NCAA wrestling: Penn State tops this week's power rankings as newcomers dominate

No changes in the top four as Penn State and Iowa opened their dual seasons in impressive fashion. Ohio State and Oklahoma State have big dual matchups on the road this weekend, with the Buckeyes facing a good Arizona State squad and the Cowboys and Gophers renewing their usually competitive rivalry. Nebraska drops out of the top 10 — at least this week — after narrow victories over heavy underdogs Utah Valley State and Virginia. A strong Lehigh team enters the mix; they will be tested at Michigan this Friday. November lineups do not always equal those of March.

Here are your power rankings as of November, 12: 

 1 – PENN STATE: A few new faces, same dominant results for Nittany Lions in season-opening 52-3 pin-fest against Kent State. Rookie 133-pounder Roman Bravo-Young and redshirt-freshman 149-pounder Jarod Verkleeren had impressive debuts for a PSU squad with six wrestlers ranked inside the top 5 at their respective weight classes. The reigning NCAA champs compete inside The Palestra at the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia this Sunday.

The 2018 @ncaawrestling Champs got back to work yesterday taking down Kent State, 52-3. #SlowMoMonday pic.twitter.com/FZgTMYvVI4

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) November 12, 2018

2 – OHIO STATE: Head coach Tom Ryan’s squad gets a warm-up against Division I newbie California-Baptist on Friday before facing a strong Arizona State squad on Sunday in Tempe. Two Buckeyes, Myles Martin (184) and Kollin Moore (197), started the week in Bucharest, Romania, at the 2018 U23 World Championships. The starting spot at 174 pounds could be a battle all year long.

Looking forward to a great crowd Friday night in Riverside, Calif.!#GoBucks https://t.co/fLgmDgk9oc

— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) November 13, 2018

3 – IOWA: The Hawkeyes outscored Bakersfield and Kent State by a combined 81-3 last Friday to open the 2018-19 dual campaign. The win over CSB gave the Iowa program 1,000 dual victories; Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Oregon State are the only other programs with 1,000-plus wins. “The most important thing is getting win No. 1,002. That’s coming up next – Princeton on Friday night,” Iowa boss Tom Brands said.

4 – OKLAHOMA STATE: Still trying to figure out who fits where into a potentially potent lineup, the Cowboys wrestle at South Dakota State on Saturday night, then head east to face a good Minnesota squad on Sunday. The collegiate folkstyle debut of 2017 Junior World freestyle champion Daton Fix, a 133-pound redshirt-freshman, is highly anticipated.

5 – ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils had a solid day at the Bison Open, then followed it up with a dominant 30-9 victory over South Dakota State on Sunday. ASU hosts North Carolina this Friday and welcomes No. 2 Ohio State to Tempe on Sunday. Head coach Zeke Jones has some options from 149 through 165 pounds with Josh Maruca, Christian Pagdilao, and Josh Shields. Anthony Valencia started at 165 pounds a year ago and should return at some point.

Next up in the “Returning National Champ Q&A” series is 2018 ⁦@ASUWrestling⁩ 174-pound champion ⁦@z_money_97⁩ who talks about winning his first ⁦@ncaawrestling⁩ title, training w/ his brother ⁦@AnthonadorGold⁩ & his goals for 2019. https://t.co/aM8atK8cfY

— Shannon Scovel (@ShannonScovel) November 6, 2018

6 – MICHIGAN: Stevan Micic (133), Logan Massa (165), and Myles Amine (174), the Wolverines’ “Big 3” each had pins in a 32-12 dual win over Central Michigan last Sunday. UM will see how good it is this Friday when Lehigh visits Ann Arbor for what should be a down-to-the-wire matchup. Lehigh whipped the Wolverines, 27-8, last year in Bethlehem.

7 – CORNELL: The Big Red open the dual season Friday at Binghamton, celebrate “Kyle Dake Day” on Saturday against West Virginia, and compete in the New York State Intercollegiates on Sunday. Dake, a four-time NCAA champ for Cornell, won a World championship in freestyle last month.

RELATED: 5 questions with Cornell's returning NCAA wrestling champion Yianni Diakomihalis

8 – NORTH CAROLINA STATE: A trio of Wolfpack starters highlighted North Carolina State’s first action of the season. Nick Reenan (184), Justin Oliver (149), and Daniel Bullard (174) each went unbeaten at the Journeyman Classic in Troy, N.Y., on Sunday. Teammate Hayden Hidlay, an NCAA finalist last March, is in Bucharest with the U23 freestyle squad.

9 – MISSOURI: The Tigers hammered rival Illinois, 30-8, on Nov. 4 and whipped Old Dominion, 40-3, last Sunday. All-Americans Jaydin Eierman (141) and Daniel Lewis (174) are picking up right where they left off last March. MU hosts Virginia this Friday.

Five Mountain Hawks win pools as Lehigh opens season at @jmenwrestling Collegiate Classic

Recap and interview with Pat Santoro:https://t.co/yDFAasAUdc

— Lehigh Wrestling (@LehighWrestling) November 11, 2018

10 – LEHIGH: Lehigh opened its 110^th season of collegiate wrestling at the Journeyman Collegiate Classic last Sunday and opens the dual season with a bang this Friday at Michigan. The Mountain Hawks won the 2018 EIWA Championships, the school’s 35^th, return three All-Americans and add former Stanford All-American Connor Schram (125) to an already strong lineup. Lehigh is at Penn State on Dec. 2.

Next five – Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin.

WATCH: Relive Bo Nickal's dramatic title run capped by his clinching pin