Penn State Wrestling: 5 Bold Predictions for Big Ten Wrestling Championships

Bold Prediction No. 4: At the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships, Penn State will have 10 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA’s

Remember when I hinted about discussing something later in regards to Beau Bartlett’s finish? This is precisely what I was referring to.

Because if Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions are going to sport a full 10 man squad heading into the NCAA’s, then guys like Bartlett, Brady Berge, and Creighton Edsell are going to have to step up in a big way.

Here are the automatic qualifier numbers for each weight class in the Big Ten:
125 – 10
133 – 10
141 – 7
149 – 7
157 – 7
165 – 7
174 – 8
184 – 12
197 – 11
285 – 9

Take a look at which weight classes have the lowest automatic qualifiers.

They just so happen to correspond to Penn State Wrestling’s three biggest question marks in their lineup. And look, this is no knock on Bartlett or Berge or Edsell. All three are competitive wrestlers who have proven they belong in the largest stages of wrestling.

Another item that makes this a bold statement is the seeding for Berge and Edsell. Each of these grapplers got slapped with a No. 10 seed and a potential second-round matchup with the No. 2 ranked wrestler in their respective weight class.

I feel much better about Berge’s chances of continuing in the Championship Bracket and I could even see him make a run for the finals at 157. For Esdell, it’s going to be exponentially tougher to stay out of the wrestle backs.

I think Creighton will get past Purdue’s Hayden Lohrey in the opening round, but then fall to Iowa’s Alex Marinelli in the second round. And just like Bartlett, he’s going to have to strap on his work boots and go to work on middle and lower-ranked Big Ten talent at 165. Which I believe he will.

I’m also keenly aware snagging an automatic bid isn’t the only way to make the NCAA Tournament. There are also at-large bids which wrestlers can be awarded. But we are talking about only four or five wrestlers in each weight class. Oh, and this is for the entire Division I wrestling field.

So if this bold prediction comes to fruition, then I’m banking on Penn State picking up all 10 NCAA slots via the automatic route. The last thing anyone needs is to put the future of their wrestling dreams into the hands of someone else. Settle it on the mat and everything else will sort itself out.