125: No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) over No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell)
After careful consideration, I think undefeated Waters takes the weight class. He's had a remarkable season and run the gauntlet on the weight class. While Garrett poses a serious threat, he has taken a loss to Waters already this season and his strength of schedule pales in comparison to the top-seeded Waters.
133: No. 2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) over No. 9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro)
Top-seeded Chris Dardanes of Minnesota draws a tough opponent in the quarterfinals and gets knocked off by often-overlooked A.J. Schopp of Edinboro. Schopp's Cinderella run through the weight class ends in the finals against sophomore Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin.
141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) over No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
(Copy and paste from last year's prediction) "There is no doubt that Mitchell Port has had a solid season, but Stieber is in a different class than anyone else at this weight class, if not the entire tournament. Stieber has shown he can compete on the big stage, and will do so again this year to win the national title." If only betting the ponies was this easy.
149: No. 2 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) over No. 4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa)
This wide-open weight class could see a number of horses emerge, but I think a soft lower half of the bracket will allow Tsirtsis to make the finals and his defense will prevail in a rematch of the Big Ten Championships. Tsirtsis wins his second NCAA title.
157: No. 3 Dylan Ness (Minnesota) over No. 4 James Green (Nebraska)
Kyle Dake and Jason Tsirtsis are exceptions. Max Askren is the norm. Freshman nerves are hard to overcome. Isaiah Martinez has been dominant this season, no doubt. But I think he gets knocked off by the explosive James Green of Nebraska in the semis. Unfortunately for Green, the pedigree, funk, and will of Dylan Ness will be too much to overcome.
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) over No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
Dieringer will have to continue his dominance to get through a deep upper bracket, but nothing in the numbers or videos suggest he will falter. I think his opponent in the finals will be Big Ten champion and sophomore from Wisconsin, Isaac Jordan. However, Dieringer is familiar with big matches and shows he can move up a weight class to win his second NCAA title.
174: No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) over No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska)
This weight class could go any number of ways. Kokesh. Evans. Storley. But there is something about Penn State's Matt Brown that screams "big stage." He has experience as a finalist two seasons ago, and has meaningful wins over Evans and Storley this year. Brown hands Kokesh his lone loss on the way to a title.
184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) over No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt)
Deep weight class with gaudy records, but Gabe Dean is my pick because of his defense and well-rounded game. He has two losses in one tournament in Vegas. I spent a week one day in Vegas and accumulated more losses. The title goes to the sophomore from Cornell.
197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) over No. 6 Nathan Burak (Iowa)
I predicted this weight class through a series of coin flips last year. This year I think Cox is the clear frontrunner with a number of potential candidates as opposing finalists. In this case, I think Burak overcomes a disappointing performance at the Big Tens and makes the finals as a No. 6 seed before being overwhelmed by Cox in the finals.
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) over No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa)
There is no reason to think that undefeated Gwiazdowski won't repeat after winning his first title last year. Then again, seven minutes of hugging and pushing could end any number of ways.
Team:
1. Minnesota
2. Iowa
3. Missouri
4. Cornell
5. Oklahoma State
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