What to Watch: Week seven of the college wrestling season

The Midwest Classic. Bedlam. The North Central College Invitational. Week seven of the wrestling season is here, and provides nothing short of nonstop action and excitement for college wrestling fans. From one of the largest tournaments in the national at the Division II level, to a historied rivalry between two teams on hot streaks, check out a few of the top events you won’t want to miss this weekend.

It’s Bedlam week. One of the most prolific rivalries in collegiate athletics, No. 21 Oklahoma will host No. 2 Oklahoma State on Friday night in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are off to a hot start this season at 3-0, with wins over Air Force, Wyoming and Central Michigan. The Cowboys are 4-0, coming off of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with two champions and a team title, as all ten wrestlers finished at or above their seed. As for the history between these two teams, OSU is 46-4-1 overall in the series since 1999. Three of Oklahoma’s four wins were at home, and the Sooners are hosting tomorrow night. OU’s last win in this series came in the 2013-14 season. This also marks the 189th all-time matchup in the Bedlam rivalry. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ and is no doubt one of the top duals of the weekend.

Forty-four teams from division II meet in Indianapolis at the 45th annual Midwest Classic, hosted by the University of Indianapolis. Twenty-one of the Top 25 teams are set to compete at this tournament, including three teams in the top five of the NWCA Division II Poll. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 14. The teams slated to compete are: No. 9 Adams State, American International, Ashland, No. 24 Central Missouri, No. 2 Central Oklahoma, Chadron State, No. 14 Colorado Mesa, No. 18 Colorado School of Mines, Davis & Elkins, Drury, East Stroudsburg, Emmanuel, Findlay, Fort Hays State, No. 7 Gannon, No. 6 Glenville State, No. 12 Grand Valley State, No. 11 Indianapolis, Kentucky Wesleyan, King, No. 13 Kutztown, No. 23 Lake Erie, No. 15 Lander, Limestone, No. 16 UMary, No. 21 Maryville, No. 4 McKendree, Minot State, Montevallo, Mount Olive, New Mexico Highlands, Newberry, Newman, Northern State, No. 25 Ouachita Baptist, No. 3 UW-Parkside, No. 20 Pitt-Johnstown, Quincy, Salem, Seton Hill, Shorter, Southwest Minnesota State, No. 22 Tiffin, No. 19 UNC Pembroke, Upper Iowa, No. 17 Western Colorado, and Wheeling.

Nebraska-Kearney, ranked fifth in the latest NWCA NCAA DII Rankings, will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on No. 10 Northern Iowa. The teams haven’t faced off since 2016, with Northern Iowa winning that battle 43-0. The Panthers are 2-0 overall this season, with ranked wins over South Dakota State and Missouri. They are led by NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen at 184 pounds, who is coming off of a top finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend. Northern Iowa has seven ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including No. 5 Cael Happel at 141 pounds and No. 6 Ryder Downey at 157 pounds. Nebraska-Kearney, currently 3-1 overall, are ready to make an impact in Cedar Falls. The Lopers have wins over Ouachita Baptist, Western Colorado and Fort Hays Northwest Tech, but fell to Division I foe Little Rock early in the season. The team finished third at last year’s NCAA DII Championships with one finalist. The dual begins at 7 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and is available to watch live on FloWrestling.

The North Central College Invitational will be the premier women’s college wrestling event to watch this weekend. The top five teams in the rankings will be there, No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 North Central, No. 3 King, No. 4 Grand Valley, and No. 5 McKendree. Action begins at 9 a.m. CT, and the following teams are set to participate: Adrian, Albion, Alma, Aurora, Baldwin Wallace, Carthage, Chadron State, Cornell College, Davenport, Elmhurst, Eureka, Fontbonne, Gannon, Illinois Wesleyan, Lakeland, Lindenwood, Lyon, New Jersey City, Northern Michigan, Quincy, Sacred Heart, Schreiner, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, and William Jewell.

Kent State hosts the Kent State Duals on Saturday, December 14, at the Kent State Field House. Rutgers, Gardner-Webb and Buffalo will compete, with action set to begin at Noon local time. Rutgers, ranked seventeenth, has a 5-2 record on the season. Gardner-Webb is 0-2 overall, Kent State is 1-3 and Buffalo holds a 1-6 record. Kent State’s dual against Buffalo is a conference matchup.