Is this the year for Utah gymnastics?

The prohibitive favorite.

That is how LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark described the Oklahoma Sooners after his team, along with the Cal Bears, secured spots in the 2024 NCAA women’s gymnastics championship on Thursday.

Clark was questioned time and again following the first of two national semifinals held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday about what his team could do to try to take down the Sooners.

His answer?

“A ‘got to’ mentality screams desperation,” Clark said. “We get to be here and can take advantage of this opportunity.”

At the time, Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and Alabama had yet to compete in the evening national semifinal. And Clark, like nearly everyone else, was operating under the assumption that Oklahoma would advance to the national title meet.

In his eyes, all LSU could do was compete to the best of its ability, and if that was good enough to take down Oklahoma, so be it.

His assumption — that the Tigers would need to take down the two-time reigning champs — proved very wrong, though.

Utah and Florida prevailed in the second national semifinal, the Red Rocks winning the competition behind one of their best performances this season. Oklahoma was eliminated in an upset to remember, the Sooners undone by five falls or near falls.

As a result, LSU, Cal, Florida and Utah will be the four teams competing Saturday at 2 p.m. MDT for the 2024 NCAA women’s gymnastics national championship.

It is an interesting collection of teams to say the least.

Florida and Utah have both been to four straight national championship meets, but the Gators haven’t won a title since 2015. Utah hasn’t won the whole thing since 1995.

As for LSU and Cal, well, neither program has ever won a national championship.

With the elimination of Oklahoma, the national title appears to be completely up for grabs. Don’t believe it? Here’s the head-to-head this season between the four participating teams:

• LSU is the highest ranked team remaining, but the Tigers have lost to Florida already this season. Of course, they’ve also beaten both Cal and Utah in 2024.

• Cal is ranked No. 3 in the country and the Bears boast a win over the Red Rocks but also lost to Utah in the Pac-12 championships and to LSU Thursday.

• Florida lost to LSU at the SEC championships, beat Utah in the Gainesville regional final and then lost to Utah in the national semifinal meet.

• Utah lost to LSU early in the year, lost to Cal later in the season and then beat Cal at the Pac-12 championships. The Red Rocks then lost to Florida before going on to beat Florida.

All of which is to say, huh?

In terms of which teams are best overall, LSU, Cal and Utah all rank among the four best teams in the country on floor exercise this year, while all four teams rank in the top five on balance beam.

Cal, LSU and Utah all rank in the top six on the uneven bars, and LSU, Florida and Cal all rank in the top six in the country on vault, with Utah coming in at No. 7.

In terms of which teams have proven to have the highest scoring potential this year, all broke the 198 barrier multiple times. Cal had the highest score with a 198.550, LSU was next with a 198.475, followed by Utah (198.300) and Florida (198.225).

Good luck tabbing a favorite from all that, and if the elimination of Oklahoma is any indication, anything can and will happen Saturday. Every team remaining believes itself capable of winning the whole thing, as long as gymnasts stay true to who they are.

Cal co-head coach Elisabeth Crandall-Howell touted her team’s inexhaustible work ethic as why the Golden Bears can win it.

“This group is persistent every single day,” she said. “They are so persistent and their expectations of pushing every day has been evident.”

Clark noted that his team believes it has an edge because of its culture and chemistry.

“If we have an advantage at any level of this thing it is that togetherness,” he said.

Florida coach Jenny Rowland touted her belief that Florida just needs to focus on Florida, that the Gators have more than enough to break through.

And Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf has talked all season about the fact that her team has been steeled for this moment after considerable upheaval that started in the offseason.

For the first time in years, there won’t be a giant that needs to be slain in order for a team to win the title. Oklahoma isn’t there anymore, and neither are legendary gymnasts like Trinity Thomas, Maggie Nichols or Kyla Ross.

All season long it seemed destined that Oklahoma would win a third straight championship. Now, NCAA women’s gymnastics is set to hold it most unpredictable championship in years.

As Utah senior Maile O’Keefe adroitly put it, “At this point it is anybody’s race.”