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Ohio State stays unbeaten after sliding past Nebraska; Top-ranked Nittany Lions pick up two more shutouts

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by National Wrestling Coaches Association

NWCA Division I Men's Coaches Poll for January 27, 2026

NWCA Division I Men's Coaches Poll for January 27, 2026

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Big wins and down-to-the-wire performances were among the notable results in the past week of college wrestling action as the NWCA released the most recent Division I Men's Coaches Poll on Tuesday.
 
No. 1 Penn State stayed unbeaten with a pair of shutouts, defeating then-No. 25 Indiana 48-0 and topping Maryland 51-0. No. 2 Ohio State went 2-0 with wins over then-No. 9 Minnesota, 29-9, and then-No. 6 Nebraska, 17-16. Iowa also notched a ranked win, beating Nebraska 22-14, while Oklahoma State handled then-No. 18 Missouri, 33-3.
 
Iowa State posted two wins, blanking Northern Colorado 42-0 before defeating then-No. 15 South Dakota State, 27-9. NC State earned a ranked victory over then-No. 11 North Carolina, 24-10, and Virginia Tech beat then-No. 24 Stanford, 22-14. Minnesota split its week with a 26-10 win over then-No. 16 Wisconsin before falling to Ohio State.
 
Illinois edged then-No. 17 Rutgers 17-16 on criteria, while Rutgers also picked up a 30-10 win over Northwestern. Northern Iowa beat Arizona State, and West Virginia earned a ranked win over then-No. 23 Wyoming, 21-15. Cornell went 2-0 with wins over Harvard and Brown, while Stanford defeated Virginia following its loss to Virginia Tech. South Dakota State beat California Baptist before falling to Iowa State, and Indiana rebounded from its loss to Penn State to beat Michigan State, 32-13.
 
A full slate of ranked teams is scheduled to compete this weekend, highlighted by multiple head-to-head matchups between ranked opponents. No. 6 Nebraska heads to State College on Friday to face top-ranked Penn State, while No. 9 Minnesota travels to Iowa City to meet the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes. Friday also features No. 7 Virginia Tech at No. 8 NC State, No. 16 Wisconsin at No. 2 Ohio State, No. 14 Pittsburgh at No. 11 North Carolina, No. 3 Iowa State at No. 21 Oklahoma, No. 13 Northern Iowa at No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Indiana at No. 12 Illinois.
 
On Saturday, Northern Iowa returns to face No. 21 Oklahoma, and No. 18 Missouri travels to Little Rock. Oregon State heads to Laramie to meet No. 23 Wyoming, while No. 22 Cornell is scheduled to host Arizona State and Columbia.
 
Sunday closes the week with No. 3 Iowa State at No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State and No. 20 Lehigh at Army West Point. Wisconsin wraps its weekend Sunday at Purdue, while No. 15 South Dakota State hosts Air Force on Friday before meeting Northern Colorado on Sunday.
 
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 points 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.

NWCA DIVISION I MEN'S WRESTLING COACHES POLL


JANUARY 27, 2026

 
RankTeam (First)RecordPointsConferencePrevious
1Penn State (15)(11-0)399Big Ten1
2Ohio State (1)(14-0)385Big Ten2
3Iowa State(8-1)368Big 123
4Iowa(9-3)351Big Ten4
5Oklahoma State(10-1)337Big 125
6Nebraska(9-5)317Big Ten6
7Virginia Tech(7-2)304ACC7
8NC State(12-3)286ACC8
9Minnesota(8-4)274Big Ten9
10Michigan(7-2)255Big Ten10
11North Carolina(8-2)230ACC11
12Illinois(9-4)228Big Ten12
13Northern Iowa(9-4)209Big 1213
14Pittsburgh(9-2)184ACC14
15South Dakota State(10-3)168Big 1215
16Rutgers(8-5)149Big Ten17
17Wisconsin(10-2)145Big Ten16
18West Virginia(9-3)121Big 1219
19Missouri(9-7)110Big 1218
20Lehigh(7-6)98EIWA20
21Oklahoma(7-3)90Big 1221
22Cornell(5-4)70Ivy League22
23Wyoming(4-4)41Big 1223
24Indiana(7-3)23Big Ten25
25Stanford(4-6)22ACC24
 
Others Receiving Votes: Oregon State 15, Drexel 11, Columbia 6, SIU Edwardsville 4. 
Dropped Out: None.

2025-26 Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24
 
2025-26 Division I Mid-Major Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll Release Dates
Feb. 11, Feb. 25