12 Can't Miss B1G Duals of 2024-25 Season

Big Ten teams released their schedules, so we dove in to find the top duals and matchups to watch for this season. Plenty of the usual suspects are on the list, but there are some rivalries and some sneaky good bouts that could be fun to watch. Let’s check out the B1G duals you need to see this year and the matches that deserve the spotlight during the upcoming season.

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1. #1 Penn State vs #2 Iowa
This dual will be awesome at every single weight class. This year the Nittany Lions host the Hawkeyes in the Bryce Jordan Center, which tends to bring in a contingent of Penn State fans to warmly welcome the competition.
 
Weights to Watch
165: Mitchell Messenbrink vs Mikey Caliendo
149: Shayne Van Ness vs Kyle Parco
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet vs Ben Kueter
 
2. #1 Penn State vs #3 Nebraska
This has the potential to be the matchup of the year and yes, I know that this is the #2 spot on the list, but the top two teams meeting should always be at the top of a must-watch list, however, these matchups just bring something different.  Last season the Huskers won three out of the first five bouts and they return each one of those guys this year. Penn State flexed on the back half and is obviously the top dog on the block, but the Huskers have some serious hammer that can compete and it should be expected that this one is going to be good.
 
Matches to Watch
141: #3 Beau Bartlett vs #4 Brock Hardy
149: #2 Shayne Van Ness vs #5 Ridge Lovett
157: #4 Antrell Taylor vs #5 Tyler Kasak
 
3. #2 Iowa vs #3 Nebraska
This dual will be a very close second for match of the year behind the bout we have second on this list. A season ago, Iowa was dominant in their 22-10 win as they took seven of the 10 bouts. And this year, these lineups look very different, but still very powerful.

Matches to watch
149: #4 Kyle Parco vs #5 Ridge Lovett
157: #1 Jacori Teemer vs #4 Antrell Taylor
174: #8 Patrick Kennedy or Gabe Arnold vs #9 (at 184) Lenny Pinto
184: #7 Nelson Brands vs #9 Silas Allred

4. #3 Nebraska vs #9 Minnesota
Both teams return a healthy helping of experience. Last year, the dual came down to the battle at heavyweight that was won by Harley Andrews with a 10-7 decision over Bennett Tabor. Both are back this year and could have to play the role of the closers again this season. Going into the season every match but one will feature a pair of ranked guys going head-to-head.

Weights to Watch
125: #4 Caleb Smith vs #10 Cooper Flynn
141: #4 Brock Hardy vs #6 Vance VomBaur
157: #4 Antrell Taylor vs #8 Tommy Askey

5. #1 Penn State vs #7 Ohio State
Let’s be honest. This matchup may lack the stars like Bo – Nickal or Jordan, take your pick – or David Taylor or Logan Stieber, but this is always a must watch dual meet. The team score was lopsided last season in favor of the Nittany Lions, but there were still upsets and very close matches between Mendez and Bartlett that has proved to be a match that demands all attention.

Weights to Watch
141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #3 Beau Bartlett
174: #2 Levi Haines vs #3 Rocco Welsh
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet vs #3 Nick Feldman

6. #7 Ohio State vs #9 Minnesota
Depth makes for great duals, and both teams have a lot of it. Minnesota starts the season ranked 9th as a dual meet team, with Ohio State beginning the year at 7th. The argument for Ohio State in this dual is certainly their high-level talent, and potentially higher ceiling as a result. These teams didn’t wrestle each other last season, but when they met during the 2021-2022 season tOSU won 24-14. This season should have a lot of fun battles.
 
Weights to Watch
125: #10 Cooper Flynn vs #17 Brendan McCrone
141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #6 Vance VomBaur
197: #11 Luke Geog vs #7 Isaiah Salazar

7. #7 Ohio State vs #12 Illinois
This is a sneaky good matchup. Illinois gets a lot of fire power back in the lineup and after Ohio State recorded its largest margin of victory in the history of this dual meet a season ago with a 36-6 win, the Fighting Illini looks poised for a get back. The last time Illinois came away with a win against the Buckeyes happened in 2021 when they won 18-15. The Braunagel brothers and Lucas Byrd were all a part of that team and all recorded upset wins over higher ranked guys. Surely they’d like to finish their careers the same way they started them against OSU.
 
Weights to Watch
 #3 Lucas Byrd vs #15 Nic Bouzakis
#11 Kannon Webster vs #12 Dylan D’Emilio
#8 Edmond Ruth vs #18 Ryder Rogotzke

8. #7 Ohio State vs #14 Michigan
There are few other rivalry matchups on here, but this one always has something extra to it because it goes further than the mat. The refusal of each team to use the other’s names with Ohio State referring to the University of Michigan as TTUN (That Team Up North). It may have started with football, but it’s taken seriously on the mat as well and as they both come into the pre-season ranked in the top 10, this one is sure to be another battle for the ages between these rivals.
 
Weights to Watch
133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #15 Nic Bouzakis

141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #8 Sergio Lemley
184: #17 Ryder Rogotzke vs #15 Jaden Bullock

9. #9 Minnesota vs #14 Michigan
Once again, we find Michigan up against a rival. This dual has the potential to be an absolute slobber knocker. The Battle for the Brown Jug on the football field always seems to raise the level of each of those squads, and it seems to bleed into the wrestling rivalry as well, as each block “M” squad tries to establish B1G dominance. Minnesota starts the season ranked 9th, as the Wolverines begin the season at #14.
 
Weights to Watch
133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #13 Tyler Wells
141: #8 Sergio Lemley vs #6 Vance VomBaur
157: #13 Chase Saldate vs #8 Tommy Askey
197: #3 Jacob Cardenas vs #7 Isaiah Salazar

10. #2 Iowa vs #12 Illinois
Last season, Illinois had a lot of their most talented guys taking redshirts. Zac Braunagel took an Olympic redshirt season, Lucas Byrd took a medical redshirt, Kannon Webster managed to maintain his redshirt status as well despite going an impressive 20-1 in his afforded competition dates. Iowa has talent top to bottom in their lineup, and added some serious fire power with transfers #4 Kyle Parco and #1 Jacori Teemer, both from Arizona State and #2 Stephen Buchanan from Oklahoma. They’ll be favored going into the dual, especially with it being in Iowa City, but there will be some exciting matches along the way.
 
Weights to Watch
133: #3 Lucas Byrd vs #7 Drake Ayala
149: #4 Kyle Parco vs. #11 Kannon Webster
197: #2 Stephen Buchanan vs #10 Zac Braunagel

11. #1 Penn State vs #14 Michigan
Michigan’s lineup has some new pieces that could make a difference in this dual, specifically at 197 where we will most likely see Cornell transfer #3 Jacob Cardenas take on Michigan native Josh Barr who claimed a silver medal at the U20 World Championships this summer. Despite the gap in the team rankings, this will be a good match and I don’t expect as wide of a margin as last year’s 27-9 win by PSU.
 
Weights to Watch
133: #4 Dylan Ragusin vs #11 Braeden Davis
141: #3 Beau Bartlett vs #8 Sergio Lemley
157: #5 Tyler Kasak vs #13 Chase Saldate
165: #1 Mitchell Messenbrink vs #13 Beau Mantanona

12. #29 Purdue vs #30 Indiana
Rivalries are always fun, especially when it’s two schools sharing the same state. We see this a couple of times in the B1G with Michigan and Michigan State and Illinois and Northwestern. Both Purdue and Indiana are schools that have a lot of pride, and you know they want to leave this dual with the knowledge that cements their belief that they are the best wrestling team in the state of Indiana. Purdue has largely been on the winning side of this rivalry since 2005, with a 13-5 record in that time frame, however, Indiana has the bragging rights having won the last matchup, 22-9. The previous two seasons (22-23 and 21-22), this dual was a 1-point match with the teams splitting 16-17 decisions. This season the Boilermakers host the Hoosiers in West Lafayette and look to re-establish themselves as the top dogs in Indiana.

Weights to Watch
125: #5 Matt Ramos vs #26 Jacob Moran
141: #26 Greyson Clark vs #32 Henry Porter