

 

[irichluck21]

thanks @BB12

didn't realize they already decided the format

 

[hi_bieja]

I'm in the minority but I dont think every team needs to go to conference championships. The drama of who was gong to make it was one of the only interesting things in the last month of the regular season.

But since they are sending everyone, they need to put the bye in the afternoon not the evening session.

Normally I'd agree, except that you can count the conference meet for NQS, so it's kinda weird to just say because of your conference size or assignment, you don't get the last meet of the season to try to replace a score.

If I were borderline or starting the season slow for some reason (depth, injuries, transfers compared to a top team or what have you), I'd rather take a stand later on than at whatever Smoothie King/Taco Bell Cantina quad invite in January.

 

[irichluck21]

An example of this was Rutgers. They were ranked outside of the top 36 and were in the bottom of the Big 10, at 40th overall. If not all the teams qualified to conference championship, they would have been left out completely and missed regionals.
Instead Rutgers had their best conference meet ever and moved up to 36th and moved up to 36th, qualifying a full team to regionals.

 

[Sasha]

I'm in the minority but I dont think every team needs to go to conference championships. The drama of who was gong to make it was one of the only interesting things in the last month of the regular season.

But since they are sending everyone, they need to put the bye in the afternoon not the evening session.

I don't disagree, but it's shitty that it's only one team in one conference that doesn't get that opportunity. But I do think the regular season could be more exciting if teams were competing for a conference berth.

 

[BB12]

Normally I'd agree, except that you can count the conference meet for NQS, so it's kinda weird to just say because of your conference size or assignment, you don't get the last meet of the season to try to replace a score.

If I were borderline or starting the season slow for some reason (depth, injuries, transfers compared to a top team or what have you), I'd rather take a stand later on than at whatever Smoothie King/Taco Bell Cantina quad invite in January.

Teams already compete an uneven amount of meets though - e.g. Florida chose to do 11 meets while OU chose to do 13 - so it's not as if every team is currently getting an NQS based off the same amount of eligible scores anyway.

If coaches knew that last meet wasn't guaranteed but wanted as many opportunities to get a counting score as possible, they can put another meet on their schedule so they are still competing the same amount of meets overall.

 

[irichluck21]

Yeah, but typically conference championships produce higher scores.
11 meets vs 13 meets doesn't matter, as teams are peaking near the end of the season. Much like Rutgers peaked at Big Tens. Without that score they wouldn't have made it to Regionals.