Reigning Big Ten champion Ohio State kicks off its wrestling season this weekend as the second-ranked dual-meet team in the country, trailing rival Penn State and just ahead of Iowa in the first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll of the year.
Penn State, coming off its seventh NCAA championship of the past eight years, received all 16 first place votes. The Big Ten features four of the nation's top five teams, and 11 of the top 25 in the inaugural poll, administered by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
The Buckeyes finished last season with a dual-meet record of 14-1, and were again national runners-up to Cael Sanderson's juggernaut Nittany Lions.