Teams and Individuals move up and down the polls from week to week. Coaches and wrestlers claim it doesn’t matter, but fans love rankings. And when it’s all said and done, no matter what your opinion is, rankings – even though there are a lot of them – are good for the sport
By Jeremy O’Kasick – TWM Freelance Writer
A week of big dual wins for Missouri and Minnesota has wrestling fans grappling themselves over the question: Who is the real No. 1?
In their latest tallies, my colleagues at The Wrestling Mall and W.I.N. go with Minnesota. The three-way NWCA/USA Today/Intermat poll gives the honor to Missouri. I could spend another seven paragraphs weighing both sides and arguing every angle under the sun. But let’s cut to the real question: What does it really matter?
More than six publications and groups come out with national collegiate wrestling polls throughout the season, and in addition to that, many conferences, like the Pac-10, CAA and EIWA, each have their own team and individual poll.
Each poll certainly has its own quirks: RevWrestling.com lumps all collegiate divisions into one big “Top 15″ format; Wrestlingreport.com has a whopping 30 individuals per weight class in each ranking; Amateur Wrestling News focuses almost solely on the individuals and only comes out with a team ranking poll at the start of the year; W.I.N. isn’t swayed much by dual meets, keeping their eyes on the prize and puts together rankings based on how they feel teams and individuals will perform in the big dance come March. As for The Wrestling Mall, well, I’ve heard that the secret to their accuracy has to do with pre-ranking voodoo ceremonies.
Wisecracks aside, let’s not overlook a job well done. Rankings are good for fans and good for wrestling. They provide a guide for the season and its progression in a sport that’s not easy to follow given the sheer number of competitors and minimal mainstream media coverage. They create excitement, especially when two ranked teams or wrestlers go head to head. And they also give wrestling fans endless material for debate and argument, which generates more intrigue for us all.
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