We must prepare ourselves for the third weekend of NCAA wrestling, as things are about to get serious. A favorite metaphor of mine that pertains to trying to do or consume more than is reasonable in any given amount of time is to 'drink from the firehose'. It gets tossed out during things like freshman orientation or during your first week at a new job. I just like because it gives me a chance to post this sublime clip from the hilarious 1989 cult classic 'UHF'.

Outstanding.

Anyway, the reason we all need to open wide like Joel Miller is because not only is NCAA wrestling opening up full bore, but the Bill Farell Memorial International Open is also blasting us with Olympic style action during the same weekend. This weekend!

It is a veritable smorgasbord of wrestling. We'll be focusing on the NCAA wrestling in this blog, but there will be a solid number of NCAA superstars in NYC looking to punch their ticket to the Olympic Team Trials in April. You can see the registered wrestler list here, and soon enough, brackets!

But what else? How about we run down this weekend's events and discuss all the fun wrestling we're about to watch like pals? Sounds good, let's do it. 

The schedule of events courtesy of our friends at Wrestling by Pirate.

All times Eastern, with local times in parentheses.

*-Indicates a one-pound weight allowance shall be granted.

Friday, November 15

Ohio State at Pittsburgh, 3:00 PM

ESPN+ has one of the better (and earliest) duals of the weekend, thanks to the Panther's membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Redshirt freshman Buckeye Quinn Kinner will get another shot at #4 Micky Phillippi. Kinner dropped a tough 6-4 loss to Phillippi two weeks ago at the MSU Open.

Afternoon clash.

?: #3 Ohio State
?: Fitzgerald Field House
?: https://t.co/w3klqLihSZ
?: https://t.co/ZNijon9G8v
?️: https://t.co/vE04yWLH2a#pinzburgh » #H2P pic.twitter.com/ylsL3U2sTk

— Pitt Wrestling (@Pitt_WRES) November 15, 2019

Binghamton vs South Dakota State at Sioux Falls, SD, 6:30 PM

Flo will stream every other Jackrabbit home dual, however, this one will be at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, and the only way to watch it is in the Pentagon or on local broadcast. If you are lucky enough to be in the area, any opportunity to watch #2 Lou DePrez or #5 Tanner Sloan is one you should take advantage of.

It's Match Day! First dual of the season is today at 5:30 p.m. against Binghamton at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Start of a Jackrabbit doubleheader with the women's basketball team. #GetJacked pic.twitter.com/AuwRXSJzpc

— Jackrabbits Wrestling (@GoJacksWrestle) November 15, 2019

Oklahoma State at Drexel, 7:00 PM (Live on Flo)

As several eagle-eyed fans and social media watchers noted, this is not Oklahoma State's seasonal debut, that occurred last week at the Oklahoma City University Open. More accurately, this is the Cowboys' dual meet debut. Alternatively, it is their FloWrestling debut. 

Additionally, this is the debut of the recently announced Drexel/FloSports partnership, something I am personally quite pumped for. Now, let's check out those matchups. 

125: #4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) vs Antonio Mininno (Drexel) 

133: Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State) vs Chandler Olson (Drexel) 

141: #10 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State) vs Tyler Williams (Drexel) 

149: #8 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) vs Vincent Foggia (Drexel) 

157: Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) vs Felix Belga (Drexel) 

165: #25 Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State) vs #12 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel) 

174: #6 Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) vs Michael O'Malley (Drexel) 

184: #4 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) vs Owen Brooks (Drexel) 

197: Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State) vs Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel) 

285: Cornelius Putnam (Oklahoma State) vs Sean O'Malley (Drexel)

????????‼️ #BringTheHEAT

? | Oklahoma State
⏰ | 7 PM
? | Philadelphia, PA
?️ | Daskalakis Athletic Center
? | https://t.co/1fy0itm6Hr
? ($) | @FloWrestling https://t.co/KII0kmqoEm pic.twitter.com/Qm9DIlJ8Y6

— DrexelWrestling (@DrexelWrestling) November 15, 2019

Old Dominion at North Carolina State, 7:00 PM

Larry Early upset Hayden Hidlay last year in an early-season dual meet. Both finished their seasons as All-Americans. Will Hidlay get revenge, or will Early do the dang thing again? ESPN+ will be the place to steam it and find out. 

Rider at Minnesota, 8:00 PM (Live on Flo)

This one is going to be more competitive than you think. Rider has several AA contenders (125 Cefolo, 165 Dellavecchia, 197 Laird) and Minnesota is missing a few pieces of their full-strength lineup. Also worth tuning into to see Mitch McKee work his neck-wrenching head-pinches. 

And we back. pic.twitter.com/FGVxrK27tF

— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) November 15, 2019

Bucknell at Northern Illinois, 8:00 PM 

Check out ESPN+ for this Patriot League vs MAC dual meet. Keep your eye on NIU's Brit Wilson. He's got a high ceiling at 184. 

Augustana at Arizona State, 9:00 PM

Augustana won't finish transitioning from DII to DI until the 2021-22 season, but it's still good to see them get some DI experience on their program's belt. Here's a very interesting article about Sioux Falls, the city Augustana calls home. Sorry it's behind a paywall, and yes I appreciate the irony of me saying that. 

Rutgers at Fresno State, 10:00 PM (Live on Flo)

California's Central Valley is a great place for wrestling. So is New Jersey. The two opposite sides of the continent have more that brings them together than that which separates them. They are opposite sides of the same coin. The yin and the yang. Okay maybe that last one was going too far. Whatever. This will be a good dual, and you can read more about the Bulldogs expectations for the season here. 

2⃣4⃣ HOURS‼️

Red Wave, we NEED you out at the Save Mart Center on Friday!#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley pic.twitter.com/lO9BJeE8rp

— FresnoStateWrestling (@FresnoStateWRES) November 15, 2019

Oregon State vs. Simon Fraser at Tahoma, WA, 10:00 PM

The Beavers are wrestling Simon Fraser, a university located in Canada, and I didn't even know you were allowed to do that. 

Saturday, November 16

Keydet Duals

Franklin & Marshall at VMI, 11:00 AM

Davidson vs Franklin & Marshall, 1:00 PM

Davidson at VMI, 3:00 PM

A tri-meet featuring one of my favs, the Dips vs the Runnin Roos!

Come out to Cormack Hall this Saturday as we take on Franklin & Marshall College and Davidson!
Doors open at 10:15 a.m. and tickets are available for purchase at the door!
Match 1️⃣ || 11 a.m. VMI vs. F&M
Match 2️⃣ || 1 p.m. F&M vs Davidson
Match 3️⃣ || 3 p.m. VMI vs. Davidson pic.twitter.com/ZI4iDXgJM6

— VMI Wrestling (@VMI_Wrestling) November 14, 2019

Boro Duals (Live on Flo)

Ohio at Edinboro, 12:00 PM

Long Island vs Ohio, 3:00 PM

Long Island at Edinboro, 4:30 PM

Dual meets are cool but sometimes you need some tri-meets in your life as well.

Kent State Duals (Live on Flo)

Michigan State at Kent State, 12:00 PM

Oklahoma at Kent State, 12:00 PM

Michigan State vs Oklahoma, 12:00 PM

Why as why? Try tri-meets. Also 157 should be a good one with #17 Justin Thomas of Oklahoma vs #23 Jake Tucker of Michigan State. 

*Oklahoma State at Lehigh, 1:00 PM

14 ranked wrestlers could take the mat in this one. That's a lot! The Patriot Leauge Network has the media rights to most Lehigh competitions so you can find this on Stadium, which is a website. Or maybe an app. Possibly both. I'm not sure what the difference is sometimes to be honest.  

Lehigh to open dual season with top 10 clash versus Oklahoma State Saturday at Stabler Arena

Preview and notes:https://t.co/UGNobddlca

— Lehigh Wrestling (@LehighWrestling) November 14, 2019

Important mid-weekend question:

Speaking of the Bill Farrell this weekend...

What movie role is Will Ferrell's most iconic?

— Mark Bader (@MarkSBader) November 14, 2019

I was only half-joking when I replied A Night at the Roxbury. Actually I take that back, I was 0% joking. That movie is great. I will countenance no opinions to the contrary. 

North Carolina at Stanford, 5:00 PM

The Pac-12 Network has the privilege here. Shane Griffith vs Kennedy Monday at 165 is the one you want to watch for.

Free admission to Saturday's home opener against No. 17 North Carolina. Action begins in Burnham Pavilion at 2 p.m.#NextStartsNow #GoStanfordhttps://t.co/H9BKFG4QJZ

— Stanford Wrestling (@CardWrestling) November 15, 2019

*Rutgers at CSU Bakersfield, 6:30 PM

ESPN+ will carry this one as the Scarlet Knights continue their tour of the Central Valley.

West Virginia at Northern Colorado, 9:00 PM (Live on Flo)

Both of these schools know a thing or two about mountains. And Bears. And Beets. And Battlestar Galactica. Keep your eye on 165 and #18 Nick Kiussis (WVU) vs #13 Austin Matthews (Northern Colorado).

Dual season is HERE! The Bears start at Bank of Colorado Arena against the Mountaineers! ??‍♂️?

?>> https://t.co/qItODiOzTY#BearDown #HibernationIsOver #GoUNCBears #Big12WR

— UNC Bears Wrestling (@UNCBearsWrestle) November 14, 2019

Wyoming at Air Force, 9:00 PM

A high altitude rumble. I tried hiking a mountain in Colorado before. It was horrible. I do not recommend. Stay at sea level and just use an elliptical, that is my advice. 

Sunday, November 17

Wolfpack Open, 9:00 AM (Live on Flo)

Appalachian State, North Carolina State, Old Dominion, Presbyterian, and The Citadel in Raliegh. 

As wrestling continues it's slow but inexorable march southerly, enjoy this tournament at the furthest reaches of the current DI wrestling landscape. As we continue our mission, let's hope for a time when we look back at this as a quant period before programs sprouted in states like Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and, dare I suggest it? Mississippi!

Black Knight Invite, 10:00 AM (Live on Flo)

Army West Point, Bloomsburg, Central Michigan, Hofstra, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Penn State in West Point.

I wrote about nine questions for which  I demand the BK Invite provides answers. And I want the truth. And I assure you, Colonel Jessup, that I can handle the truth. Sorry that link was to a movie about the Marines, an entirely different branch of the military than the Army, whom are hosting this tournament. It's a good scene though, and I stand by it. 

Daktronics Open, 9:00 AM (Live on Flo)

Binghamton, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota State in Brookings. 

Worth the price of admission for the potential Lou DePrez vs Taylor Venz match alone. But luckily, you don't need to travel to Brookings, SD to purchase a ticket (nothing against Brookings by the way, just saying), you can watch from the comfort of your own home! You can also watch on the go with the FloSports app. Just don't ask me for technical help with the app. As I alluded to earlier, I am old, and apps confuse me!

George Mason at Clarion, 12:00 PM

Patriots vs Golden Eagles!

Virginia Tech at Ohio State, 12:00 PM

A big time dual meet on our friends' cable channel the Big Ten Network. You should watch, there will be as many as 14 top-25 wrestlers competing. Let's check out a list of those wrestlers now, shall we?

Rider at Northern Illinois, 1:00 PM

Brocs v Huskies! Horses vs Dogs! The first one sounds cooler!

Bucknell at Iowa State, 2:00 PM (Live on Flo)

David Carr's first match of the year is against NCAA qualifier #18 Zach Hartman. 

The guys are excited to get back into Hilton Coliseum this weekend. Listen to what they had to say ahead of their showdown with Bucknell.#Cyclones pic.twitter.com/sFq6fV1lsO

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR) November 14, 2019

Purdue at North Dakota State, 2:00 PM (Live on Flo)

Purdue's #20 165-pounder Emil Soehnlen has already wrestled #19 Troy Keller, #7 Demetrius Romero and #6 Josh Shields, plus unranked but will be when if and when his redshirt is pulled Carson Kharchla. Now he gets #9 Andrew Forgarty. That's a heck of a way to start your redshirt freshman season. 

An excellent warmup for that bout is Kendall Coleman vs Jared Franek, both redshirt freshman, at 157.

#NDSUBison Take on No. 25 Purdue at 1 p.m. Sunday #ThunderRolls #Big12WR https://t.co/ZcNKebssNV

— NDSU Wrestling (@NDSUwrestling) November 13, 2019

Chattanooga at Iowa, 3:00 PM (Live on Flo)

What's the deal with the Hawkeyes' lineup at 133 and 141, that's what everyone wants to know. Nomad wrote about it, and so did I. We won't know until Sunday is the answer!

184 has a very decent matchup of #17 Matthew Waddle from Chattanooga vs #12 Hawkeye Cash Wilcke. Highly recommended.  

Brands, Cassioppi, Marinelli. Ready for the opener on Sunday inside Carver. pic.twitter.com/dvx87kVbcd

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) November 14, 2019

Northern Iowa at Northwestern, 6:00 PM (Live on Flo)

What an excellent dual to end weekend with. 

Junior world team member Yahya Thomas (NW) and All-American Max Thomsen (UNI) at 157 is the match I'm looking forward to most. 

So at this point, your thirst will hopefully be satisfactorily slaked by the firehouse of wrestling competitions blasted into your gaping maw. If not, no worries, next weekend will also be jam-packed with rad wrestling content!

Enjoy the wrestling my friends!