Per Intermat rankings, below are the remaining ranked opponents by each weight:
125: #2 Richie Figs (ASU), #13 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), #25 Nick Babin (Pitt), #30 Trevor Anderson (UNI), #32 Gage Walker (MIZZ)
Tough stretch to be missing Kysen and Perryman will have his hands full. Hopefully he is back for UNI or Mizzou, but who knows. Need him healthy for Big 12s most importantly, but would've been great to see him against Jordan, Babin, Anderson, and Walker.
133: #20 Cory Land (UNI- Farber would be ranked around here as well), #23 Julian Chlebove (ASU), #33 Derrick Cardinal (SDSU)
I expect Evan to win out, but Chlebove will be a tough match. It took a miracle pin for Evan to beat Chlebove in Vegas, and they had close matches last year. However, Evan is a different wrestler now than he was in the fall and I think he starts to separate himself moving forward. Evan should go into Tulsa as the clear favorite to win 133.
141: #5 Cael Happel (UNI), #15 Josh Edmund (Mizz), #26 Julian Tagg (SDSU)
With Ech getting healthier and healthier, it will be interesting to see what Dresser decides to do with 141. Ech has a higher ceiling than Jacob, but Jacob is pretty damn solid and definitely an AA contender. I expect whoever goes to at least go 4-1, with a good chance to go 5-0 and beat Happel in Cedar Falls.
149: #16 Colin Realbuto (UNI), #19 Jesse Vasquez (ASU), #21 Finn Solomon (Pitt)
I expect Paniro to go 5-0 the rest of the year. If he is truly an AA contender, he should not lose to any of these guys. Paniro is becoming more and more aggressive, and we all know what his ceiling is when he lets loose.
157: #4 Ryder Downey (UNI), #25 Dylan Evans (Pitt), #28 Cobe Seibrecht (SDSU)
At worst, Cody should go 4-1. However, he has to beat Downey at some point, so why not in the dual? I think Cody goes 5-0 and is the 1 seed in Tulsa at 157.
165: #12 Drake Rhodes (SDSU), #17 Nicco Ruiz (ASU), #18 Cam Steed (Mizz), #21 Jack Thomsen (UNI)
Tough stretch for Riggins, but if he can win 2-3 of his matches before Big 12s (Pitt and then one upset), that would help his confidence in Tulsa and I think he snipes a spot for Philly. 1-4 or 0-5 and I worry about his confidence and how he will perform at Big 12s. Still a long shot to make it to Philly, but I like how he's competed at 165.
174: #1 Keegan O'Toole (Mizz- if healthy), #11 Cade DeVos (SDSU), #16 Jared Simma (UNI), #20 Luca Augustine (Pitt)
Another tough stretch for MJ with a few guys he has wrestled before. He is 0-1 vs DeVos (lost by major at the 2023 Cliff Keen), 1-0 vs Simma (won by major in the dual last year), and 0-2 vs Augustine (2 close matches- 6-4 his true freshman year and 5-4 at Vegas in 2023). I think MJ needs to go 3-2 by beating Simma, Augustine, and the ASU guy to keep his momentum going into Tulsa. O'Toole and DeVos will be tough, but I like MJ against the other 3 if he's healthy.
184: #2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI), #6 Bennet Berge (SDSU), #9 Colton Hawkes (Mizz), #15 Reece Heller (Pitt)
Really tough stretch for Evan to close out the season. 3-2 would be a great final stretch, 2-3 would be fine, anything worse would be disappointing. Hoping he can knock off Hawkes or Berge and cement himself in the top 10 going into March.
197: #11 Mac Stout (Pitt), #14 Wyatt Voelker (UNI), #15 Zach Glazier (SDSU)
Really depends who goes the rest of the way, but right now I am not expecting much from 197. Massive hole in the lineup unfortunately.
Hwt: #5 Cohlton Schultz (ASU), #13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt), #15 Lance Runyon (UNI), #24 Seth Nitzel (Mizz), #27 Luke Rasmussen (SDSU)
Pretty tough remaining schedule for Peanut. 2-3 would be a good end of the season, 3-2 would be excellent if he can knock off Runyon. If he goes 2-3, I think he will qualify a spot for the Big 12 and put himself in a good position to be in Philly.
Ultimately, this teams strength in March will be 125 (assuming a healthy Kysen) - 157 and 184. Those are our point scorers in Philly. It'd be great to get Herrera and Riggins there for the experience, and Gaitan can be dangerous if he qualifies. 197 appears to be a lost season. Should be a fun rest of the season though and still a lot of reasons to be excited about Iowa State wrestling.
125: #2 Richie Figs (ASU), #13 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), #25 Nick Babin (Pitt), #30 Trevor Anderson (UNI), #32 Gage Walker (MIZZ)
Tough stretch to be missing Kysen and Perryman will have his hands full. Hopefully he is back for UNI or Mizzou, but who knows. Need him healthy for Big 12s most importantly, but would've been great to see him against Jordan, Babin, Anderson, and Walker.
133: #20 Cory Land (UNI- Farber would be ranked around here as well), #23 Julian Chlebove (ASU), #33 Derrick Cardinal (SDSU)
I expect Evan to win out, but Chlebove will be a tough match. It took a miracle pin for Evan to beat Chlebove in Vegas, and they had close matches last year. However, Evan is a different wrestler now than he was in the fall and I think he starts to separate himself moving forward. Evan should go into Tulsa as the clear favorite to win 133.
141: #5 Cael Happel (UNI), #15 Josh Edmund (Mizz), #26 Julian Tagg (SDSU)
With Ech getting healthier and healthier, it will be interesting to see what Dresser decides to do with 141. Ech has a higher ceiling than Jacob, but Jacob is pretty damn solid and definitely an AA contender. I expect whoever goes to at least go 4-1, with a good chance to go 5-0 and beat Happel in Cedar Falls.
149: #16 Colin Realbuto (UNI), #19 Jesse Vasquez (ASU), #21 Finn Solomon (Pitt)
I expect Paniro to go 5-0 the rest of the year. If he is truly an AA contender, he should not lose to any of these guys. Paniro is becoming more and more aggressive, and we all know what his ceiling is when he lets loose.
157: #4 Ryder Downey (UNI), #25 Dylan Evans (Pitt), #28 Cobe Seibrecht (SDSU)
At worst, Cody should go 4-1. However, he has to beat Downey at some point, so why not in the dual? I think Cody goes 5-0 and is the 1 seed in Tulsa at 157.
165: #12 Drake Rhodes (SDSU), #17 Nicco Ruiz (ASU), #18 Cam Steed (Mizz), #21 Jack Thomsen (UNI)
Tough stretch for Riggins, but if he can win 2-3 of his matches before Big 12s (Pitt and then one upset), that would help his confidence in Tulsa and I think he snipes a spot for Philly. 1-4 or 0-5 and I worry about his confidence and how he will perform at Big 12s. Still a long shot to make it to Philly, but I like how he's competed at 165.
174: #1 Keegan O'Toole (Mizz- if healthy), #11 Cade DeVos (SDSU), #16 Jared Simma (UNI), #20 Luca Augustine (Pitt)
Another tough stretch for MJ with a few guys he has wrestled before. He is 0-1 vs DeVos (lost by major at the 2023 Cliff Keen), 1-0 vs Simma (won by major in the dual last year), and 0-2 vs Augustine (2 close matches- 6-4 his true freshman year and 5-4 at Vegas in 2023). I think MJ needs to go 3-2 by beating Simma, Augustine, and the ASU guy to keep his momentum going into Tulsa. O'Toole and DeVos will be tough, but I like MJ against the other 3 if he's healthy.
184: #2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI), #6 Bennet Berge (SDSU), #9 Colton Hawkes (Mizz), #15 Reece Heller (Pitt)
Really tough stretch for Evan to close out the season. 3-2 would be a great final stretch, 2-3 would be fine, anything worse would be disappointing. Hoping he can knock off Hawkes or Berge and cement himself in the top 10 going into March.
197: #11 Mac Stout (Pitt), #14 Wyatt Voelker (UNI), #15 Zach Glazier (SDSU)
Really depends who goes the rest of the way, but right now I am not expecting much from 197. Massive hole in the lineup unfortunately.
Hwt: #5 Cohlton Schultz (ASU), #13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt), #15 Lance Runyon (UNI), #24 Seth Nitzel (Mizz), #27 Luke Rasmussen (SDSU)
Pretty tough remaining schedule for Peanut. 2-3 would be a good end of the season, 3-2 would be excellent if he can knock off Runyon. If he goes 2-3, I think he will qualify a spot for the Big 12 and put himself in a good position to be in Philly.
Ultimately, this teams strength in March will be 125 (assuming a healthy Kysen) - 157 and 184. Those are our point scorers in Philly. It'd be great to get Herrera and Riggins there for the experience, and Gaitan can be dangerous if he qualifies. 197 appears to be a lost season. Should be a fun rest of the season though and still a lot of reasons to be excited about Iowa State wrestling.
