Sure, this is a cheap, gimmicky column. Everybody seems to write top ten lists to preview a season. But these are the things in each weight class that I really want to see. Obviously I want to see great wrestling. More often than not, college wrestling delivers that. But to step out of its niche, there are things in each weight class that can help the sport as a whole. The athletic heavyweight, a better relationship with football, the best rivalry in sport, expansion of programs outside the Midwest, all are things that can slowly start to be accomplished in a variety of classes this season. I want to see exciting guys do well. I want to see some inherent drama created by great rivalries, most notably Schlatter-Metcalf. I’ve grown up in Easton, Pennsylvania, and following District 11 every year I found the storylines were almost better than the wrestling. As I move on to the college game, this isn’t necessarily the case anymore. This list is also meant to map out some of the story lines I’d love to see develop. 10. That JD Bergman rolls through heavyweight. Unless I am in Mr. Bergman’s immediate family, that seems like an odd wish. However, I do have a method to my madness. As JD makes the move up to heavyweight from 197 he has the potential to fill a glaring gap in this weight class this year. But this wish goes beyond that. The old adage goes that coaching is the greatest form of plagiarism. Tom Ryan’s idea to move Bergman up to heavyweight is a calculated gamble to take a great athlete that could make the cut to 197, and stick him up with the big boys to try his luck. In a recent interview, Bergman says he weights a steady 235 pounds, making him a typical meal for Cole Konrad. While Conrad, and Steve Mocco, were certainly a fantastic athlete in his own right, too many of those freakish size and agility combination find themselves lining up on Saturdays in the fall. Beyond those two, heavyweight has been boring as more and more coaches go with guys that push the 285 pound limit who can match up at least physically with Konrad and Mocco and do little more than push each other. With Konrad and Mocco both gone, what we have is a boring class where nobody particularly stands out, and a season of 2-1 OT matches looks very possible. When I heard rumors this summer that JD Bergman and Phil Davis were both considering going heavy, I thought it would be a step towards saving the weight class. While the Davis thing didn’t happen, (and judging from the public mugging of Hudson Taylor, he made a good decision) Bergman can be a catalyst. If enough coaches see Bergman successful and remember the Tommy Rowlands/Kerry McCoy types of the late 90s and early 2000s, we could see coaches utilizing recruiting out of the 215 pound weight class and the fad of sleek, athletic heavyweights could return. Year in and year out, 197 has the best athletes found on a wrestling mat. The combination of size, power, and speed may not be matched in all of sport. Many of these are high school 215s that haven’t cut weight until college. While this certainly fits the needs of most programs, some certainly would benefit by keeping these 215s in the weight room and at the dinner table. Virginia Tech is doing this with Cody Gardner, who is my ultimate hope to bring the light-heavyweight back into vogue. But Bergman rolling through this season would at least give other coaches some ideas. 9. That somebody steps up at 174 Five years ago I saw David Erwin dominate Sean Richmond at the Final Four at Easton Area High School. I have never, and never again, seen Richmond so overmatched. A year later, Erwin killed Donnie Jones at the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh. Three years later he…can’t win a wrestle-off? There are a few guys that could bring some star power back to 174, which frankly lost most of it when everybody ran from Ben Askren. Erwin I would say is certainly one of them, but he needs to get on the mat first. Steve Luke is an incredibly good wrestler, but nothing about his style screams “watch me, watch me!” He doesn’t score enough to be ready to take over the class either. Keith Gavin is your preseason #1, but I could see him winning a title or going 2-2 at the tournament. His overtime decision to Alex Caruso doesn’t inspire confidence either. I like Steve Anceravage’s move up, but he failed to All American at a lower (albeit tougher) weight class. Maybe he can make waves here. Mike Letts is the most interesting guy in the weight class. I’ve heard him described as an “innovator” by teammates and his style that is equally technician and brawler certainly is fun to watch. He’s one of the last guys in the NCAA I’d want to be in a street fight against and cruised to an ACC title last year. Maybe with a year under his belt he can put together a longer run at the tournament. The wild card of course, is what will Dave Craig do? I think I speak for college wrestling fans everywhere when I say please come down where you belong. Brandon Mason has the most potential as of right now. He certainly looked like a world beater last weekend, but he has to prove that week in and week out before I fully believed in him. There eventually will be a champion here, but if there are real stars at 174 remains to be determined. 8. The best rivalry in wrestling turns out to be…Gillespie-Poeta? I’ll get to the clash of titans in a minute (number 1 for those of you who can’t stand the wait), but here’s hoping the best matches in the country this year involve my two favorite wrestlers to watch in the country. I’ve always had a soft spot for Gillespie, he reminds me of Mike Rogers, my favorite wrestler to watch in high school. But Gillespie is even more explosive, especially on his feet. The fake outside, redirect inside shot is mind numbing, and no wrestler in the country scores more from top. And of course no conversation about explosive wrestlers could be complete without Mike Poeta, whose blast double could go against Bryan Snyder’s any day of the week. He’s as dynamic on his feet as anybody in the country. Both of these guys are go, go go, score, score, score at all times. Both guys are goers, but both also can score style points with the best of them. Frankly, this is what college wrestling needs. While the weight class below has the inherent drama of natural rivals, here’s hoping that these two meet up in NCAA finals, when the lights of the sporting world are on wrestling for one night (kind of). What could be better than a 10-9 finals match with each of these guys scoring every way imaginable. Josh Churella did the right thing last year against Gregor by attempting to slow him down at all costs. Poeta can match him point for point, and I’d have to imagine would give it a shot. For years, we’ve complained about people wrestling boring, conservative matches in finals that reiterate the fact that wrestling is not consumer friendly. Seven minutes between Gillespie and Poeta could go a long way to changing that. 7. Kerry McCoy gets his first big lift out West Pretty much everybody can agree that the best thing for wrestling is parity. While at the team level, it will take years to pry the grip of the Big 10 and Big 12’s hands off of the trophy, the first dents are made by individuals winning from outside the axis of power. And with the disappointing decisions made by certain athletic directors out west, they need some hope. Derek Moore was a great story last year, and certainly gave us the best performance in finals. But UC-Davis isn’t what I’d necessarily call and up and coming program. Stanford could be. Kerry McCoy is one of the great ambassadors of the sport. He’s a class act all the way, and certainly has credentials that few coaches around the country can match. By hiring McCoy, Stanford has made an effort to improve its wrestling profile, which along with the help of Jimmy Zalesky at Oregon State, could save the Pac-10. What would give McCoy more momentum than crowning his first national champion? Although it would be a long-shot, Tanner Gardner has the tools to win it all at 125. While he certainly isn’t the chic pick, Troy Nickerson and Jayson Ness can battle out that honor, he would do good beyond just his tenure at Stanford. Gardner’s national title would be a cornerstone to start really building that program. 6. Slap the mat all over the place at 133 Nothing is more exciting than wrestlers who can turn and pin guys at will. Pinners are dangerous, pinners are fun, pinners put butts in the seats. I remember being in middle school and watching Easton wrestle. I was worried to even turn around during Gino Fortibono’s matches, because I didn’t want to miss somebody get decked. This excitement level is certainly apparent with some of the studs at 133 this year. Last weekend Lou Ruggerlio’s double armbar on Tyler McCormick turned the rankings upside down. My hunch is that he won’t be the last big name King Lou pins. Mack Reiter has the same level of danger with the best cradle in the country. Coleman Scott has the advantage because he’s better on his feet than everybody in the class, but his tentacles on top will lead to their fare share of falls. These three guys make 133 the most fun class in the country this year. More than any other weight class, we have guys that are going to ride looking for a fall. Here’s hoping these three wrestlers put on a show all year. Without Ben Askren around, we need somebody who can test how many times their opponent doesn’t see the second period. Heck, for riding to be cool again, we need more guys like Scott, Ruggerlio, and Reiter to start sticking guys at an alarming clip. Mat wrestling is good for the sport when it’s done right. These three do it right, and all falls all the time will make this class. 5. Ryan Goodman makes his run In a move that is great both for the ACC and the 184 pound weight class, Ryan Goodman is moving down, giving one of the best classes in the country yet another stud. Although he can’t be put on the same level as Roger Kish, Jake Varner, Mike Pucillio, and Tyrell Todd just yet, Goodman might be the best athlete in the country. We saw how dangerous he can be at 197 last year, now he comes down to 184 as one of the biggest guys in the weight class. It helps that NC State is having a miserable football season, and we could see him in the Wolfpack lineup sooner rather than later. But if Goodman lives up to his billing coming into college, which he certainly has been on the ascent to do, we could see five legitimate national title contenders. The absence of Jake Herbert here this year makes 184 as exciting and wide open as any class in the country. Having a two sport athlete throw his hat in the ring is a good thing for a lot of reasons. Beyond the competitive aspect of it, it also sends great messages to football coaches at all levels, but particularly in high school, that football and wrestling can mix. While Stephen Neal is the best example of this, Ryan Goodman is another nice piece of evidence. 4. Avoid the hangover at 165 Last year, 165 had inherently more drama than any other weight class. Every story is only as good as it’s villain, and Johny Hendricks was one hell of a villain. He was cocky, he over celebrated, he whined when things didn’t go his way. But most importantly, Johny Hendricks was good…very good. They don’t boo nobodies, and that was certainly the case with Hendricks. Beyond rooting against Hendricks, there also was the storyline of Mark Perry trying to finally break through and beat not only Hendricks, but his family in Hendricks’ corner. It’s no great secret that Perry didn’t go wrestle for Uncle Johnny. And last year’s title bout culminate a season’s worth of drama with a happy ending. No celebration was greater or more pure than seeing Hendricks scream and fall to his knees after finally defeating Hendricks. For somebody to overcome such a tremendous obstacle, not to mention all of the pressure of the Iowa program and Tom Brands that was strategically placed on Perry’s shoulders, it was the perfect ending to a great year at 165. The question now is, what’s next? Perry is exception, there’s no doubt about that. His great task will be climbing the mountain again. But beyond that, what is going to happen? Eric Tannenbaum has always been a very good wrestler, but will he ascend to be a worthy challenger to Perry’s title? Perry doesn’t have the charisma of Ben Askren to make utter domination interesting. But until a foil really emerges, that might be what we have to settle for. 3. Phil Davis stays scary good After watching him wrestle this weekend, Phil Davis could be the best in the country. Easily. Granted, he’s wrestled exactly one match this year. But oh what a display it was. He brutalized Hudson Taylor, who will have as good a season as anybody at 197 this year. Josh Glenn gets absolutely no respect as the defending national title, and I’m sure writing this is a slap in the face to him. His title is one of the steps wrestling needs to expand outside of the Big 10 and Big 12. But if Davis wrestles like that, the fun will be seeing who can even stay with him, Glenn included. I’ve been talking about athletes this entire column, athletes are what makes the sport interesting. Davis is that kind of athlete that can change the sport. He’s had some blips on the radar in the past, the swing at Jake Rosholt, missing weight at last year’s All Star Classic. But if he can keep wrestling at this level, he’s the story of the year. 2. Ryan Lang’s redemption Maybe the trend for Northwestern wrestlers is to get embarrassed in NCAA Finals one year, then come back like a man on a mission. That strategy certainly worked for Jake Herbert last year, as he punished the field to win 184. Ryan Lang certainly has the first part of the equation figured out. After sticking Darrion Caldwell in the most entertaining match of the tournament, Lang had all the momentum he needed going into semifinals. But a tight match against Don Fisch and a disaster against Derek Moore led to one of the more unsatisfying runner up finishes in recent years. But Lang is a warrior. He’s an interesting kid, gives great interviews, and has a personality you want to root for. He also goes for broke in every match he’s in. Once again, the type of wrestler college wrestling needs. But getting killed in a big match affects kids in many different ways. Some bounce back and have the year of a lifetime, look at Jake Herbert. Others never quite recover. Wrestling is more mental than physical, and many people would be mentally broken after being teched in finals by a relative unknown. This year I’ll be rooting for Ryan Lang for that very reason. I’m hoping that as bad as last year felt, this year is just as sweet. 1. The clash of titans lives up to the hype Darrion Caldwell is a physical specimen. Lance Palmer was the best true freshman in the country last year. Bubba Jenkins won a world title and is now in the right weight class. J.P. O’Connor could be the EIWA’s best wrestler. Josh Churella is a returning NCAA finalist. And you know what, I hope none of it even matters. What matters is for the first time in two years, Brent Metcalf will be wrestling when it means something. The reincarnation of Tom Brands is making his debut. I hope Metcalf is as mean as advertised. Sometimes, there is beauty in brutality. If Brent Metcalf doesn’t eat glass for breakfast, run through brick walls to warm up, and finish matches by drinking his opponent’s blood, I might be disappointed. I want Metcalf to be good because he’s supposed to be. I want Metcalf to be good because he’s a goer at its very highest levels. His style can be as punishing as anyone in the sport’s history. And his topsy turvey career so far lends itself to Hendricks-like villain status. Brands has hinted that Metcalf really is the second coming. He has the most talent in a very talented Iowa room. I want to see it. I also want Dustin Schlatter back. Show me Dustin Schlatter that outscores his opponents 33-2 at the NCAA tournament. The Dustin Schlatter that puts 10 up on Zack Esposito. The Dustin Schlatter that hits duck unders in his sleep. The Dustin Schlatter who scores at will that you can’t possibly score on. And then I want to see these two wrestle. A lot. I’d be content if every time they stepped on the mat it’s against each other. And each time they wrestle, I hope it’s a war. I want Metcalf to try and turn it into a street fight. I’d like Schlatter to continue to be a surgeon. Through this clash of styles I want to see the match the ancient Greeks envisioned when they created the sport. The clash of styles, the mix of personalities, the anticipation. I want Schlatter-Metcalf to be better than advertised. I want athletic directors to see their matches and immediately examine how they can bring back wrestling. I want ABC Sports to want the rights to Schlatter-Metcalf match ups. I want Schlatter-Metcalf to change the course of college wrestling. It’s the only thing that can satisfy the hype. And it’s really all I wish for.