Last year's NCAA finalists earned the top two seeds this season and could be on a collision course in Detroit. The depth of this bracket makes it interesting as some of the most accomplished 141-pounders earned low seeds that could result in some serious shake-ups.

Favorites

#1 Nick Lee, Penn State

#2 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa

#3 Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers

Nick Lee and Jaydin Eierman have a 2-2 lifetime record against one another with Lee has taken their two most recent bouts in sudden victory. One of those was last year's NCAA final. Lee is undefeated on the season, and Eierman's only loss came to Lee in the Iowa vs Penn State dual in January.

Lee and Eierman's NCAA finals highlights

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Sebastian Rivera can't be ignored as a legitimate title threat in this bracket. The Wildcat turned Scarlet Knight is 24-0 on the season and has finished no worse than 6th in his three NCAA Championships appearances. His path could be tough early with either Dresden Simon or three-time NCAA All-American Chad Red in the second round, but he appears destined for a semifinal with Jaydin Eierman, a matchup that has yet to happen. Rivera has wrestled returning champ Nick Lee twice, and while he's yet to beat the Nittany Lion, he has wrestled him to overtime.

Nick Lee's 2021 semifinal victory over Rivera

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Contenders

#4 Real Woods, Stanford

#5 Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado

#6 Clay Carlson, SDSU

#7 Allan Hart, Missouri

#8 Grant Willits, Oregon State

#9 Cole Matthews, Pitt

While the top three in this bracket are pretty firmly established, the next five in the rankings have proven to be formidable. Real Woods and Andrew Alirez are seeded hit in a Southern Scuffle rematch in the quarters. Their last meeting was a 5-4 victory for Woods.

All-American Clay Carlson is the #7 seed, and should he navigate Tal Shahar and either Willochell or Bergeland (who he's topped three times this season), he'll see Eierman in the quarters for the first time. If Eierman's Big Ten injury is nagging him, Carlson could be a tough matchup as his physical style and pace give many guys problems.

Allan Hart has a tough opening match with NCAA finalist Stevan Micic, but his top savvy makes him the favorite there. In the round of 16, he and Grant Willits could battle for the right to face Nick Lee in the top quarterfinal. Willits has turned it up a notch this season and with wins over the likes of Real Woods, he shouldn't be overlooked. It's worth noting that Hard did pin Willits last season in a dual.

Cole Matthews is also on this list. The Pitt Panther has victories this year over Kizhan Clarke and Stevan Micic and is seeded to see Rivera in the quarterfinals. Rivera is the favorite under normal circumstances, but his health remains a question and could open the door for Matthews.

Sleepers and Landmines

#11 Dresden Simon, Central Michigan

#12 Chad Red, Nebraska

#13 Stevan Micic, Michigan

#14 Kizhan Clarke, North Carolina

This year's group of landmines at 141 lbs all feel too familiar to truly be considered sleepers, but they're all seeded between 13 and 24 and could wreak havoc on this bracket.

Dresden Simon finished in the round of 12 last year, and Chad Red has been on the NCAA podium three times. They are 1-1 against one another, and they'll meet in the first round with Sebastian Rivera likely awaiting the winner. Rivera injury defaulted out of Big Tens, so it's possible that the Simon vs Red winner goes on a run.

Stevan Micic hasn't had a great season, and the 24th seed seems about right for the NCAA finalist. He'll be the underdog is just about every match this weekend, but it's hard to count out anyone who has earned the top seed in the Olympic Games.

Kizhan Clarke started his season with a bang by beating Chad Red in a dual in Lincoln, and he'd love to finish it well with a podium performance in Detroit. Should he take care of Ryan Jack in the first round, he'll expect to see Jaydin Eierman next. While Eierman is certainly the favorite, he's battling injury. If Clarke can make this a one-takedown match, something he does well, he has a chance to get past the Hawkeye and make some serious noise.

Predictions

1) Nick Lee, Penn State

2) Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers

3) Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado

4) Jaydin Eierman, Iowa

5) Chad Red, Nebraska

6) Clay Carlson, SDSU

7) Real Woods, Stanford

8) Cole Matthews, Pitt

R12) Kizhan Clarke, North Carolina

R12) Allan Hart, Missouri

R12) Dresden Simon, Central Michigan

R12) Grant Willits, Oregon State

Nick Lee has been the best guy at the weight since he won it last year, and his two biggest threats appear to be battling injuries, so Lee felt like a safe choice to win the bracket. On the bottom side, I went with Rivera over Eierman in one of the matches I hope to see the most this weekend.

I had Alirez to the top side semi falling to Nick Lee then taking out Clay Carlson and Jaydin Eierman for third. I'm not confident in either of those pics as Eierman is outstanding and Carlson is 2-1 against Alirez this season.

Clay Carlson breaks down his CKLV title over Alirez

In the round of 12, I predicted (probably foolishly) Real Woods over Kizhan Clarke, Chad Red over Allan Hart, Clay Carlson over Dresden Simon, and Cole Matthews over Grant Willits.