Penn State vs. Ohio State Wrestling Bout-by-Bout Preview

Could Ohio State put the top-ranked Penn State wrestling team on upset watch Friday night? The Nittany Lions have not lost in more than six years and bring an NCAA-record 84-match win streak to their Big Ten regular-season finale against the No. 2 Buckeyes.

It's the match of the year in college wrestling, pitting the top two teams for the Big Ten regular-season title. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson called Ohio State a "title contender," considering the Buckeyes won the National Duals Invitational and are 17-0 for the first time in program history.

Penn State and Ohio State bring 16 wrestlers ranked among the top 10 at their weight classes to Friday's match at the Bryce Jordan Center. The lineups have won four NCAA titles and feature nine undefeated wrestlers (seven for the Nittany Lions).

So who has the edge? Here's a bout-by-bout look at Penn State vs. Ohio State. Penn State wrestlers are listed first, and rankings are courtesy InterMat Wrestling.

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (15-0) vs. No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (12-1)

A banger of a start if the match kicks off at 125. Lilledahl-Bouzakis is a potential Big Ten and even NCAA final, as they are widely considered the country's top two wrestlers at the weight. Lilledahl has been dominant since scoring a pair of tight decisions at the Collegiate Duals in December, with five straight bonus-point wins.

Interestingly, each wrestler has lost only to a teammate. Nate Desmond defeated Lilledahl at the Army West Point Invitational (though the bout doesn't count toward his record), while Bouzakis fell to teammate Brendan McCrone 5-4 at the Clarion Open. Wrestlestat gives the slight edge to Lilledahl.

133: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (17-0) vs. No. 2 Ben Davino (22-0)

The only projected bout between undefeated wrestlers, 133 could be another NCAA championship preview. Better still, they're both freshmen. Blaze has lived up to his name as a first-year college wrestler, scoring 15 bonus-point wins with six technical falls. Blaze also has defeated nine ranked wrestlers in climbing into the national top 5.

Davino, a redshirt freshman from Illinois, ranks second nationally with 11 technical falls and is Ohio State's highest-scoring wrestler in duals. Wrestlestat gives the early edge to Davino.

Penn State's Marcus Blaze wrestles Nebraska's Jacob Van Dee in the 133-pound bout during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

141: No. 12 Braeden Davis (8-2) vs. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (17-0)

Penn State fans know Mendez from his duels with former Nittany Lion Beau Bartlett the past few years. Mendez, the two-time defending NCAA champ at 141, remains the weight class' most dominant wrestler. He also ranks second behind Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink in the Hodge Trophy standings, according to Wrestlestat.

Davis returns to action after missing last week's match at Michigan with a skin issue, according to Sanderson. The Penn State coach said that Davis will be "ready to rock," but Mendez has a significant advantage. Ohio State could chase bonus points here; Mendez has four pins and will be looking to catch Davis out of position for a quick fall.

149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (16-0) vs. No. 6 Ethan Stiles (13-4)

Van Ness has been an anchor in the middle of Penn State's lineup, scoring 60 duals points and ranking second on the team in duals takedowns (48). Van Ness also is a bonus-point machine, scoring them in 14 of his 16 bouts. He pinned Stiles in 1:06 at the NCAA Championships.

Stiles, who competed for Oregon State last season, is a skilled wrestler but has a 4-2 record vs. ranked opponents. Van Ness could seek bonus points here.

Shayne Van Ness of Penn State wins his bout against Nebraska's Chance Lamer during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

157: No. 4 PJ Duke (14-1) vs. Landon Desselle (6-5) or Daxton Chase (7-6)

Ohio State is unlikely to spring the upset over Penn State because of this weight class. The Buckeyes are expected to be without top-ranked Brandon Cannon, who has not competed since a Jan. 23 win vs. Minnesota.

Without Cannon, Ohio State is looking at a bonus-point loss here. Duke has scored bonus points against every unranked wrestler he has faced this season, pinning five of them. Duke could get the opportunity to wrestle Cannon at the Big Ten Championships.

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (17-0) vs. No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (11-5)

Ohio State has some strong upper-weight wrestlers, but Penn State is stacked there. Mesenbrink begins the Nittany Lions' run of four top-ranked wrestlers from 165-197. He's the Hodge Trophy favorite who has scored pins or technical falls against 14 of his opponents. No one has held Mesenbrink to a decision this season.

174: No. 1 Levi Haines (16-0) vs. No. 5 Carson Kharchla (14-3)

Haines recently faced tough bouts against Iowa's Gabe Arnold and Nebraska's Christopher Minto, scoring a pair of two-point decisions that tested his resolve. Kharchla did the same in their dual last season, a bout that Haines won 6-4.

Kharchla gave up a sudden-victory takedown to Minto in their dual and has three top-25 losses this season. Still, he'll force Haines into some difficult spots. Wrestlestat nevertheless gives the edge to Haines.

Penn State's Levi Haines defeats Nebraska's Christopher Minto in the 174-pound bout during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (15-0) vs. No. 8 Dylan Fishback (14-4)

Wrestlestat gives Welsh a slight advantage, though the stats favor Penn State's top-ranked sophomore more definitively. Welsh has two wins, including a major, over wrestlers who defeated Fishback this season. Fishback also is 4-5 against top-25 wrestlers this season.

However, Welsh is wrestling his former team, for which he made the 2024 NCAA final. How much will that matter? Very little, Sanderson said. "He's a Penn State wrestler and he's part of the family," the Penn State coach said.

197: No. Josh Barr (14-0) vs. No. 10 Luke Geog (13-4)

Since returning from an October injury he sustained at U23 worlds, Barr has rolled. His closest bout is a 9-1 major decision over third-ranked Stephen Little of Arkansas-Little Rock. Barr has scored 73 points in his last four bouts, getting two technical falls.

Geog is 2-4 vs. top-25 opponents, with a loss to an opponent whom Barr majored this season.

285: No. 12 Cole Mirasola (12-4) vs. No. 3 Nick Feldman (18-3)

The edge goes to Feldman, who defeated Mirasola 10-3 last season. However, Mirasola has been wrestling quite well of late, even in close losses to fourth-ranked AJ Ferrari of Nebraska and No. 5 Taye Ghadiali of Michigan.

Though often outweighed, Feldman challenges with his athleticism. He had Ghadiali laboring late in their bout and will test Feldman if he can keep the score close and avoid a riding-time disadvantage. Feldman also lost to Ghadiali this season.

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