While Super Bowl Sunday will feature teams from LA and Boston, the best matchup of the day will happen a few hours earlier in Piscataway, New Jersey. The nation's top two 149 pounders collide in a dual between the state's premier college teams.

Watch Princeton at Rutgers Live on Flo

Sun. Feb. 3 | Noon Eastern

The fifth matchup between Matt Kolodzik and Anthony Ashnault is going down at the RAC on noon this Sunday. Kolodzik is the standard bearer right now for Princeton, the first top ranked wrestler of the Chis Ayres era. Meanwhile, Ashnault is looking to close out his career, after six years of Division 1 wrestling, with Rutgers' first national title.

With six wins over five ranked wrestlers this season, Kolodzik has lived up to his #1 ranking. The two-time All-American is 14-0 so far, which includes a Midlands title. He's one of the most efficient finishers in the country, and although he can be very selective with his shots, he's always a threat to score late in periods.

Ashnault has looked great in his final season on campus. After missing all of last year, he's moved up a weight and taken full advantage of the medical redshirt he was awarded. At 17-0, he's got seven pins, three techs, and two majors, bonusing at double the rate of Kolodzik this season. In the non-pin matches, he's putting up 13.2 points per match, with double digit points in eight of them. His claw tilt series is devastating on top.

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The first time these two met in folkstyle (they've also had a couple freestyle matches) was in December 2015 at Midlands. Kolodzik won 11-4 on the front side, with each wrestler picking up two takedowns, but Kolo also getting nearfall, a reversal, a couple escapes and riding time. Then in the consi semis, Ashnault got a third period rideout to win 3-2 without a takedown.

Then in November 2016 in an outdoor dual at the Scarlet Knights' football stadium, Kolodzik took Ashnault down with under 10 seconds remaining to win 4-3. Their most recent matchup was in the 2017 NCAA quarterfinals, with Ashnault winning 6-2 picking up nearfall and riding time in the only matchup where Kolodzik was unable to score a takedown.

Ayres said the following to to Bill Evans of NJ.com about the matchup: 

Ashnault can't score on him. Ashnault is good, don't get me wrong. He's really, really good, but I don't think he can do it. We beat him two years ago at 141 pounds, then they beat us. But Ashnault is up a weight this year. Kolodzik's gotten stronger and way more consistent, so I think it could be two takedowns to none.

Although that will be the only ranked matchup of the dual, there will be four other ranked wrestlers taking the mat. That includes #3 Pat Brucki at 197, who is still undefeated thus far for the Tigers. Now ranked fourth, Nick Suriano snapped his two-match losing streak with a tech last week over Logan Griffin and should be in position to pick up bonus points over Jonathan Gomez.

True freshman Pat Glory has lived up to the hype and is now ranked in the Top-10. He could wind up being a big point scorer for Princeton at NCAAs this year in Pittsburgh. John Van Brill is the final ranked wrestler, though he is listed as an "OR" with true freshman Jake Benner.

Speaking of true freshmen, if Benner goes, there will be five true freshmen taking the mat at the RAC: Glory, Quincy Monday and Travis Stefanik for the Tigers, and Benner and Stephan Glasgow for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers Projected Lineup

125: Shane Metzler

133: #4 Nick Suriano

141: Peter Lipari or Mike Van Brill

149: #2 Anthony Ashnault

157: #17 John Van Brill or Jake Benner

165: Stephan Glasgow

174: Joe Grello or Anthony Olivieri

184: Willie Scott 

197: Matt Correnti

285: Christian Colucci

Princeton Projected Lineup

125: #10 Pat Glory

133: Jonathan Gomez

141: Marshall Keller

149: #1 Matt Kolodzik

157: Quincy Monday

165: Dale Tiongson or Lenny Merkin

174: Travis Stefanik

184: Kevin Parker

197: #3 Pat Brucki

285: Obinna Ajah