USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches TEAM Poll - January 19, 2016

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USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll - January 19, 2016
by Jason Bryant | Jan 19, 2016
Big Ten competition continues to spark movement in Top 25

Manheim, Pa. -- The top five teams remained in place, but Big Ten dual meet competition caused some movement as the USA Today/NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.

The nation's last four unbeaten teams in Division I still occupy the top four spots as Penn State, Iowa, N.C. State and Missouri continued their strong seasons. Penn State (10-0) won two duals, 46-4 over Northwestern and 24-10 over then-No. 7 Nebraska. Penn State's win at Northwestern was highlighted by Zain Retherford's 15-5 major decision over 2014 NCAA Division I champion Jason Tsirtsis at 149 pounds.

Iowa (11-0) rolled past Wisconsin 31-3, while N.C. State won its 17th dual of the season in smashing No. 17 Virginia 35-7. The Wolfpack win streak is the second-longest current active in Division I, followed by No. 4 Missouri (9-0), which claimed its 36th and 37th dual wins in a row with victories over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

Oklahoma State (6-2) holds steady at No. 5. The Cowboys topped a pair of ranked teams, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, on an Eastern swing. Coach John Smith's team won 19 of 20 individual bouts in the two matches.

Lehigh (10-1), Oklahoma (8-2), Michigan (7-1), Ohio State (6-2) and Virginia Tech (9-2) round out the top 10.

Ohio State continued to make the Big Ten dual meet season interesting as the Buckeyes unleashed 2015 NCAA All-American and 2015 freestyle World champion Kyle Snyder into the lineup at heavyweight. Snyder's major decision over Collin Jensen would lift the Buckeyes past Nebraska on Sunday. Nebraska fell four spots to No. 11. 

Minnesota (6-6) re-entered the Top 25 after a one-week hiatus. The Golden Gophers evened their record after a 17-16 win over then-No. 6 Rutgers in Minneapolis on Sunday.

Kent State (10-3) broke into the Top 25 for the first time this season. The Golden Flashes upended MAC rival Ohio over the weekend.

Rank   Team (First)   Record   Points   Conference   Previous
1   Penn State (11)   10-0   299   Big Ten   1
2   Iowa   11-0   287   Big Ten   2
3   N.C. State (1)   17-0   276   ACC   3
4   Missouri   9-0   263   MAC   4
5   Oklahoma State   6-2   255   Big 12   5
6   Lehigh   10-1   232   EIWA   8
7   Oklahoma   8-2   219   Big 12   9
8   Michigan   7-1   212   Big Ten   10
9   Ohio State   6-2   210   Big Ten   11
10   Virginia Tech   9-2   183   ACC   12
11   Nebraska   8-3   183   Big Ten   7
12   Rutgers   11-3   176   Big Ten   6
13   Illinois   10-3   159   Big Ten   13
14   North Carolina   9-2   134   ACC   15
15   Cornell   3-3   125   EIWA   16
16   Iowa State   7-3   114   Big 12   14
17   Virginia   5-3   101   ACC   17
18   Pittsburgh   9-2   89   ACC   18
19   Central Michigan   5-2   81   MAC   19
20   Purdue   7-2   80   Big Ten   20
21   Indiana   5-1   58   Big Ten   22
22   Oregon State   5-4   54   Pac-12   23
23   Minnesota   6-6   32   Big Ten   NR
24   Kent State   10-3   18   MAC   NR
25   Appalachian State   8-2   16   SoCon   25 
Dropped out: No. 21 Ohio, No. 24 West Virginia
Others Receiving Votes: Ohio 11, Arizona State 10, West Virginia 10, Stanford 5, Wisconsin 4, Chattanooga 3, Bucknell 1