Entering as the sixth out of six seeds in its regional competition, Iowa State will have to overcome numerous obstacles in order to secure a spot in the top two and punch its ticket to the NCAA Championships.

All five of Iowa State’s regional competitors — four of which are nationally ranked in the top 25 — have each, at least twice in the regular season, eclipsed the 196.000 mark that has eluded the Cyclones all year long. Not to mention, No. 4 LSU and No. 9 Nebraska combined have scored below 196.000 only twice in this 2014-15 season.

In addition, the two top seeds in the Ames Regional also managed to make their way to the NCAA Super Six Finals in 2014 — the final and top NCAA gymnastics competition of the season. At the finals, LSU and Nebraska finished third and sixth, respectively.

Louisiana State also currently ranks atop the national leaderboard in the floor exercise, boasting an average of 49.448 in the event. While hosting Minnesota on March 6, LSU recorded a 49.700 on the floor, each gymnast averaging a 9.94 individually.

That being said, last season, Iowa State, who was also ranked sixth entering regionals, surprised many people by finishing third of the six teams, falling only to LSU and Stanford. If ever there was a time to surprise the gymnastics world, the stage has been set for the Cyclones to do it in Ames on Saturday