With all the recent improvements and leaks ive seen/heard I honestly think Walnut and Emerson are going to make massive improvements this year. I think both are going to be high prospects for the 5-7 spots, possibly one sneaking into 4th place as Argyle is looking less promising this season. That being said Wakeland and Lone Star are still guaranteed top 2 in my eyes, and with the way the judges like North they are a solid third.
With the new judging changes/director changes and other things, I don't think Liberty, Heritage, and Reedy can keep up the placements they got last year. A lot of their key members recently graduated as well, so who knows how they'll do following some surprising results in 2024