Latest Big 10 rankings

[BARR]

Here is the link to the rankings....

http://www.bigelevenwrestling.net/rankings/index.html

[BARR]

My predictions for Big 10 champions this year. Of course my picks may change as the season goes on, but for now these are my picks....

125 - Simmons over Flores
133 - Reiter over Franklin Gomez
141 - Lang over Tsirtsis
149 - Schlatter over Churella
157 - Poeta over Schlatter
165 - Tannenbaum over Perry
174 - Luke over Reynolds
184 - Herbert over Kish
197 - Bergman over Davis
HWT - Konrad over Fox

Anyone else care to take a shot?

[Grappler177]

Take A Stab

My guesses for late Sept ...

125 - Simmons (MSU) over Flores (IL)
133 - Reiter (MN) over Strayer (PSU)
141 - Tsirtis (IA) over Lang (NW)
149 - D Schlatter (MN) over Churella (MI)
157 - Becker (IN) over CP Schlatter (MN)
165 - Perry (IA) over Tannenbaum (MI)
174 - Luedke (IA) over Reynolds (IL)
184 - Herbert (NW) over Kish (MN)
197 - Davis (PSU) over Tamillow (NW)
HWT - Konrad (MN) over Fields (IA)

[Grappler177]

And For The Team Title

With 5 in the finals (though it pains me to say this) Minnesota should win the team title. Iowa will probably be a surprisingly close (8 - 12 points) second, followed by Michigan, Illinois and Northwestern.

[Conquistadors]

Here are my late Sept guesses: (sorry, but it is too late to proof--so I apologize for typos)

125: Simmons over McKnight

I don't think anyone in the Big Ten will touch Simmons (if he stays at 125). McKnight had two excellent seasons at Buffalo, and I suspect that his second year in the Penn State room will help him up his game immensely. I like Gabe a lot, but right now I'll have to favor McKnight for runner-up.

133: Reiter over Strayer

Strayer "quietly" had an excellent season last year and got to the Round of 12. He's definitely AA material

141: Simmons over Jaggers

Even with Josh Churella moving up, this weight has a lot of talent. I'm not over-looking Lang, just going with gut feelings.

149: D. Schlatter over Tyler Turner

Turner has had several very good to excellent years, but tends to get over-looked. Of course, on a good day, Troy T. could find himself in the finals again.

157: Poeta over Becker

Poeta is very good, has tremendous potential, and I get a homer pick. Althought he is two-for-two in terms of being an AA, Becker just doesn't get much respect. As with Lang above, I'm not discounting Schlatter, just going with gut feelings. CP Schlatter could just as easily end up the national champ.

165: Perry over Cozart

With all due respect to Tannenbaum, I think that Perry would crush him (or more accurately, wrap him up). I'm curious to see how Cozart does.

174: Yonushonis over Reynolds (if Don is healthy)

Yonushonis, like Becker, doesn't get much respect, despite his excellent season last year. Don has a "wiley" style that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I think that Luke will find the competition 174 a lot tougher than he did at 157, though he might grow into it as the year transpires.

184: Herbert over Kish

No real surprise in this pick-- as these guys, together with Josh Glenn, seem to be the elite of this class.

197: Bergman over Herbst

Bergman seems to be a stud who is turning into a real wrestling talent. Herbst last year looked like he had raw potential. I expect he'll be more competitive with more wrestlers this year.

285: Konrad over Massey

Although Nail, Fox, and Fields are more "logical" choices, I thought I would toss out Massey's name. Seemed he has enormous potential last year before getting hurt mid-season. Frankly, I'm excited to see how John Wise does-- when I saw him at Midlands he looked like he had all the physical tools (size, strength, and speed), but needed more seasoning. He may well produce some surprising wins this year.