Ohio State is traveling to State College, Pennsylvania on Friday night to take on the #1 Penn State Nittany Lions. Take a look below at a list of probable lineups, a preview, and predictions for the dual.

Probable Lineups:

125: #7 Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) vs #11 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State)

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs Dylan Koontz (Ohio State)

141: #1 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs #24 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State)

149: #15 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

157: Terrell Barraclough/Tony Negron (Penn State) vs HM Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State)

165: #10 Brady Berge (Penn State) vs #4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

174: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs #7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State)

184: #1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs #5 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)

197: #2 Max Dean (Penn State) vs #20 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State)

285: #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs #13 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State)

125: #7 Drew Hildebrandt (Penn State) vs #11 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State)

Malik Heinselman and Drew Hildebrandt met all the way back in November of 2019 in Ohio State’s dual against Central Michigan. Hildebrandt came out on top in that match by way of a 7-5 overtime victory. However, Heinselman has made major progress since that match and has ranked wins over #8 Drake Ayala and #23 Sam Latona this year. Expect this match to be like their previous bout - decided by a takedown or less with overtime potential - a true "toss-up" match.

Prediction: Heinselman by decision - Penn State 0, Ohio State 3

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs Dylan Koontz (Ohio State)

Defending national champion, Roman Bravo-Young, is undefeated on the year and will be a huge favorite against Ohio State’s Dylan Koontz. While Koontz is only 3-8 on the year, he has only been tech-falled once and has not been pinned on the season.

Prediction: Bravo-Young by tech fall - Penn State 5, Ohio State 3

141: #1 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs #24 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State)

Nick Lee and Dylan D’Emilio met twice last season with Lee dominating both meetings. Lee won 15-3 during their dual showdown but widened the gap with a 17-1 tech fall at the Big Ten tournament. While D’Emilio has made improvements since last year, a tech fall is more than probable for Lee in their meeting on Friday night.

Prediction: Lee by major decision - Penn State 9, Ohio State 3

Nick Lee's win over Dylan D'Emilio from last season:

149: #15 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) vs #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)

Last season in dual meet competition, Beau Bartlett surprised many by scoring the first takedown against Sammy Sasso and leading most of the first period. In that match, Sasso would respond with a takedown of his own at the end of the first period, an escape in the second period, and accumulate over a minute of riding time in the third. Ultimately, Sasso took the bout against Bartlett, 5-3. While I don’t expect Bartlett to pull the upset against Sasso on Friday, Bartlett showed he’s able to keep the match competitive and score on Sasso. I expect Sasso coming out on top by a similar score as last year.

Prediction: Sasso by decision - Penn State 9, Ohio State 6

Sasso's win over Bartlett from last season:

157: Terrell Barraclough/Tony Negron (Penn State) vs HM Jashon Hubbard (Ohio State)

If Ohio State hopes to pull the upset over Penn State, Jashon Hubbard needs to win at 157. Either Terrell Barraclough or Tony Negron will present a challenge for Hubbard and are capable of winning the match. It's hard to predict the outcome as Hubbard hasn't faced Barraclough or Negron, but Hubbards ability to score on his feet might prove to be the difference-maker in this match. 

Prediction: Hubbard by decision - Penn State 9, Ohio State 9

165: #10 Brady Berge (Penn State) vs #4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State)

Carson Kharchla vs Brady Berge is the first of three straight top 10 matches in this dual! Kharchla is coming off a 3-2 victory over Alex Marinelli while Berge just lost by major decision to the Hawkeye. Kharchla should be considered the favorite in this matchup but expect Berge to keep the bout much closer than he was able to with Marinelli. 

Prediction: Kharchla by decision - Penn State 9, Ohio State 12

Carson Kharchla’s win over #7 Julian Ramirez from the 2021 CKLV:

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174: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs #7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State)

In consecutive weeks, Carter Starocci tallied hard-fought wins over #6 Logan Massa and #2 Michael Kemerer. This week Starocci is faced with another tough challenger in Ohio State’s Ethan Smith. While they have never met in competition, Smith has had competitive matches with the likes of Logan Massa, Mikey Labriola, Michael Kemerer, and Mekhi Lewis in his losses this year. Expect Smith to keep the match with Starocci close but Starocci's offense and riding ability should be too much for Smith to handle. 

Prediction: Starocci by decision - Penn State 12, Ohio State 12

184: #1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs #5 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State)

This match at 184 should be fantastic! Aaron Brooks recently defeated #2 Myles Amine in overtime while Amine defeated Kaleb Romero in overtime two weeks ago. Romero showed in the Amine match that he has the discipline and athleticism to compete with the best wrestlers in the country. Should Romero look to score the big upset against Brooks, he’ll need to solve the puzzle of taking down the Nittany Lion - something few have been able to do this year. 

Prediction: Brooks by decision - Penn State 15, Ohio State 12

197: #2 Max Dean (Penn State) vs #20 Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State)

Aside from one loss to Cam Caffey, Max Dean has been incredible at 197. Dean’s ability to ride and turn his opponents in brutal fashion has been a revelation this season. Expect Dean’s top work to be the difference in his match against Hoffman. If Dean can get to his turns, bonus points are in the cards but Hoffman hasn’t been bonuses on the season and should be able to keep the bout with Dean competitive. 

Prediction: Dean by decision - Penn State 18, Ohio State 12

285: #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs #13 Tate Orndorff (Ohio State)

At the 2021 NCAA tournament, Greg Kerkvliet defeated Tate Orndorff by major decision, 13-1 in the 7th pace bout. Kerkvliet has shown major improvement this year - highlighted by his 8-5 win over NCAA runner-up, Mason Parris. Kerkvliet should be able to duplicate the result from the meeting last year and may even be able to run up the score to secure a tech fall. 

Prediction: Kerkvliet by major decision 

Final Score Prediction: Penn State 22, Ohio State 12

Ohio State’s path to victory in this dual is slim. The Buckeyes will need upsets at multiple weights along with limiting bonus points in weights where they are major underdogs. Should Penn State win Friday night, they’ll extend their dual record to 15-0 on the season and 25 straight dating back to 2020. You can watch this match on the Big Ten Network at 7:00 pm (ET) but be sure to join the watch party for the best commentary in the world from the FloWrestling team.