Atop that pile of interest is a 74-kilo bracket stacked with Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs, four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake and two-time NCAA champions Andrew Howe and David Taylor. Burroughs has never lost to the trio of would-be challengers.
Burroughs, who earned bronze at last year's World championships in Tashkent, will await the winner of the challenge tournament and need to win a best-of-three series to ensure his place at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas.
There is no longer a requirement that the challenging wrestler also place ahead of Burroughs at an international event.
With so much talent in the bracket and opinions on each side as to how and why each could upend Burroughs, here's a look at those top four competitors and what makes them primed for an upset, and what doesn't.
Why Andrew Howe will win the Trials
Considered the No. 4 wrestler at the weight class, Howe has been wildly underestimated by the general public and possibly this field of opponents.
Andrew Howe (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Howe's advantage against the 2105 World Team Trials field is that he can wear down opponents with heavy head pressure and earn pushout points by dictating mat position -- a key for scoring late in matches when opponents want to avoid pushouts. When looking only at the likelihood of earning the 30-second clock against an opponents and scoring on a pushout, Howe would seem to hold an edge over both Burroughs and Taylor.
Howe may also have the tank to make it through this grind and still have enough gas to face Burroughs in a three-match finale.
Why Andrew Howe won't win the Trials
Howe has given up a lot of points on his own offense. When he doesn't feel comfortable to shoot it limits his aggressiveness and takes away the edge he garners from hand fighting. Against Burroughs, a great counter-shot wrestler, there is less of a chance for the Michigan-trained Howe to earn pushout and caution points due to positioning alone. In their last matchup Howe gave up a double leg for four points on the edge -- a scenario that could repeat itself this weekend if Howe isn't attacking or keeping his hands on Burroughs.
Also, with a crowded field with competent competitors outside the top four Howe will have to wrestle a near-perfect six periods of wrestling to face Burroughs. A slip-up against Dake or Taylor and he could see himself down four points -- a deficit that is tough for him to make up at this weight class.
Why Kyle Dake will win the Trials
Kyle Dake (Photo/Juan Garcia)Dake has been flawless against Taylor, finding creative and dominant ways to make his way past a longtime rival. The mental edge can't be understated and should the pair meet in the challenge tournament, a fresh Dake looks likelier to repeat than Taylor does to upset. Making it past Taylor again and with his history of challenging Burroughs, Dake could create a pair of matches that give him the chance to wrestle in Vegas.
Why Kyle Dake won't win the Trials
Having only wrestled a handful of times in the past 18 months, Dake might not be tournament-ready in terms of conditioning or gamesmanship. Sneaking into the World Team Trials via the Northeast Regional was the right play since Dake probably understood there was little advantage to enduring a pair of tournaments set so close together.
While Dake has the talent and intangibles, his lack of experience on the mat with freestyle rules might have an effect. Taylor, who Dake hasn't lost to in college or at the senior level, may have made the type of wonder-leap in 2014-15 to blow past an idle Dake. Taylor's gamesmanship has only improved, as has his confidence and conditioning.
Even if Dake makes it through the grind of the challenge tournament, his lack of conditioning will prove fatal against Burroughs. The two-time World champion and Olympic champion only needs one slip-up to score two (or four) points from his double leg attacks. That's a likelihood and reality too great for Dake to overcome.
Why David Taylor will win the Trials
David Taylor (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Should Taylor make it past the challenge tournament, the lessons of last year could be enough to carry him past Burroughs in the best-of-three finals. He has length, knows to stay low coming out of failed attacks, and has likely scouted a few new weaknesses in Burroughs' shot defense and over-extension on offensive attacks. With Cael and Casey Cunningham helping to dissect Burroughs, a well-conditioned and peaking Taylor is prepped to be the United States' most surprising 2015 World Team member.
Why David Taylor won't win the Trials
Taylor will be visiting a tournament filled with reminders of past failures ... the losses to Dake and the last-second loss to Burroughs in last year's finals. The World Team Trials have been unkind to Taylor. That history should be telling of this tournament as there are just too many ghosts to overcome and too much to get right for Taylor to make it onto the stand.
Taylor is in shape, technically sound and has wins against some of the best wrestlers in the world. The only thing standing in his way could be the confidence and self-assurance to believe that he deserves to be on the World Team.
Why Jordan Burroughs will win the Trials
Jordan Burroughs (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)A "gamer" in the most absolute and prolific way possible, Burroughs has been behind early and had to rally late against dozens of opponents and each time he's found a way to rally for the win. His technical skills are never in question and when men stand across from them they see that it will take willpower, not just wrestling moves, to best the champion.
Why Jordan Burroughs won't win the Trials
After years of buildup and hype, the collection of world-class American wrestlers at 74 kilos has matured on the mat. They have international experience, big wins and are taught by world-level coaches. Burroughs is sitting atop his throne as the country around him seeks to do only one thing -- take his crown. That much energy and focus from so many angles could eventually stress Burroughs enough to break his dominance.
Burroughs has been vulnerable in the past, giving up big moves to Howe, Dake and Taylor in matches that matter, and dropping a ho-hum criteria-based loss to 70-kilo wrestler Nick Marable. Burroughs is as vulnerable now as he will ever be, and with enough wrestlers aiming for his title it's only a matter of time until he crumbles and forfeits his position as the 74-kilo World Team member.
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