Penn State wrestling sits No. 1 again in way-too-early preseason rankings

With the 2023-24 athletic calendar coming to an end, it is never too early to look ahead toward the next wrestling season. Last week, FloWrestling released its first preseason rankings for 2024-25, and, unsurprisingly, Penn State wrestling is once again the heavy favorite to win the National Championship. Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions will be chasing a fourth consecutive national title for the third time in the past 14 seasons.

Penn State wrestling once again on top of preseason rankings

The first iteration of the FloWrestling 2025 NCAA Team Tournament projections puts Penn State wrestling with a heavy lead over the competition. Using the site’s rankings at each weight class as the order of finish, the Nittany Lions are projected to have 135 points for the NCAA Championships next March. This uses scoring of 20 points for first, 16 points for second, 13.5 points for third, and so on for each place of finish.

But FloWrestling’s projection doesn’t even consider the 35 bonus points that Penn State scored during the 2024 NCAA Championships. Once that is taken into account, the 170-point projection is close to where the Nittany Lions finished in their record-breaking tournament this spring.

With so many talented wrestlers still in the transfer portal, FloWrestling still has 59 points unaccounted for. So, a few other teams could potentially add some solid wrestlers and improve their tournament projections before the season starts.

Will Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions see any real push at the top?

The top contenders to Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions for the team race include Nebraska (55.5 total points), Arizona State (54.5), Ohio State (51), and NC State (45.5) rounding out the top five. If the Nittany Lions can remain healthy, there really isn’t a team that can compete with Penn State wrestling for the title next season.

However, the gap between the teams projected at No. 2 and No. 7 is a mere 15 points. That’s something that can be greatly impacted by bonus points and upsets throughout the tournament.

Within the Big Ten, you can expect the same five teams to be at the top next season, with Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan all within the top 10. Ohio State is the team that has the most upside with its collection of younger wrestlers. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the Buckeyes make another jump back toward national contention in 2025.

David Taylor has been making waves at Oklahoma State, already picking up multiple wrestlers in the transfer portal since FloWrestling’s preseason rankings were released. The Cowboys currently rank tied for 10th with 37 projected points. But including Wyatt Wyatt Hendrickson, who is ranked second at heavyweight, and Cameron Amine, who is ranked sixth at 165, Oklahoma State rockets up the rankings to take over second place with 62 points.

Taylor and Oklahoma State are still far from where Penn State wrestling sits atop the projections. Still, it does demonstrate just how much of an impact the Nittany Lion great and the newly rejuvenated Cowboys boosters are having on the national landscape.

While the Big Ten still reigns supreme in college wrestling, having Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Northern Iowa, and Missouri all within the top 10 should make for an interesting spectacle when the NCAA Championships roll into Philadelphia next spring.

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