Simply put, every wrestling fan in the world is looking forward to a possible Jesse Jantzen vs. Zack Esposito final at 149 pounds. These two have separated themselves from the rest of the field this year. This is like the buildup to a heavyweight fight. It could be the most anticipated matchup in this year's NCAA Tournament.    While there is a solid core of young wrestlers at this weight class, they have all lost matches to either Jantzen or Esposito. The top two wrestlers in this weight class are very clear. But based on NCAA history, Jantzen's All-American finishes vs. Esposito's shocking exit from the tournament last year, Michigan and Nebraska coaches will be jockeying for the third seed.    Top Contenders  Jesse Jantzen, Sr. (Harvard) - Coming out of high school, Jantzen was rated as the top recruit in the country. Two All-American finishes later, he has lived up to his hype. Many on the East coast feel that he has also paid his dues, and it is now his turn to claim the national title that has eluded him. His only blemish this year is a loss to Alex Tirapelle, the undefeated 157-pounder who was an NCAA runner-up last year. Jantzen is good on his feet, but he loves to be in the top position. He does not have many lapses either, but if a wrestler can stop Jantzen from turning him, it could be a close match. Luckily for Jantzen, this is not a deep weight class when it comes to mat wrestling. If all seeds hold true, Jantzen will be in a dream matchup with Zack Esposito for the title. With Jantzen's skills on top and Esposito's scrambling ability, fans can expect an incredible seven minutes of wrestling action. But first things first, Jantzen will have to go through a brutal bracket to even get to the finals. Could this be his year?    Zack Esposito, So. (Oklahoma State) - Esposito ducked out of the NCAA Tournament a lot earlier than expected last year. A lot of wrestling fans felt it was because of his weight, so he moved up to 149 pounds this year, and it appears those fans were right. Esposito has been nothing short of dominant this season. Every time he has been presented with a challenge this year, he has risen to the occasion. He has only had five matches where his opponent was within two points. Last year, Esposito spent a lot of time looking for the big throw or the big score. This year, he has refined his offense. He is willing to chip away at his opponents, continuously wearing them down. But don't be fooled by the pure takedown Esposito. He still enjoys to use his funk and scramble around when he can. It is just that he is smarter about it now. Esposito has long arms, which give him the ability to reach on his shots more than most can get away with. If he runs into Jantzen in the finals, look for an explosion of athleticism and great scrambles.    The Others  Let the seeding wars begin. Ryan Churella and Travis Shufelt will be fighting for the third seed. Here are how the two stack up against each other. Churella is 28-3 this year. Shufelt is 25-4. Churella has defeated 12 NCAA qualifiers, while Shufelt has defeated 11. Churella has defeated seven current ranked wrestlers to Shufelt's four. Churella has lost to Jeremy Spates, but defeated Jeff Ecklof. Shufelt has lost to Spates and defeated him twice, while losing his only match to Ecklof. The kicker? Churella defeated Shufelt in their last meeting, in the 2003 NCAA's in the second consolation round.    Ryan Churella, So. (Michigan) - At the start of the year, we said that Churella could win this weight class. If he ends up with the third seed, he still could, but he needs to wrestle better against the top kids. He was beat up against Esposito earlier this year, but this is the side of the bracket he will want to be on. Churella is not very good on bottom, and even though Esposito has some good technique from the top position, he is not at the level Jantzen is from there. If Churella can score early, he still does have a good chance to go through and win this tournament, but it would be a shock to see him in the finals.    Travis Shufelt, Jr. (Nebraska) - Shufelt posted a 22-0 record to start this season, but then seemed to hit a wall. He may have been overworked at the halfway point of this season. He tends to give up a lot of takedowns, which is not a good trait for a wrestler looking to win a national title. Shufelt needs to shore up his defense within the next week. He is good on his feet, but he tends to struggle from the bottom position at times as well. Being a probably fourth seed, Shufelt could have a very tough road, freshman Matt Storniolo and then Jantzen, just to get to the finals.    Trent Paulson, Fr. (Iowa State) - Paulson started the year looking like the next Cael Sanderson, winning the first 20 matches of his college career. He then lost five of his next nine matches before finishing with a solid Big XII Tournament. Paulson has a great work ethic. His body is more mature than any other freshman at his weight class as well. Paulson may have overtrained his body around the mid-point of this season. He seems to be fresher at this point, which could prime him for a great run in this tournament. Paulson is solid in all phases of college wrestling. If he can stay smart, and not make freshman mistakes, which tends to happen in this tournament, then he could place high. If not, he could end up in the same boat as another Big XII wrestler in this weight class was last year.    Dustin Manotti, So. (Cornell) - Manotti possesses a good offensive style of wrestling, but sometimes he can be shut down, just as he was in the EIWA Tournament. He may come out with a sixth seed, a tough position for him. That would mean he would most likely have to go through Esposito, who tore him up at the National Duals, and then Churella to get to the finals. Perhaps nobody knows Jantzen as well as Manotti, which is why he would prefer to be on that side of the bracket. If Manotti keeps his lungs and stays aggressive, he could have a very nice run through this tournament.    High-Impact Freshmen  Jeff Ecklof (Oklahoma), Trent Paulson (Iowa State), Matt Storniolo (Penn State)    
NCAA Finals: Jesse Jantzen (Harvard) vs. Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)  
TheMat.com's Pick: Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)  
All-American Dark Horse: David Dies (Brown)    
Projected Top 4 Seeds  1. Jesse Jantzen, Harvard  2. Zack Esposito, Oklahoma State  3. Ryan Churella, Michigan  4. Travis Shufelt, Nebraska    2004 Qualifiers (33)  1st ACC - Jake Giamoni (North Carolina State)  1st Big Ten - Ryan Churella (Michigan)  2nd Big Ten - Matt Storniolo (Penn State)  3rd Big Ten - Ty Eustice (Iowa)  4th Big Ten - Jeff Ratliff (Ohio State)  5th Big Ten - Darren McKnight (Michigan State)  6th Big Ten - Dan Jankowski (Purdue)  7th Big Ten - Anton Dietzen (Illinois)  1st Big XII - Zack Esposito (Oklahoma State)  2nd Big XII - Travis Shufelt (Nebraska)  3rd Big XII - Trent Paulson (Iowa State)  4th Big XII - Jeff Ecklof (Oklahoma)  5th Big XII - Jeremy Spates (Missouri)  1st CAA - Adrian Austin (George Mason)  2nd CAA - James Strouse (Hofstra)  1st East Region - Ben Young (Slippery Rock)  1st EIWA - Jesse Jantzen (Harvard)  2nd EIWA - David Dies (Brown)  3rd EIWA - Dustin Manotti (Cornell)  4th EIWA - Matt Anderson (Lehigh)  1st EWL - Deonte Penn (Edinboro)  2nd EWL - Matt Kocher (Pittsburgh)  3rd EWL - Mike Maney (Lock Haven)  4th EWL - Mike Torriero (West Virginia)  1st MAC - Adam Cunningham (Central Michigan)  2nd MAC - Josh Wooton (Northern Illinois)  1st PAC-10 - Matt Cox (Cal Poly)  2nd PAC