I took some time (too much time) to compile the 1997 Iowa team score from the brackets on wrestlingstats.com so that I could also re-score them using the current scoring rules. I ran into a problem. When I compile the team score I get 171 rather than the 170 that is reported everywhere.
1997 scored with 1997 rules:
I am wondering if they had a team point deducted somewhere along the way. If anyone knows the answer, please let me know. I have consulted with two of our resident historians and we were not certain.
1997 scored with 2024 rules:
The deltas come from two sources. Fifth and sixth place are worth 2 and 3 more points today than in 1997, respectively. But in 1997 the tournament was scored as a 64 team bracket whereas it is now scored as a 32 team bracket with pigtails. The impact of scoring it as a 64 team bracket is that any time there are more than 32 wrestlers in a bracket there will be a lot more advancement points available to the field (16 more on the champ side and 8 more on the conso side).
If it turns out there was a one point deduction, then the new 1997 Iowa total using 2024 scoring rules would be 170.5.
PSU Returning Points
So where does PSU stand heading into 2024? With Roman Bravo-Young and Max Dean being replaced by Aaron Nagao and Bernie Truax their returning points are 141.5 (I saw 143 reported elsewhere, but I think that is wrong).
So PSU has either a 30 point gap or a 29 point gap to make up. Seems like a tall order,. But, not so much from a placement perspective. Does anyone really doubt PSU's ability to have 5 champs, 1 runner-up, and 2 other AA's?
No the issue for PSU will be, and has been for several years, bonus points. Iowa ripped off 33 of them. The currently constituted PSU line-up had 20. And the prior two tournaments they were under 20 points each.
Stranger things have happened, though. As a matter of fact the 1997 Iowa team apparently was not even the favorite to win the tournament. That was Oklahoma State.
Conclusion
It rarely (never?) pays to bet against Cael Sanderson, but I have to take the under on PSU getting to 171.5.
Or 170.5, whichever.