Did Penn State wrestling choose the right BJC dual opponent?

Every season Penn State wrestling hosts a dual inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The annual event gives an opportunity for more wrestling fans to see the Nittany Lions in person instead of trying to find a hard-to-get ticket in Rec Hall. Last season, 15,998 fans attended to watch Penn State take down No. 2 Iowa 23-14. Penn State wrestling will be hosting its annual BJC dual against a new opponent — and on an unusual day of the week — in 2024. Does the matchup make sense?

Who is the opponent for Penn State wrestling?

Penn State wrestling will take on Rutgers on Monday, February 12, inside the Bryce Jordan Center. This will be the first time that the Nittany Lions have hosted the Scarlet Knights in a BJC dual.

Rutgers is currently projected to finish the season No. 13 in the InterMat Tournament rankings. The Scarlet Knights are also one of just 7 teams who have all 10 of their wrestlers ranked.

Depending on who Penn State puts out, it could be a full slate of ranked matchups.

Projected Matchups:

125: No. 6 Dean Peterson (RUT) vs No. 19 Robbie Howard (PSU)

133: No. 16 Dylan Shawver (RUT) vs No. 3 Aaron Nagao (PSU)

141: No. 17 Mitch Moore (RUT) vs No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU)

149: No. 25 Jacob Butler (RUT) vs No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU)

157: No. 21 Andrew Clark (RUT) vs No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU)

165: No. 24 Anthony White (RUT) vs No. 14 Alex Facundo (PSU)

174: No. 28 Jackson Turley (RUT) vs No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU)

184: No. 10 Brian Soldano (RUT) vs No. 2 Bernie Truax (PSU)

197: No. 12 John Poznaski (RUT) vs No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU)

285: No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT) vs No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU)

Why this match?

Since the Penn State wrestling schedule was announced last week, there has been some criticism about the choice for this year’s BJC dual. Why have it on a Monday? That certainly will hurt the overall attendance of the match. People from outside Centre County who typically make the trip up may not be able to now on a weeknight.

Rutgers isn’t the premier opponent that many fans have been used to in the last few seasons, either. After all, last year, Penn State wrestling fans were treated to both No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan coming to the Bryce Jordan Center.

This season, the only other potential matches for a BJC dual would be against Ohio State on Friday, February 2, or against Nebraska on Sunday, February 18. The Buckeyes enter the year ranked No. 12, while the Cornhuskers enter as the No. 5 team.

Nebraska would have been the best choice, being a new team to the BJC and the highest-ranked opponent of any other Big Ten team. However, that match falls during THON weekend, so it wouldn’t work.

Why Not Ohio State?

The Buckeyes are the next logical choice. Ohio State is the biggest conference rival in almost every sport for Penn State. There have been some great matches between the two squads for many years. The two first met in the BJC in 2013 in front of a then-record 15,996 fans.

Then in 2018, there was the irritation that Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan seemed to display through his comments about the match being in Rec Hall instead of the Bryce Jordan Center. Ryan told the News Herald, “I know our administration would have it at The Schott. But for some reason, they chose to have it in a great venue, just a smaller one.”

Ryan also went on in the interview to say how he thought the decision was to create a better environment and that competitive advantage was for the decision. Seems like that was the common sense he was looking for. Ryan got his wish in 2022, when the Buckeyes did wrestle in the BJC and lost 32-7 to the Nittany Lions.

Is the Penn State athletic department being petty towards Ohio State by choosing a Monday Rutgers match instead?  Possibly, and if that is the case, I am here for it.

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