By Brian Reinhardt
USA Wrestling

You want duals to matter in NCAA wrestling? Done! 

An event most college wrestling fans were eager to have back makes a triumphant return this weekend. The National Duals Invitational sponsored by Paycom takes place Saturday and Sunday in Tulsa, Okla. 

This year, eight of the current top 10 teams in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Poll will be on full display among the 16 teams that accepted an invitation. There will be 28 duals spread across the two days of action, with over $1 million worth of prize money on the line throughout the weekend. 

The winning school will net $200,000. Second and third place squads will receive $150,000, and prize money will be extended through eighth place. Every school also receives $20,000 for competing. 

Invitations were extended to the top-12 team finishers from the 2025 NCAA Championships. The rest of the field was selected randomly from a pool of teams that finished from 13th to 24th at the NCAAs. 

The top four schools were seeded (Iowa was the top seed, followed by Nebraska, Ohio State and Oklahoma State). The remaining 12 schools were drawn into the bracket at random 

Here is a look at the schedule: 

Saturday, November 15

9 a.m. – Round-of-16 (#3 Iowa vs. #16 Missouri, #15 Illinois vs. #22 Little Rock, #7 NC State vs. #14 Northern Iowa, #5 Oklahoma State vs. #12 Cornell)

11 a.m. – Round-of-16 (#4 Ohio State vs. #24 Wyoming, #9 Minnesota vs. #10 Virginia Tech, #11 Michigan vs. Arizona State, #2 Nebraska vs. #8 Lehigh)

5 p.m. – Quarterfinals 

Sunday, November 16

10 a.m. – Semifinals

6 p.m. – Finals 

*All times listed are local / U.S. Central Time. 

The championship dual will be televised on ESPN2. All the other duals will be streamed on FloWrestling.

Top first-round matchup?  

Based on full rosters, it would be very easy to say Oklahoma State vs. Cornell or Nebraska vs. Lehigh. But both Cornell and Lehigh are expected to be shorthanded this weekend and will be missing multiple ranked starters. 

NC State against Northern Iowa looks like it could come down to the final match, as the Pack has the advantage at the lower weights and UNI at the upper weights (NC State heavyweight #2 Isaac Trumble is expected to miss action as well). Minnesota and Virginia Tech match up really well. Both squads are introducing youngsters into their lineup so fireworks could ensue. 

Could this event be a Big Ten party? There is potential for six of the eight quarterfinal teams to all be from the Big 10, as they all hold the higher ranking in their first dual. 

You want talent?  

Not just a bevy of nationally ranked wrestlers will be in action, but six former national champions will all be in the building. Nebraska features Antrell Taylor (157) and AJ Ferrari (285), while NC State’s Vince Robinson (125), Oklahoma State’s Richard Figueroa (now at 133), Illinois’ Lucas Byrd (133), and Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (141) are all expected to compete.

Stepping away from the National Duals, here are two other duals worth the weekend watch on a second screen.

#18 Oklahoma at #1 Penn State - Friday at 6 p.m. (ET) 

Penn State steps onto the mat for the first time this season. While it appears through media reports that the Nittany Lions lineup questions at 133, 141 and 157 pounds have been worked out, the competition for those spots has been very tightly lipped all offseason. 

We did get an updated 2025-26 online roster, but not much could be taken from it. It was reported by multiple insiders that true freshmen Marcus Blaze (133 pounds) and PJ Duke (157 pounds) will start the season, and 2023 All-American (at Minnesota) Aaron Nagao will come back into the fold up at 141 pounds. Making it likely that juniors Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak will utilize redshirt years. Again, until they wrestle, nobody can say for sure what head coach Cael Sanderson and staff have in store for us this season. 

Oklahoma itself will be a team worth watching this year, as Roger Kish enters this third season with his best roster yet. Although the Sooners might be missing multiple starters at this early juncture of the season, they loaded up on talent in the transfer portal with five potential new starters, highlighted by 2024 All-American Peyten Kellar from Ohio. 

Navy at #21 North Carolina - Saturday at 3 p.m. (ET) 

A young, talented North Carolina squad still working on its lineup, including a touted redshirt-freshman class, opened with an impressive 40-0 shutout of Northern Colorado last weekend. Navy has put together a tough schedule, as the Tar Heels will be their third ranked dual foe in as many weeks. They have already recorded some impressive individual wins, and a couple of their wrestlers have shot up the national rankings in a hurry. 

Featured bouts are ranked-versus-ranked matchups at both 174 and 285 pounds. Navy’s 2025 All-American Danny Wask will battle three-time NCAA Qualifier Josh Ogunsanya. Heavyweight will be a sneaky good battle, too. Freshman Spencer Lanosga has ascended to #12 in the country with his impressive start, including two wins over 2025 ACC champion Dayton Pitzer of Pitt. UNC’s Nolan Neves had an impressive first season in Chapel Hill last year, advancing to the NCAAs after transferring from Columbia.