Occasionally I'm going to start my rankings w/ storytime. And my first storytime is...
The Great Kevin Randleman
If anyone was asked about the tOSU GOAT, probably most would deservedly have 4x NCAA champ Stieber at the top of the list. OLY champ & 2x World champ Snyder would get some votes as well. Clearly, one of the top 5, maybe battling it out w/ Rowlands for #3, would be Kevin Randleman. And he's a guy I was barely aware of until recently. I didn't follow tOSU wrestling much in the 90s, as I was more of a HS follower at the time. And before the 90s they weren't often worth following. I had heard of Randleman, but only well enough to kind of remember that he had an NCAA champ banner hanging in St Johns. Here's a brief summary of his impressive wrestling career and a link to Wiki where you can read more:
Randleman grew up in Sandusky, OH, one of 11 kids in a poor neighborhood, and was known as a street fighter. After winning a state title for Sandusky as a senior, he went to tOSU, where he finished 2nd, 1st & 1st before becoming academically ineligible his senior year. He went on to a MMA career and was a UFC Champion. Sadly, he died at the age of 44 from a heart attack.
Here's more on him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Randleman
tOSU vs PSU
The B10 dual season is ending this weekend w/ perhaps the 2nd most interesting dual of the season, tOSU vs PSU. I think the chances of this duplicating the drama and excitement of the PSU vs IOWA are slim, but it could happen. Like that dual, there are many matches that are coin flips, or near to it. 125, 141, 157, 184 and maybe even 285 could go either way. I'd like tOSU's chances better if it was in the Covelli Center and not @ PSU. tOSU is favored at 149 & 197, while PSU is favored at 133, 165, 174, 184 & 285. If PSU holds those weights, and they should, they'll add bonus pts and win even w/ a 5-5 split. I doubt that tOSU pulls it off, but this season has seen it's share of dual upsets. I'm sure there'll be a thread on this match, so I won't break it down or analyze it any further now. As you'll see below, tOSU remains closer to 2nd (12.5 pts) than 4th (15 pts). This dual could shrink the gap for 2nd or expand it.
Season is Winding Down
This is tOSU's last dual of the season, then a 3 week break leading up to the B10s. The other top 4 teams all have one more out of conference dual and then a 2 week break. I think 3 weeks is a little excessive, but Coach Ryan never asked my opinion.
Kolodzik
Ohio's Kolodzik PRIN pulled his RS and came into rankings at 2, 4, 6, 7 & 7. 149 is wide open for the top 7 at that weight, including #1 Sasso tOSU.
Now on to the rankings...
The Great Kevin Randleman
If anyone was asked about the tOSU GOAT, probably most would deservedly have 4x NCAA champ Stieber at the top of the list. OLY champ & 2x World champ Snyder would get some votes as well. Clearly, one of the top 5, maybe battling it out w/ Rowlands for #3, would be Kevin Randleman. And he's a guy I was barely aware of until recently. I didn't follow tOSU wrestling much in the 90s, as I was more of a HS follower at the time. And before the 90s they weren't often worth following. I had heard of Randleman, but only well enough to kind of remember that he had an NCAA champ banner hanging in St Johns. Here's a brief summary of his impressive wrestling career and a link to Wiki where you can read more:
Randleman grew up in Sandusky, OH, one of 11 kids in a poor neighborhood, and was known as a street fighter. After winning a state title for Sandusky as a senior, he went to tOSU, where he finished 2nd, 1st & 1st before becoming academically ineligible his senior year. He went on to a MMA career and was a UFC Champion. Sadly, he died at the age of 44 from a heart attack.
Here's more on him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Randleman
tOSU vs PSU
The B10 dual season is ending this weekend w/ perhaps the 2nd most interesting dual of the season, tOSU vs PSU. I think the chances of this duplicating the drama and excitement of the PSU vs IOWA are slim, but it could happen. Like that dual, there are many matches that are coin flips, or near to it. 125, 141, 157, 184 and maybe even 285 could go either way. I'd like tOSU's chances better if it was in the Covelli Center and not @ PSU. tOSU is favored at 149 & 197, while PSU is favored at 133, 165, 174, 184 & 285. If PSU holds those weights, and they should, they'll add bonus pts and win even w/ a 5-5 split. I doubt that tOSU pulls it off, but this season has seen it's share of dual upsets. I'm sure there'll be a thread on this match, so I won't break it down or analyze it any further now. As you'll see below, tOSU remains closer to 2nd (12.5 pts) than 4th (15 pts). This dual could shrink the gap for 2nd or expand it.
Season is Winding Down
This is tOSU's last dual of the season, then a 3 week break leading up to the B10s. The other top 4 teams all have one more out of conference dual and then a 2 week break. I think 3 weeks is a little excessive, but Coach Ryan never asked my opinion.
Kolodzik
Ohio's Kolodzik PRIN pulled his RS and came into rankings at 2, 4, 6, 7 & 7. 149 is wide open for the top 7 at that weight, including #1 Sasso tOSU.
Now on to the rankings...
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