The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) made the decision this year to move the All-Star Classic to the beginning of the season instead of the middle of the season. This year, the event will take place on Monday, November 22 on the campus of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.    That move has already produced the most potent All-Star Classic lineup in at least five years.    This can be attributed to the fact that an early-season loss can be overcome easier in the rankings and the minds of the seeding committee, though this event is supposed to hold no weight in the seeding committee's eyes. It is also easier to take off a weekend early in the season to make weight for this event instead of taking an important dual meet off in the middle of the season.    Of the 20 wrestlers competing, seven have won NCAA titles, four have competed in the NCAA finals and five others have placed in the top four at the NCAA Tournament. There is also one rematch of a 2004 NCAA finals match.    The 39th Marines All-Star Classic is sure to be one of the most exciting early-season events in college wrestling in quite some time. Now for the matchups:    125 - Nick Simmons, Michigan State vs. Sam Hazewinkel, Oklahoma  Simmons took an Olympic Redshirt last year, a move that helped him improve greatly on how he wrestles. He learned that he does not need to always use a front headlock. While Hazewinkel did not take an Olympic Redshirt, he did succeed in Greco-Roman, placing third at the Olympic Trials. Both of these wrestlers will be looking to tie up, but for different reasons. Simmons likes to use his size advantage and his length to overpower his opponents and get them into strange positions throughout a match. Hazewinkel is a Greco-Roman star that has great upper body strength. It will be interesting to see who wins out, given the noticeable size difference here.  TheMat.com Prediction: Simmons    133 - Mark Jayne, Illinois vs. Travis Lee, Cornell  Jayne came into his own last year. He was seeded very high before struggling somewhat at the NCAA Tournament. But the important thing was that he gained experience and gained confidence in his abilities. Lee won an NCAA title two years ago. Last year, he made the move up to 133 and was stellar. He was upset at the NCAA Tournament, but still collected his third All-American honor. Both wrestlers are very good on their feet, which is a major reason that this should be one of the best matches in this event. Lee is slightly quicker, but both possess similar technical skills. This is a rematch of an All-Star match last year, in which Lee won 7-4. That was an exciting battle that Lee controlled. Expect a much more even match this year.  TheMat.com Prediction: Lee    141 - Teyon Ware, Oklahoma vs. Cory Cooperman, Lehigh  Two years ago, Ware won an NCAA title as a freshman. Last year, he struggled in the postseason as opponents forced him to be the offensive wrestler in matches. Ware loves to rely on his defense. He is a great counter wrestler, and that makes him tough to beat. He began to seek out an offense last year, and it cost him some matches, but it should help him the rest of his career. During that same tournament that Ware won the NCAA title, Cooperman missed weight. He is one of the top wrestlers in the country when he is healthy. He ended up placing seventh at the NCAA Tournament one year ago, and this match will be the biggest of his career to date. Cooperman should attempt to test out Ware's offense. Make him shoot. If Ware has improved that much, then it could be a long day for Cooperman. However, if Ware struggles in this area, then Cooperman could come home with the upset.  TheMat.com Prediction: Cooperman    149 - Zack Esposito, Oklahoma State vs. Dustin Manotti, Cornell  Esposito lived up to his billing last year by earning a trip to the NCAA finals. The flashiest of the Cowboys, he is an excellent mat wrestler and tough on his feet as well. He does tend to get himself into positions that will make his coaches cringe, but that is just part of his style. Sometimes he gets put to his back, sometimes he doesn't. Manotti still may be the most forgotten two-time All-American in the country right now. He has quietly turned himself into a title hopeful. But to be a contender and not a pretender, he must win one of these matches against Esposito, who defeated Manotti twice last year. That includes a 5-2 win in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. In both of their matchups last year, Esposito controlled the entire match, even though at times it appeared Manotti was the aggressor. Manotti has to change that. He should play a more defensive role at first and see what Esposito brings to him. What does he have to lose?  TheMat.com Prediction: Esposito    157 - Jake Percival, Ohio vs. Ryan Bertin, Michigan  Percival has had many critics in his career, including us. However, he quieted us with his NCAA Tournament performance one year ago. This riding machine has been on the All-American podium three times in his career and will go down as one of the great wrestlers in Mid-American Conference history. Bertin won an NCAA title two years ago but battled injuries all of last season. He somehow rebounded to place third at the NCAA Tournament. Coaches say that he is 100 percent right now, a dangerous sight for his opponents at this weight class. On their feet, Bertin is the better wrestler technically. His style is not an attacking style, though, which can tend to hurt him in a matchup such as this one. Percival can hang with people on his feet, but prefers to be wrestling on the mat. If this is a close match, don't be surprised to see Percival choose the top position when he gets the choice in a period. This is where the match could be decided.  TheMat.com Prediction: Percival    165 - Troy Letters, Lehigh vs. David Bolyard, Central Michigan  Letters is one of the most dominant wrestlers in all of college wrestling. It doesn't help his opponents that this weight class has mostly cleared out from last year as well, giving a decided advantage to the defending NCAA champion. He is physical, technically sound in all positions and does not make many mistakes. Most importantly, he knows how to wrestle a smart match. He knows when to take chances and when not to. In last year's NCAA finals, he got a lead and sat on it. He knew the burden was on his opponent at that point, and he kept it there the entire match. Bolyard had a breakout season last year, placing sixth at the NCAA Tournament. Included in that season was a 4-2 overtime loss to Letters, right about this same time of year. Bolyard struggles more in the mental aspect of wrestling than anything. When he is confident, he is good enough to win the NCAA title.  TheMat.com Prediction: Letters    174 - Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma State vs. Ben Askren, Missouri  This is a rematch of last year's NCAA finals, which Pendleton won 11-4. These two wrestled five times last year, with Pendleton coming away with four of the wins. It has been noted as one of the best rivalries in college wrestling heading into this year, but Pendleton said in the press earlier this week that it takes wins from both wrestlers to make a rivalry. He feels Askren's lone win last year was lucky. Bulletin board material if you ask us. It will be interesting to see how much Askren has progressed since last year. He has a funky, scrambling style, and Pendleton is one of the few wrestlers in the nation who can counter that kind of wrestling. Pound-for-pound, Pendleton may be the best wrestler in the country this year. He is good in every position, and always forces the match into his style. He is never passive, which is probably why he won an NCAA title last year. Expect some fireworks in this match. Pendleton seems very hungry to quiet the rivalry talk.  TheMat.com Prediction: Pendleton    184 - Greg Jones, West Virginia vs. Paul Bradley, Iowa  Jones has now won two NCAA titles, and is considered by many to be head-and-shoulders above the rest of this weight class. He has great mat awareness, and for his size,