The 2017-18 NCAA wrestling season is officially underway, which means it's time to start rolling out our weight class previews.

I said in the last preview that 157 was my favorite, but I'm afraid I'm going show my true colors as a weight class polygamist by elevating 165 to co-favorite. The division loses four-time All-American Isaac Jordan and not much else. Nearly everyone returns and quite a few 165-pound hammers are coming off of a redshirt year. Middle weights in the NCAAs this year are looking as strong as they've ever been.

Other 2017-18 weight class previews: 125 Pounds | 133 Pounds | 141 Pounds | 149 Pounds | 157 Pounds

For our previews, we'll run down the top contenders, then make some way-too-early All-American and bloodround predictions and include an explanation.

Check out our 165 preview from last year.

Title Contenders

Isaiah Martinez, Illinois
Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State
Logan Massa, Michigan

The real list of contenders is a good bit longer, but once you start adding names beyond these three you end up with dozens of guys. Isaiah Martinez, Vincenzo Joseph, and Logan Massa separated themselves from the rest of the pack by a decent margin, however, so I drew the line there. While it's certainly not impossible that a different wrestler will pull off a couple few upsets and grab the title, the odds are that 2018's champion will come from the trio of names above.

Watch Vincenzo Joseph shock the Scottrade Center with a pinfall over two-time defending national champion Isaiah Martinez:

Spey's Spredictions

1: Isaiah Martinez, Illinois
2: Logan Massa, Michigan
3: Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State
4: Chance Marsteller, Lock Haven
5: Chandler Rogers, Oklahoma State
6: Chad Walsh, Rider
7: Jordan Kutler, Lehigh
8: Anthony Valencia, Arizona State
R12: Alex Marinelli, Iowa
R12: David McFadden, Virginia Tech
R12: Te'Shan Campbell, Ohio State
R12: Bryce Steiert, Northern Iowa

I just posted the video of Joseph pinning Martinez in St. Louis, so I am well aware of who is the returning champ. However, IMar still holds a 2-1 career advantage over Joseph, and I'm banking on the senior from Lemoore, CA, to finish his season back on top, capping off a brilliant career with a third championship and a fourth finals appearance.

Massa has been one of the most consistent performers of anyone in the NCAA. In his career he has only lost to national champions, including during his redshirt season as a true freshman. His loss to Joseph in the NCAA semifinals was razor close, and I think the Michigan native reverses that result in 2018.

Watch Joseph stop Massa in the semis in St. Louis:


I've no doubt that Penn State partisans will take umbrage with my third-place pick for the defending champ. As the Nittany Lions faithful should -- what kind of fans would they be if they didn't? And though I would be happy to be proven wrong, Joseph was slightly less consistent during last season than either Massa or IMar, and this year I think it catches up to him at the NCAAs.

There are many reasons not to pick Chance Marsteller to finish fourth. There are his off-the-mat concerns, that aren't worth digging into at this point. There are some questionable on-the-mat performances, such as his 7-3 loss to David McFadden at the F&M Open last January. But there are plenty more reasons, in my opinion, that Marsteller is now finally ready to deliver on the hype that shadowed him during his much-heralded high school career. Case in point, Marsteller had a productive summer and wrestled extremely well at both the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials. Those were freestyle matches, of course, and Marsteller's explosive power and ability to score in bunches plays better in free than folk. But it still had all signs pointing in the right direction. He lost to Anthony Valencia -- who's strongest style can also be said to be freestyle -- by two points at the Open in April but then came back and handed Valencia a 10-0 drubbing at the Trials in June.

Also, to be honest, I'm kind of bored with picking mostly chalk. So Marsteller it is at No. 4.

Watch Marsteller take out Valencia in the quarterfinals of the senior team trials:


And it's back to chalk for the fifth- and sixth-place spots. Chandler Rogers and Chad Walsh are the next highest NCAA finishers returning for this season, and I like them to finish as All-Americans in the same order in Cleveland. Rogers can be inconsistent at times but is also a well-regarded pinner with a deadly cradle. Walsh is tough-as-nails two-time All-American who I think finishes his career up one spot from last year, especially now that Missouri's Daniel Lewis will be wrestling at 174 this season.

Jordan Kutler may also be moving up to 174, but for now he's penciled in as Lehigh's starting 165-pounder. With a wins over studs such as 157-pound finalist Joey Lavallee and two-time All-American Joseph Smith, I like Kutler's chances to medal at 165 -- also at 174 if it comes to that.

Some folks considered Anthony Valencia's round of 12 finish last season a disappointment. Some may consider an eighth-place finish in Cleveland to be another disappointment. Considering the field, I'd consider it pretty dang impressive. I also wouldn't be shocked to see Valencia place higher, up to and included winning a title. He is one of the best pure athletes in the NCAA, with a head-shrug go-behind that is a thing of beauty.

Valencia hit his patented head-shrug on blue-chip super recruit Alex Marinelli at last year's Midlands during a thoroughly dominating win by pinfall. Marinelli could very well have jumped levels over the offseason, and I expect multiple trips to the podium by the time his career is said in done, just not on maiden varsity campaign.

One big reason to think Marinelli will eventually reach All-American status was his freestyle victories over 2016's sixth-place finisher, David McFadden. Those freestyle results don't factor into the rankings; however, we are making predictions now, not rankings, and predictions require a more holistic approach. Though I would still like nothing more than to have the New Jersey native prove me wrong, in this year's meat grinder of a weight class, I don't see McFadden breaking into the top eight.

Watch Marinelli beat McFadden 10-4 at the junior world team trials. Marinelli also took out McFadden in a freestyle match 7-5 at the U.S. Open in April.


Te'Shan Campbell and Bryce Steiert complete our final 12, although there are perhaps a dozen more who could arguably take their place. Choose anyone else in the top 20 and then some and you could make a solid case they will make the bloodround this season. What's more certain than these bloodround picks, however, is that 165 will be a delight for all wrestling fans when the NCAA Tournament rolls around next March.

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