#2 Oklahoma State (2-0) vs. #8 Oklahoma (5-0) Sunday, Dec. 12 – 6 p.m. (Central) Series: Oklahoma State leads 126-26-10 In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 69-12-2 Last Meeting: Oklahoma State 19-16 While the overall series is heavily slanted Oklahoma State’s way, this weekend’s Bedlam match will be watched heavily by the national wrestling community. The second-ranked Cowboys will put their 2-0 mark on the line against Jack Spates and the eighth-ranked Sooners at 6 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. From an entertainment standpoint, the match will feature 15 ranked wrestlers of the 20 that will take the mat, with six of the 10 matches featuring ranked wrestlers hitting head-to-head. The key to the dual, like any, is how many matches will each team take through the middle, where many of the toss-up matches exist. Rankings aside, the matches taking place between 157 and 184 will weigh heavily on the outcome – whether it’s close or whether it’s a blow out. Here’s the breakdown and some picks 125 pounds #5 John Morrison (Oklahoma State) vs. #7 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) Morrison shot past Patterson in the rankings this week, mainly due to his victory over Minnesota’s Zach Sanders in the Cowboys’ 17-16 win in Minneapolis last Sunday. Morrison is 10-0 on the season and has looked very sharp. Patterson’s only two losses have come to Arizona State’s Anthony Robles, once by technical fall, and the other in the finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational by major decision. Morrison’s shown early he’s going to be a player at 125 pounds, beating three ranked wrestlers in a row (Ben Kjar, Derek Reber and Sanders). For the Sooners to set themselves up nicely in this dual, Patterson will need to fight off the feisty freshman. Pick: Morrison by decision. (OSU 3-0) 133 pounds #1 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. Jordan Keller (Oklahoma) While wrestling prides itself on the “any given day†mantra, Oklahoma’s Jordan Keller will need Oklahoma State’s Jordan Oliver to have a very bad day for things to go the way of the Crimson and Cream. Oliver, unbeaten on the year, is looking sharp. Five of his six “official†matches have come via bonus, including tech falls in the last two outings against Bucknell and Minnesota. Keller, a Cleveland State transfer originally from Kansas, isn’t a slouch by any means, but perhaps this one might just be trying to slow Oliver down and disrupting any Cowboy momentum. Pick: Oliver by technical fall. (OSU 8-0) 141 pounds #20 Luke Silver (Oklahoma State) vs. #6 Zack Bailey (Oklahoma) While not a toss-up on paper, Zack Bailey is coming off an uncharacteristic finish at the CKLV, while Luke Silver has lost two of his last three – both to Minnesota’s Mike Thorn. Bailey, a returning All-American will be heavily favored, but expect Silver to keep things pretty close. Not too much history on these two with one another, as its their first meeting. Bailey gets the Sooners on the board with a victory at 141. Pick: Bailey by decision. (OSU 8-3) 149 pounds #4 Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) vs. Nick Lester (Oklahoma) While not the most exciting guy in the world to watch, Oklahoma State’s Jamal Parks does know how to win. Parks will get freshman Nick Lester at 149 pounds. After starting off the year with a solid win over Buffalo’s Desi Green, Lester has dropped four of his last five matches, none of them to NCAA qualifiers. If Parks chooses to open up, he could be smelling bonus points. If Lester wrestles like he did against Green, all bets are off. Pick: Parks by decision. (OSU 11-3) 157 pounds #10 Albert White (Oklahoma State) vs. Matt Lester (Oklahoma) Despite losing the wrestle-off to Parks at 149, Albert White has carved out a #10 ranking in the latest set released by InterMat. While his job at 157 might be in jeopardy when Neil Erisman returns, the spot is White’s right now and he shows no signs in handing it over. White will face the second of the Lester twins, Matt, at 157 in the first of four straight swing matches. This match might set the tone – but enough passive voice. Lester’s shown he’s capable of winning matches against tough opponents (see Clarion’s James Fleming) and if the aforementioned picks pan out, he’ll be called upon to beat White to keep things from getting out of hand early. Both wrestlers are very good on their feet, but Lester is fresh off a disappointing performance in Vegas. White has only beaten one wrestler of substance – North Dakota State’s Vince Salminen. Gotta hunch Lester turns it around here. Pick: Lester by decision. (OSU 11-6) 165 pounds #8 Dallas Bailey (Oklahoma State) vs. #18 Chase Nelson (Oklahoma) Both of these guys like to go for the fall. Dallas Bailey’s got horsepower and has six falls on the year – three in under a minute. Chase Nelson is deadly in scrambles and can put you on your back in a hurry. Keep an eye out for a wicked stepover should the opportunity arise. Bailey’s ranking might be a bit high, but with a weight class with only two All-Americans (both national champions), he might be about right after all. I think this one is pin or be pinned. Pick: Bailey by fall. (OSU 17-6) 174 pounds #11 Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State) vs. #7 Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) Some might quip this is hardly a toss-up the way Mike Benefiel wrestled against Minnesota’s Scott Glasser on Sunday, but Benefiel is 5-1 since regaining the starting spot in Stillwater. Caldwell finished fourth in Vegas, losing to Cornell’s Mack Lewnes and Oregon State’s Colby Covington – not exactly bad losses, even for a returning All-American. Caldwell picks up the victory here, using his length and riding ability to his advantage, an area where Benefiel still needs to improve. Pick: Caldwell by decision. (OSU 17-9) 184 pounds #16 Chris Perry (Oklahoma State) vs. #13 Erich Schmidtke (Oklahoma) The first time around, the result shocked nearly everyone. Chris Perry, a highly touted redshirt freshman ended up on the wrong side of an 11-3 major decision the last time he met Erich Schmidtke. Perry is also reeling after a loss to unheralded freshman Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota last Sunday. Schmidtke’s coming off a fifth-place finish in Vegas – which is probably a disappointment. This time around Perry doesn’t make the same mistakes again and pulls the slight upset (according to the rankings, and dependent upon which rankings you look at most frequently). Pick: Perry by decision. (OSU 20-9) 197 pounds #4 Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) vs. Keldrick Hall (Oklahoma) After the NWCA All-Star Classic, Clayton Foster said he wasn’t in the shape he wanted to be in. Keldrick Hall might be the unfortunate victim of Foster getting into shape. Unbeaten on the year and fresh off his second win over Sonny Yohn in a month, Foster should put the dual away with a victory over a stout, yet still inexperienced Hall. The last time these two faced off, it was Foster getting a 14-3 major decision. Things won’t change, too much. Pick: Foster by major decision. (OSU 24-9) 285 pounds Blake Rosholt/Tyson Yoder (Oklahoma State) vs. #8 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) The only match that’s clearly in the hands of Oklahoma. Nathan Fernandez is coming off a strong championship performance at Las Vegas, while Oklahoma State is still looking for a solution in the absence of Alan Gelogaev. Blake Rosholt’s gotten the last two starts for the Cowboys, but Tyson Yoder could get the call due to a potential style match-up. Fernandez has three falls, but several close wins against lesser opponents. This one might end up being one of those 8-1 “close to major†decisions. Pick: Fernandez by decision. (OSU 24-12) Final: Oklahoma State 24, Oklahoma 12 Team Rankings by NWCA/USA Today Individual Rankings by InterMat