Penn State, Oklahoma State, the last unbeaten Div. I teams, are on top of the Feb. 6 NWCA Coaches Poll

Manheim, Pennsylvania – It took until February, but there’s just two undefeated teams in Division I men’s wrestling left and they’re both sitting at the top of the most recent NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

Top-ranked Penn State improved to 8-0 and ran its dual meet win streak to 52 after a 28-7 win over then-No. 7 Ohio State. Oklahoma State moved to 12-0 and rose to No. 2 in the rankings, the highest the Cowboys have been ranked since the final regular season poll of the 2018-19 season, when they were second. The Cowboys beat then-No. 5 Missouri 24-10 and No. 24 Arizona State 28-9 over the weekend.

Iowa fell from the ranks of the unbeaten after being upended on the road at Michigan 24-11. The Hawkeyes slid one spot to No. 3, while the Wolverines moved up three spots, re-entering the Top 10 for the first time December 21. Iowa State stayed put at No. 4 after beating then-No. 17 West Virginia 29-11.

Other action in the Top 10 saw Nebraska (10-1) beat Illinois 28-9. Ohio State rebounded from its loss at Penn State to beat No. 14 Rutgers 22-12. No. 8 NC State beat rival North Carolina 33-6. Cornell beat Columbia 32-9, but slid one spot to No. 10 after Michigan jumped over the Big Red.

Other ranked matches of interest over the past week were saw Northern Iowa beat West Virginia 26-12. The Mountaineers also lost to No. 4 Iowa State on their trip through the Midwest, while then-No. 20 Little Rock won its third ranked dual of the season, beating then No. 23 Cal Poly 21-12. No. 24 Arizona State edged No. 21 Oregon State 17-16. Little Rock moved up two spots to No. 18 this week, establishing another program high in the school’s fifth season of wrestling.

The Big Ten leads with eight teams ranked this week, followed by the Big 12, which has seven teams in the Top 25. The Pac-12, with only six wrestling members, has five of its schools ranked. The ACC has three and the EIWA with two. Campbell, which topped SoCon rival Appalachian State this past week, sits just outside the Top 25. Both the Camels and Mountaineers received votes this week.

Methodology: The NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.

NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll

February 6, 2024

Rank/Team (First)/Record/Points/Conf./Previous

1 Penn State (8-0) 350 Big Ten 1

2 Oklahoma State (12-0) 334 Big 12 3

3 Iowa (10-1) 303 Big Ten 2

4 Iowa State (11-2) 301 Big 12 4

5 Nebraska (10-1) 298 Big Ten 6

6 Ohio State (13-2) 272 Big Ten 7

7 Missouri (8-2) 271 Big 12 5

8 NC State (12-2) 252 ACC 8

9 Michigan (6-3) 242 Big Ten 12

10 Cornell (8-3) 229 EIWA 9

11 Minnesota (8-2) 211 Big Ten 10

12 South Dakota State (11-2) 207 Big 12 11

13 Virginia Tech (6-3) 184 ACC 13

14 Rutgers (10-4) 169 Big Ten 14

15 Lehigh (5-3) 144 EIWA 15

16 Stanford (9-2) 131 Pac-12 16

17 Northern Iowa (5-5) 117 Big 12 18

18 Little Rock (12-5) 95 Pac-12 20

19 Pittsburgh (8-6) 83 ACC 19

20 West Virginia (9-5) 66 Big 12 17

21 Oregon State (5-5) 52 Pac-12 21

22 Indiana (6-2) 46 Big Ten NR

23 Oklahoma (5-5) 45 Big 12 22

24 Arizona State (4-5) 43 Pac-12 24

25 Cal Poly (5-3) 22 Pac-12 23

Others Receiving Votes: Campbell 21, Michigan State 19, Wisconsin 14, Penn 13, Appalachian State 12, Navy 4.

Dropped out: No. 25 Michigan State (9-4)