10. Stanford
It's always interesting to see what happens on The Farm, and with Jason Borrelli entering his fifth season as head coach, the program seems poised for another great season. The team is headlined by two-time All-American Ryan Mango (125), if he doesn't redshirt, and are hoping to see performances from heavyweight Dan Scherer and Spence Patrick (184)
9. Oklahoma State
The word here is talent, and the Cowboys have a ton of it. Coming back from last year's squad is 2011 NCAA champion Jordan Oliver (133) and All-American Chris Perry (174) But maybe most incredibly the Cowboys and John Smith also get 2011 NCAA finalist Tyler Caldwell (165) off transfer from Oklahoma. Three NCAA finalists would be a major haul for a program coming off a sixth-place NCAA finish, so it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the program's talent matures throughout the season, including Jon Morrison (125), Josh Kindig (141), and possibly Austin Marsden (285) if he's called upon.
8. Penn State
They will likely win their third consecutive title with talent that's been on campus for more than two seasons. However, it will be interesting to see how the newcomers to the lineup Matt Brown (174), Jimmy Lawson (285) and possibly Jimmy Gulibon (133) transition into the starting lineup. Should they perform as expected and join the four other NCAA finalist candidates, then Penn State has the chance to dominate like no other team in history, and that is worth noting.
Northwestern sophomore heavyweight Mike McMullan will be looking to improve on his NCAA third-place finish in 2012 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.comHead coach Drew Pariano has returning NCAA third-place finisher Mike McMullan (285) and fourth-place finisher senior Jason Welch (157). In addition to several other NCAA qualifiers, Pariano also hired NCAA champion Jay Borschel to his staff and recruited Jason Tsirtsis, InterMat's High School Wrestler of the Year in 2012. If the Wildcats have even equal performances from their team leaders and one wrestler makes a significant national impact, the team will be in position to crack the top ten, and provide a scare to many of the more traditional programs.
6. Oklahoma
The only program on this list many expect to have a down season in 2013, the Sooners will be expecting to prove the naysayers wrong. Head coach Mark Cody is returning NCAA All-Americans Kendric Maple (141) and Nick Lester (149) to the lineup to join top talents Matt Lester (157) and Bubby Graham (165). But the real story is who the Sooners will be sitting in 2013: NCAA champion Andrew Howe (165) and All-Americans Travis Rutt (197) and Jarrod Patterson (125). That's massive amounts of firepower on the bench, but if the Sooners can do it without their help in 2013, just imagine what they'll be capable of in 2014?
5. Cornell
The EIWA has become a two-team race between Lehigh and Cornell, but it's the latter that has a shot at history in 2013. Nobody doubts that Lehigh will continue to improve, as head coach Pat Santoro has proven over and over that he can build a championship program, what interests almost every wrestling fan this year is Kyle Dake, the three-time defending NCAA champion. Should Dake win his fourth title and join Pat Smith and Cael Sanderson as the only four-time NCAA Division I winners, he'll make an argument for the greatest collegiate wrestler of all time. In addition to Dake, Cornell's Steve Bosak, if he stays at 184 pounds, will try to defend his title against Ed Ruth, the defending champion at 174, who is moving up to make room for teammate Matt Brown at 174. Cornell has plenty of other studs, but it's these two guys each vying for another title that make Cornell a compelling team in 2013.
4. Binghamton
Matt Dernlan landed in Binghamton after Pat Popolizio made the jump to N.C. State. The new head coach will have a big role to fill, with fans looking for a reason to criticize anything less than the year-to-year improvement the team showed almost every season under Popolizio. Dernlan will be missing All-American heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski, who transferred to N.C. State.
3. Michigan
They have the talent and they have the coaches. Can the Wolverines make something happen in 2013? The school hasn't tipped their hand on whether or not super-stud freshman Taylor Massa will enter the starting lineup, but it might not matter to the overall picture. Fans and supporters want to see the new-look Wolverines win another NCAA title in 2013 and place several All-Americans. The best candidate is Eric Grajales (149), but the entire team is loaded with top 20 talent, including Stephen Dutton (141) Jake Salazar (157), and Ben Apland (285).
Ohio State sophomore Logan Stieber, a returning NCAA champion, will lead a young but talented Buckeye squad (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)You thought they were good as freshmen? Wait until you see them this season. One of the most consistent programs in the nation, the Buckeyes were the surprise of 2012 when many prognosticators believed their youth would hinder their chances at making an impact at the NCAA tournament. Head coach Tom Ryan and his staff made sure that wasn't case, bringing eight wrestlers to the NCAA tournament, crowing four All-Americans and finishing fifth as a team. The 2013 season looks bright with returning NCAA champion sophomore Logan Stieber (133) leading a pack of talented wrestlers including All-Americans Cam Tessari (149), Hunter Stieber (141), and Nick Heflin (174). This team is fully-loaded and with a little luck, and some more stellar performances it's at least conceivable that they could compete for the Big Ten and NCAA team titles.
1. Virginia Tech
No team outside the Big Ten or Big 12 has flirted more with a sustained national impact than the team from Blacksburg. The 2013 season seems to be the perfect opportunity for the Kevin Dresser-led squad to become a top ten program at the end of the season. Returning All-Americans Devin Carter (141), Pete Yates (165) lead the program into the next season ranked in the top five. That would be enough for mention, but it's the roster of other wrestlers that makes this team very dangerous. Add in the oft-injured but exceedingly talented Jesse Dong (157), superlative Jarrod Garnett (125), and Wisconsin redshirt junior transfer Derrick Borlie (197), and you get a Virginia Tech squad positioned to crack the top ten and make a run at a team trophy in Iowa City.
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