College sports seem to mainly revolve around football, basketball, and baseball. Yet one of the most underrated sports on TV and playable at the college level is definitely wrestling. Although not many schools support it and not many kids actually try to go DI for it, the sport is highly competitive.
Best Teams/Top 25 Ranking
With Nationals approaching, the top team at the end of the season was Penn State, and it was not very close. At the Big Ten Tournament, 5 of the ten winners of their respective weight classes were from Penn State, and it shows in duals as well. Taking down teams such as Iowa or Nebraska with ease, Penn State showed pure domination all season.
While the Big Ten clearly maintains the best competition, the likes of Oklahoma State and South Dakota stay at the top of the rankings as well, showing a trend with midwestern teams and their talent when it comes to the sport. As the season wraps up, the world of wrestling stays competitive and intriguing.
The Postseason; Individual and Team
While there isn't a "tournament" for wrestling teams, those same teams can still win points through placements at nationals, earing them in a format similar to the Olympics and their medal system. Individual wrestlers will compete in bracket format for every weight class, moving on in the tournament with a win. However, the national tournament is also double-elimination, which means someone could still place third if they continue to wrestle through a consolation bracket. This format allows for wrestlers to show their strength against different matchups, and allow for wrestlers to make up for any serious errors or if they had a very bad match in a round. When the tournament ends, points are tallied for every one of the ten weight classes and the winning team gets their own trophy.
This sport truly is the most underrated college sport you can watch on television, with some of the most committed fanbases and exhilarating matches. I very strongly recommend you go seek out and watch a college wrestling dual, whether it be on television or YouTube, as I can assure you the excitement factor for the viewer is through the roof.
~Tyler Rath, Senior Writer and Editor
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Good article. Penn State’s record over the years is unbelievable. In any other sport it would be heralded on page 1 of major newspapers. Thanks for bringing attention to the sport and PSU.