The results of 149 U were as close as Game 7 of the Cubs-Indians World Series. Oklahoma State narrowly edged out Iowa to land the claim as our best school at this weight over the past 15 years (2002-2016).

One of the Cowboys assistant coaches, Zack Esposito, was a 149-pound champion back in 2005 when Oklahoma State tried to break the team points record set by Dan Gable's final team in 1997 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Cowboys were unable to do so, but they turned in a performance for the ages with five champs and a 70-point margin of victory over the second-place team.

This series has examined the best schools at each weight: 125 U, 133 U, and 141 U. All data and graphs were compiled with the help of Anrew Spey, aka @JaroslavWrestle. We're getting into the heart of lineups now, so it's no surprise that today's results came down to the equivalent of riding time advantage in an overtime match.

Let's once more start by showing the amount of NCAA qualifiers during the time period we examined. No team was able to qualify every year in a row, with only one able to hit 14 of the past 15 years.

NCAA Qualifiers at 149lbs (2002-16)

Both Oklahoma State and Iowa were left out in the cold four times each by not qualifying for the tournament. But they are very efficient when they do qualify wrestlers, as eight of those 11 ended up finishing on the podium for both teams. Minnesota has also done an excellent job getting guys through Big Tens and into a position to place at NCAAs, sending 12 to the big show with seven All-Americans during this time.

Under Tim Flynn, Edinboro repeatedly makes the final tournament of the year in March and have managed five AAs and two round of 12 qualifiers as well. The Fighting Scots' starter right now is sophomore Pat Lugo, an NCAA qualifier last year and ranked 11th heading into this season. Dave Habat was a two-time AA for Edinboro, and we most recently saw him win a big match in the Bundesliga over Vladimir Dubov. Also placing for Flynn at this weight were Torsten Gillespie in 2010 and NCAA champion Gregor Gillespie in 2006 and 2007.

Another school consistently qualifying guys is Penn State. The Nittany Lions have the current No. 1 wrestler and defending champion in Zain Retherford, as well as a 65kg Olympian and two-time NCAA finalist in Frank Molinaro. Gorilla Hulk was a four-time AA who won his title after an undefeated 2012 season. Penn State appears to be set up well for the future and should move into the top three over the next few seasons between its recruits and Retherford being only a junior.

Points Accrued at 149lbs (2002-16)

The big "what if?" here is from 2007, when neither of our top two schools qualified a wrestler for NCAAs. That was when the Tom Brands crew from Virginia Tech had to sit out a year after he left Blacksburg, Virginia, and took a number of guys with him, including Brent Metcalf. Given his dominance in his final three years of college, it is safe to assume that Metcalf at least qualifies for NCAAs and more than likely places.

Metcalf accounts for both titles and three of the Hawkeyes' five finals over these past 15 seasons, along with Brandon Sorensen's finals appearance last year and Ty Eustice's runner-up finish in the 2006 tournament.

But Oklahoma State just barely nudges Iowa, in large part due to that lost year. Aside from Esposito, the coaches in Stillwater, Oklahoma, have used a number of different wrestlers over the years. The Cowboys have had four other All-Americans during this time, including three in four years: Jamal Parks (fifth in 2011), Jordan Oliver (first in 2013), and Josh Kindig (second in 2014).

Spey used the following system to break down the points here: 18 points for first place; 16 pts for second; 13 pts for third; 12 pts for fourth; 10 pts for fifth; nine pts for sixth; six pts for seventh; five pts for eighth; three pts for making the round of 12; two pts for making the round of 16; and one pt for making the round of 24.

Iowa and OSU both wind up with eight All-Americans, while Iowa holds a 5-4 lead in finalists. The margin appears to be the Cowboys getting a third-place finish, two fourth-place results, and a fifth place, as opposed to the Hawkeyes getting one each from fourth, fifth and seventh place. Oklahoma State also had two in the round of 12, while Iowa had just one.

This one is very hard to judge going forward. Iowa certainly holds the advantage for this year, with Sorensen having already beaten OSU starter Anthony Collica and being ranked ahead of him. They also hold the cards heading into a 20-year review following the 2018 season due to Mike Zadick and TJ Williams. But John Smith and company get two years out of Geo Martinez and have Kaden Gfeller coming in soon, which could potentially even it out over the next several seasons.

Coming Friday, our final installment for this week: 157 U. We will resume the series again on Monday with 165 U. Thanks for reading.

Top-10 Teams at 149

1) Oklahoma St
2) Iowa
3) Minnesota
4) Michigan
5) Penn State
6) Oklahoma
7) Edinboro
8) Missouri
9) Cornell
10) Ohio State

Top Scorers for Oklahoma St

Zack Esposito (04-06): 2nd, 1st, 3rd
Jordan Oliver (2013): 1st
Josh Kinding (14-15): 2nd, DNP

Top Scorers for Iowa

Brandon Sorensen (15-16): 4th, 2nd
Brent Metcalf (08-10): 1st, 2nd, 1st
Ty Eustice (05-06): 5th, 2nd

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