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Today the NCAA released conference bid allocations for the 2019 Wrestling Championships. Let’s take a look at the results.
| Conference | 125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Coast Conference | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 37 |
| Big 12 Conference | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 53 |
| Big Ten Conference | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 78 |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 47 |
| Eastern Wrestling League | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| Mid-American Conference | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 27 |
| Pacific-12 Conference | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
| Southern Conference | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| TOTAL QUALIFIERS | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 286 |
HEY I’M NEW - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
You’re new to the great sport of wrestling and don’t know what this means? Here’s the easy answer. See how the Big Ten gets 9 bids at 125lbs? That means the top 9 place-winners at the upcoming Big Ten conference tournament get a guaranteed spot to wrestle in the national tournament. Ergo, if Devin Schnupp finishes 9th (out of 14), he’s heading to the big dance. How’d you like them apples.
WHAT HAPPENS IF BAD THINGS
What happens if our Penn Staters don’t grab one of those golden tickets? They’ll have to wait to see if they’ll be selected as one of 4 (or 5) at-large bids, chosen by a nameless, faceless committee, who’ll be looking at things like “quality wins”, win%, and coaches’ ranking. It’s supposed to be math-like, but frankly, it’s a bit of a crapshoot, and you don’t want to subject yourself to their torture. So wrestle well at Big Tens, and grab an automatic bid.
OK FINE BUT EXPLAIN THE NCAA’S DARK ARTS
We’ll assume you’re refering to how the NCAA decides which conferences get how many bids. Here is how the sausage gets made. That link’s five years old, but still relevant.