Penn State travels to the Hoosier state this weekend, for a pair of duals against the Boilermakers (on Friday at 7pm) and Indiana (on Sunday at 1pm). Iowa visits Illinois (Fri) and Northwestern (Sun). Michigan visits Ohio State Friday night on BTN. Let’s take a look at the individual standings heading into this weekend’s action.

125 LBS

Nothing Earth shattering here at 125 lbs, although it might interest you to know that Austin Assad started for Michigan this weekend, not Drew Mattin. We haven’t read any official word that this is a more permanent switch, so we’re leaving Mattin repping the Wolverines in this table. Let us know if you’ve heard a different tale.

133 LBS

Stevan Micic returned to the mat this past weekend, and laid bonus on our numbers 7 and 8, Ben Thornton (PUR) and Dylan Duncan (ILL). Anyone who slotted Rutgers’ Nick Suriano ahead of Micic earlier in the season likely regrets the decision, as Suriano dropped a second consecutive match, this time to Iowa’s Austin DeSanto. DeSanto used one escape, two points off of stalling, and a last second lefty sweep single to knock off Suriano at Carver Hawkeye, 6-4.

141 LBS

South Fayette’s Mikey Carr currently holds a leg up for a Big Ten tournament 2-seed, opposite Joey McKenna. Carr posted a solid 5-2 win against Minnesota’s Mitch McKee last weekend. He draws Iowa’s (and PA’s) Max Murin this Friday on his home mat. Of course, things only get tougher. Carr will face Chad Red on Sunday, then finishes his conference schedule with McKenna, Tristan Moran, and Nick Lee. 141 will continue to shuffle down the stretch.

149 LBS

As Mark Hall pointed out in his excellent 21 Questions piece this week, there are only two guys in college wrestling who just “let it rip” all of the time. Marky’s absolutely correct - that’s a rare mentality. Suffice to say, neither of the two that Marky had in mind is Anthony Ashnault. Ashnault fully committed to exactly zero shots in the seven minutes of regulation in his match against Iowa’s Pat Lugo at Carver. He remained defensive, presumably looking for a counter-shot opportunity on Lugo (which, frankly, never came). Then, 10 seconds into overtime, Ashnault commits to shot, creates an awesome flurry, and finishes (what he made look like) an easy super-duck for the winning two. Why couldn’t he show that in the previous 7 minutes? It’s a mystery.

157 LBS

Is it really a meme if it’s 100% true? Jason Nolf, next topic.

165 LBS

Speaking of shooting vs not-shooting - have you ever watched Our Little Meatball’s Fargo final against Isaiah White? White lived on Cenzo’s legs in that one. You’d never know it was Isaiah White, if you’ve only watched White wrestle at Nebraska, where he has yet, in nearly two seasons worth of matches, to fully commit to taking an offensive shot. Ironhead Byers said it perfectly in last Sunday’s broadcast. “White appears content to lose by decision.” Mark Manning may want to show White that old Jack Palance commercial for Skin Bracer after shave. How’s that one go?

174 LBS

If you haven’t read Marky’s 21 Questions interview, give it a read. He’s a great kid (and funny, too).

184 LBS

Last weekend’s big matchup between Sugar Rasheed and Taylor Venz didn’t happen, which was a bummer. Shak will get his chance to prove his conference standing, though it will have to wait until the second week of November. His finishing stretch is Myles Martin, Cam Caffey, and Emery Parker. Woof.

197 LBS

Iowa’s Jacob Warner was in a 1-0 barn burner late in the 3rd period with Rutgers’ Matt Correnti, riding parallel to erase Correnti’s riding time, when near the end of the match he rolled up a cross wrist tilt for 4 swipes. Maybe that’s the kick start he needs to get his scoring engine going? He hasn’t looked like what we’ve seen in the past to this point in the year.

285 LBS

Thor (Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger) might want to drop his hammer off at a blacksmith’s shop to get rehung. He dropped an overtime rideout to Sasquatch (Northwestern’s Conan Jennings). Elsewhere, Sam Stoll reappeared on the mat in Iowa City, after skipping last weekend’s tilt with the Gopher’s Gable Steveson. As coincidence would have it, Stoll drew a non-qualifier from Rutgers in this one, and bear paw’d him for a 10-0 major.

Projected Big Ten Tournamnet Points, Without Bonus

1. Penn State 136.5
2. Ohio State 123.0
3. Iowa 110.0
4. Michigan 94.0