One of the most iconic wrestling rivalries is going down this weekend when Iowa State travels to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes in historic Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday. The recent history of this rivalry has been all Black and Gold with Iowa winning every dual since 2004.

The matchup pits #2 Iowa against #12 Iowa State. If ISU wants to leave Iowa City with a win it’ll need a handful of upsets in their favor.

To the matchups and predictions

125: #5 Thomas Gilman, Iowa vs. Kyle Larson, ISU - Thomas Gilman hasn’t minded making bold statements this year, stating he and Cory Clark are a better 1-2 punch than Matt McDonough and Tony Ramos. Gilman isn’t slowing down as he had this to say about the ISU matchup: “They think they’ve trained hard and their coaching staff has them talked up. They are going to be fired up to come to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but once we put that pressure on them they’re going to fold, they’re going to break. The mentality we bring to the mat and the pressure we bring, they can’t handle that. We’ve proven that in the past..” 

Game on!

Gilman, who won JR World Bronze this Summer is a solid favorite against Larson. Larson has only lost to Chasen Tolbert of Utah Valley this year, albeit by major decision. Gilman is an in your face brawler who takes ground and works well in the ties. Last year he was a little hesitant to fire off shots, but if his JR World run and early season results are any indication, he’ll be letting it fly early. I think this one flirts with major decision territory to be honest. I think Gilman will find his way to his single, where he is an amazing finisher. I don’t see Larson able to combat the stingy defense of Gilman and I also anticipate issues getting out on bottom. My initial reaction was Gilman by 6, but if Tolbert can get the major, hard to think Gilman won’t be able to in Carver Hawkeye.

Thomas Gilman WMD Kyle Larson

Iowa: 4, ISU: 0

133: #4 Cory Clark, Iowa vs #11 Earl Hall, ISU- A rematch from a year ago where both guys met at 125 pounds. Both had their moments of inconsistency, but Hall was far more up and down. These two both aren’t afraid to give up points in the name of scoring and this one promises to be a high-scoring affair. Hall is coming off a loss to MSU’s Javier Gasca. I have always liked both guys, but I see Clark slamming the door this time around. Hall may bowl him over one time with his double leg, or give up 2 on Hall’s single. Over time I think Clark has more point-scoring potential. He gave up a big move to Hall in their dual. I see him tightening up in this area and taking this one handily. His brutal top work could play a factor as well as a good gas tank. Depending on which Earl Hall we see, this could be any where from a razor tight shoot out, to a blow out in Clark’s favor. I’m taking Clark by decision.

Cory Clark WBD Earl Hall

Iowa: 7, ISU: 0

141-#5 Josh Dziewa, Iowa vs John Meeks, Iowa - There was a time where this matchup would be insanely hyped. At this point, Meeks is yet to live up to the billing that made him one of the most coveted recruits a few years ago. A gifted technician on his feet, Meeks still struggles to find consistency 3 years into college wrestling. That being said, the 5th ranking for Dziewa maybe among the more hollow top 5 rankings at any weight.  A combination of redshirts and bizarre losses has Dziewa ranked higher than many could predict him finishing.  Dziewa’s career also has been marred by inconsistency and lack of offense from neutral. His wild mat wrestling and defensive counter style on his feet has yielded odd results. He’s beaten the likes of Chris Dardanes, Edgar Bright and Rick Durso. Yet in big moments he’s fallen to Steven Rodrigues as well as Laike Gardner. I foresee Dziewa getting a win here, but don’t surprise if Meeks makes it a little closer than we’d expect. The caveat is Meeks bottom game. If he really struggles maybe Dziewa can get a run of turns going. See how many attacks Dziewa fires off in this one. He can be all too content at times to play the counter game. I like Dziewa to take this one by a few, but nothing that is going to instil tremendous confidence from the Hawkeye faithful.

Josh Dziewa WBD John Meeks

Iowa: 10, ISU: 0

149-#13 Brody Grothus/Brandon Sorensen, Iowa vs #19 Gabe Moreno, ISU - I’m excited to see who Iowa rolls out. Grothus won the Luther beating Sorensen, but fell to Terrel Wilbourn last week, (who Sorensen went on to beat) so there’s an unknown here. I feel both guys are maybe slight favorites over a very tough Moreno who was up and down last year but came on strong at the end. I look for a close win for Iowa here regardless of who is sent, but this is ISU’s best shot at getting on the board early.

Brody Grothus/Brandon Sorensen WBD Gabe Moreno

Iowa: 13, ISU: 0

157-Mike Kelly, Iowa vs Luke Goettl, ISU - Pretty tough one to call here honestly. Goettl won the match a year ago 4-2. The question is which Luke Goettl will we see. This is a guy who has beaten Kendric Maple, yet this year he’s fallen to Steven Hernandez. Kelly is undefeated on the year, but that means very little considering the level of competition. It’s going to be a tight one but I’m going totally home crowd/momentum here and taking Kelly. A win here for Goettl should surprise nobody and maybe is the most likely outcome.

Mike Kelly WBD Luke Goettl

Iowa: 16, ISU: 0

165-#5 Nick Moore, Iowa vs #3 Michael Moreno, ISU - We’ve got a great matchup here. Moore won their only meeting a year ago and truly was the better guy all last year until late. With wins over Tyler Caldwell, Moreno, Massa, Harger x2 and Zilverberg x2 I expect Moore to come and take this one narrowly.  These two have history with Moore taking the win last year and Moreno winning the match at NCAA's.   Both guys are currently undefeated but ISU has faced stiffer competition to this point and Moreno has looked good doing so. Moreno has ridden Moore previously and has proven to be excellent with his re-attacks as well as scrambling. He’s got a great shot here, but I see Moore staying in positions where he’s comfortable. I think he takes ground, gets to his attack and takes this by a point. Certainly a toss up here.

Nick Moore WBD Mike Moreno

Iowa: 19, ISU: 0

174-#4 Mike Evans, Iowa vs #6 Tanner Weatherman, ISU - The rankings make this matchup a little bit juicier than it actually is. Despite their proximal rankings, this will be all Evans. Mike has been a rock for years, he wins the matches he should almost without fail. Weatherman was up and down last year and fell to Evans 10-1 in their dual. To be frank, I haven’t seen much change from either guy at this point in time. Evans can score in different ways on his feet. He’s a good handfighter who can force you into errant shots where his counters are excellent. His set ups aren’t always breathtaking, but when he finds his way to the leg, he finishes. Weatherman has a few nice attacks from neutral, particularly a single and double, but I don’t see him finishing. I think Evans takes it, but Weatherman keeps it closer than before and holds it to a lopsided decision.

Mike Evans WBD Tanner Weatherman

Iowa: 22, ISU: 0

184: #6 Sammy Brooks, Iowa vs #16 Lelund Weatherspoon, ISU - Maybe the match I’m most looking forward to. Weatherspoon finally gets to commit to a weight and Brooks gets his turn as the Iowa starter. Brooks is an absolute brawler with excellent upper body ties that he can work well into leg attacks. He’s solid on top, and can be tough to ride. Weatherspoon is a very complete wrestler with a variety of attacks on his feet and solid mat work. His ability to get to legs will be huge here, but finishing on Brooks may prove to be a tough task. At times Lelund can look comfortable wrestling out of an underhook, his ability to stay cool here against the underhook-happy Brooks is a key battle to keep an eye on. If Weatherspoon is likely to score, watch for it to come from a re-attack. Lelund boasts wins over AA Bryce Hammond, Kyle Crutchmer, Nolan Boyd to name a few. I don’t know if he’s on Brooks level yet, but I think he’s got a shot to compete here with Sammy. Brooks will make this match about getting to the positions he wants to be in. That will ultimately be the difference.

Sammy Brooks WBD Lelund Weatherspoon.

Iowa: 25, ISU: 0

197: #6 Nathan Burak/Kris Klapprodt, Iowa vs #3 Kyven Gadson, ISU -  We’re yet to see Nathan Burak this year, and I’m not sure if that’ll change. As long as this dual is in hand it’s possible we’ll see Kris Klapprodt. Regardless of who goes, the dual score will probably be the same. I like an ISU win here by decision. Obviously, Burak gives them a better shot. However, I don’t think when your first match is against someone as good as Kyven it bodes particularly well. Against Burak I like Kyven to get the early takedown and win by a point. Against Klapprodt I see him getting a 5-7 point lead, maybe he can push it into a major (though he had no majors all last year). Gadson normally wins by decision or pins, and I don’t see a pin coming.

Kyven Gadson WBD Nathan Burak/Kris Klapprodt

Iowa: 25, ISU: 3

285: #3 Bobby Telford, Iowa vs Quean Smith, ISU - Quean is a tough guy to peg. Sometimes he majors guys like Ross Larson, other times he gets pinned by AJ Vizcarrondo. I think this one will be lopsided. Anywhere from decision to major to pin seems possible for Telford. I think Telford get’s a few TD’s but spends too much time riding and not turning to get the bonus.

Bobby Telford WBD Quean Smith

Final Score: Iowa: 28, ISU: 3

That’s pretty much a blowout on the scoreboard, but ISU will have opportunities at 149, 157, 165 and 184 to make this much more interesting.

Here’s the order of confidence I have in the win/loss result from most confident to least!

Thomas Gilman
Bobby Telford
Mike Evans
Cory Clark
Kyven Gadson
Sammy Brooks
Brody Grothus
Josh Dziewa
Nick Moore
Mike Kelly