#2 Iowa will travel to Lincoln Friday night to take on #3 Nebraska in the premier dual of the weekend with wrestling starting at 7:30 pm (ET). Check out the article below to see the probable lineups along with a breakdown and prediction for every match.

Iowa vs Nebraska Probable Lineups

125: #9 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs #5 Caleb Smith, Nebraska

133: #9 Brody Teske, Iowa vs #32 Jacob Van Dee, Nebraska

141: #1 Real Woods, Iowa vs #8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska

149: #14 Caleb Rathjen, Iowa vs #1 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska

157: #2 Jared Franek, Iowa vs #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

165: #7 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs #16 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

174: Patrick Kennedy/#7 Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #19 Bubba Wilson/Elise Brown Ton, Nebraska

184: Aiden Riggins, Iowa vs #3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska

197: #25 Zach Glazier, Iowa vs #13 Silas Allred, Nebraska

285: Bradley Hill/Ben Keuter, Iowa vs Nash Hutmacher, Nebraska

125: #9 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs #5 Caleb Smith, Nebraska

Drake Ayala and Caleb Smith are two of the top 125-pounders in the country and clear title contenders this year. This is a swing match that both teams need to win the dual.

Ayala had a slow start to the season dropping a match to Brandon Kaylor in November. However, since then Ayala has won 7 straight matches including 3 ranked wins - #11 Jore Volk, Pat McKee, and #24 Kysen Terukina. Along with bringing momentum into the bout, Ayala also defeated Caleb Smith two years ago during his true freshman season - 5-2.

Though Smith lost to Ayala two years ago, he’s steadily improved and is currently 14-2 on the year with his only losses coming to #11 Jore Volk. Beyond that, Caleb Smith has ranked wins this year over #22 Trever Anderson, #17 Tanner Jordan, #16 Brandon Kaylor, #18 Troy Spratley, #2 Matt Ramos, and #33 Tucker Owens. Smith’s match against Ayala should be a highly competitive bout and if they start at 125 pounds, this match could set the tone for the dual!

Ayala's win over Caleb Smith at the 2022 Southern Scuffle:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Prediction: Ayala by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 3, Nebraska 0

133: #9 Brody Teske, Iowa vs #32 Jacob Van Dee, Nebraska

While Brody Teske holds a significant rankings advantage over Van Dee, this match should be a good one. Teske and Van Dee met just two weeks ago at the Soldier Salute with Teske winning a close, 5-4 decision. I’m still rolling with Teske here but this is a winnable bout for the Corn Huskers and one they might need to take the dual.

Prediction: Teske by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 6, Nebraska 0

141: #1 Real Woods, Iowa vs #8 Brock Hardy, Nebraska

Real Woods and Brock Hardy have met 3 times in their college careers and each time Woods has come out on top. They wrestled all three of those matches last season and the first two matches were narrow decisions for Woods - 2-1 and 6-4. Then, at NCAAs Woods dominated to an 11-1 win. Despite that score, Hardy looked to be visibly injured in that bout suggesting we should expect a closer match on Friday night. I'm picking Real Woods to win because of his top game but Hardy can make this interesting with his scrambling ability.

Highlights of Real Woods' win over Brock Hardy at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

Prediction: Woods by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 9, Nebraska 0

149: #14 Caleb Rathjen, Iowa vs #1 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska

Ridge Lovett is currently the number one ranked wrestler in the country at 149 pounds and has been wrestling like it. Lovett is currently 14-0 on the year with 9 of his wins coming by bonus points. Lovett will be a big favorite over Rathjen who was the surprise winner of the Soldier Salute where he defeated Victor Voinovich and Anthony Ferrari. Rathjen is tough but I expect Lovett to earn at least one turn and earn some valuable bonus points for the Huskers.

Ridge Lovett's win over #2 Caleb Henson in the finals of the 2023 CKLV:

Unlock this video, live events, and more with a subscription!

Sign Up

Already a subscriber? Log In

Prediction: Lovett by major decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 9, Nebraska 4

157: #2 Jared Franek, Iowa vs #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

The match between Franek and Robb is the premier match of the night and could be a preview of an NCAA semifinal or finals bout. The two split matches last year with Robb winning in the dual but Franek winning at NCAAs. It’s also worth noting that Franek is undefeated on the year but Robb is coming off a surprising loss to Northern Iowa’s Ryder Downey. Despite that loss, I’m picking Robb to get back on track and win this toss-up match over Franek. 

Hear how Peyton Robb overcame a life-threatening skin infection after the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

Prediction: Robb by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 9, Nebraska 7

165: #7 Michael Caliendo, Iowa vs #16 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska

Michael Caliendo is a returning All-American and is currently 9-1 this year with his only loss coming to David Carr. Caliendo should be considered the favorite in this bout but Antrell Taylor is a dangerous redshirt freshman. Taylor has ranked wins this year over #26 Tanner Cook, #14 Giano Petrucelli, #13 Garrett Thompson, and #31 Dom Baker proving he has the potential to challenge some of the best in the country at 165. However, Taylor also had a tough CKLV dropping matches to #32 Stoney Buell and #14 Giano Petrucelli. Taylor has the ability to contend with Caliendo but will need to wrestle his best on Friday night.

Prediction: Caliendo by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 12, Nebraska 7

174: Patrick Kennedy/#7 Gabe Arnold, Iowa vs #19 Bubba Wilson/Elise Brown Ton, Nebraska

There are questions surrounding who will take the mat for both Iowa and Nebraska at 174 pounds on Friday night. Both teams have rolled out different starters but Iowa should be considered the favorite regardless of who wrestles. Pat Kennedy is listed in the probables and notably defeated Bubba Wilson last season, 12-4. Gabe Arnold has been outstanding this year with wins over All-Americans Travis Wittlake and Will Feldkamp. Both Wilson and Brown Ton are tough, but Iowa should come out on top here.

Hear Gabe Arnold's experience starting as a true freshman for Iowa:

Prediction: Kennedy by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 15, Nebraska 7

184: Aiden Riggins, Iowa vs #3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska

Lenny Pinto was solid last year as a national qualifier but looks to have jumped levels this season. Pinto is currently 11-2 on the year with ranked wins over #13 Bennett Berge, #11 Dylan Fishback, #14 Jaden Bullock, #2 Dustin Plott, and #26 Nate Dugan. 

On the other side of things, Riggens has numerous losses this year against unranked wrestlers and will be a big underdog against Pinto. Riggins will need to work hard to avoid giving up bonus but all signs point to a controlling win by Pinto.

Prediction: Pinto by major decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 15, Nebraska 11

197: #25 Zach Glazier, Iowa vs #13 Silas Allred, Nebraska

Returning Big Ten champion Silas Allred hasn’t wrestled Zach Glazier in his career but should be considered a favorite on Friday night. Allred is 13-3 on the year with ranked wins over #19 Wyatt Voelker, #20 Joey Novak, and #17 Levi Hopkins. Glazier should be able to keep this bout competitive and has notable victories over #26 Garrett Joles, #30 Julian Broderson, and #29 Justin Rademacher. On top of that, he recently took 2021 national champion AJ Ferrari to overtime before getting taken down but winning on a disqualification. Despite those quality results for Glazier, I’m picking Allred to win by at least 3 points.

Prediction: Allred by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 15, Nebraska 14

285: Bradley Hill/Ben Kueter, Iowa vs Nash Hutmacher, Nebraska

If all goes according to my predictions and starts at 125 pounds, this dual will come down to heavyweight! Nash Hutmacher made headlines last week when he made his debut on the wrestling mat for the Huskers with a pin over Wyoming’s Mason Ding. Hutmacher was a 4-time state champion in high school and ranked #21 in the class of 2020 Big Board before he committed to Nebraska to play football. Hutmacher was a standout defensive lineman for the Huskers playing 12 games this past year and was 7th on the team in total tackles with 40 on the season. 

So the questions for Friday night - how will Hutmacher fair against Iowa’s Bradley Hill? And will Iowa roll out Ben Kueter? Hill is 8-4 on the year with no ranked wins and losses to Seth Nitzel (Zach Elam’s backup), Younger Bastida, Boone McDermott, and Tyler Kim (Augsburg). Kueter, who played football for Iowa this year, was the #2 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and a U20 world champion in 2022.

I honestly have no idea how to predict this matchup. Hutmacher has been off the mat for four years but looked great in his season debut. We haven’t seen Kueter yet and Hill has had up-and-down results this year. I’m still going to go with Iowa simply because of how much of an unknown Hutmacher is but I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Hutmacher wins here and Nebraska takes the dual.

Prediction: Hill/Kueter by decision

Dual Score Prediction: Iowa 18, Nebraska 14

Dual Summary And Where To Watch

This dual should be incredibly close and highly entertaining. There are several swing matches throughout and the unknowns at 174 and 285 add even more intrigue to the dual. Nebraska could absolutely come out on top with wins in either toss-up match at 125 or 285 where I have them losing. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility for them to pull off an upset at 133, 141, 165, or 174. Wrestling for this outstanding dual is set to begin at 7:30 pm (ET) and can be viewed live on the Big Ten Network.