Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, October 31, 2015
The Big Ten is an absolute power in the college wrestling world.
One look at the preseason USA TODAY/NWCA Poll is all the proof one needs.
The Big Ten features a total of nine ranked teams, including four in the top 5 (No. 2 Penn State; No. 3 Michigan; No. 4 Iowa; No. 5 Ohio State).
Nebraska rounds out the top 10, giving the conference five top 10 teams, while Illinois (No. 11), Wisconsin (No. 15), Minnesota (No. 17) and Rutgers (No. 18) also land on the poll.
View the full preseason poll below:
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma State (10) | 12-3 | 294 | 7 |
| 2 | Penn State (1) | 11-4 | 284 | 6 |
| 3 | Michigan (1) | 8-6 | 269 | 11 |
| 4 | Iowa | 17-1 | 257 | 2 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 13-4 | 248 | 5 |
| 6 | Virginia Tech | 14-2 | 238 | 10 |
| 7 | Lehigh | 14-6 | 235 | 9 |
| 8 | Cornell | 17-2 | 217 | 3 |
| 9 | Missouri | 24-0 | 206 | 1 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 14-1 | 203 | 11 |
| 11 | Illinois | 13-5 | 165 | 12 |
| 12 | N.C. State | 16-6 | 161 | 17 |
| 13 | Iowa State | 11-2 | 160 | 8 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 11-6 | 147 | NR |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 9-4 | 123 | 15 |
| 16 | Old Dominion | 13-5 | 106 | 22 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 11-3 | 71 | 4 |
| 18 | Rutgers | 14-7 | 58 | 21 |
| 19 | Oregon State | 11-1 | 57 | 19 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 6-10 | 48 | NR |
| 21 | West Virginia | 8-10 | 45 | NR |
| 22 | Ohio U. | 9-6 | 42 | NR |
| 23 | Northern Iowa | 8-8 | 39 | NR |
| 24 | Edinboro | 14-5 | 36 | 13 |
| 25 | North Dakota State | 9-4 | 34 | 20 |
