The No. 1 ranking will be on the line Sunday when the second-ranked wrestling team squares off against top-ranked Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. in Stillwater, Okla.

The Lions, however, will first have to battle eighth-ranked Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in Norman. Penn State will then be off to Stillwater for a showdown with the top-ranked Cowboys.

"If we can get the all-out effort we've been getting the last few times we've been out there, we stand a good chance at being able to beat Oklahoma and upsetting Oklahoma State," Coach Rich Lorenzo said. "If we don't get good performances, we have the chance of getting blown out of both gyms."

Oklahoma State has four returning All-Americans in its probable starting lineup, and six of the 10 starters are ranked in the top six in the country in their respective weight classes.

"It's going to be great competition against a lot of the guys that are going to be All-Americans and possible national champions this year, and we'd like to see where we stand against that kind of competition," Lorenzo said.

"It's a chance for us to gain," tri-captain Jim Martin said. "We have nothing to lose by wrestling them." It's a great opportunity. I think it's going to be tough wrestling in front of their home crowd, but it's all part of the challenge.

"If we're not ready to go now, we'll never be ready."

A pair of All-Americans will open the Oklahoma State match. Ken Chertow (8-2) will battle Cory Baze at 118. Chertow is ranked third in the nation and Baze is fourth in the class.

The top two 126-pounders in the nation will square off in the next match when defending national champion Jim Martin (28-0-2) takes on Kendall Cross, who finished sixth in last year's NCAA tourney.

Sixth-ranked Chuck Barbee will take on Jeff Dernlan (16-6) in the 134-pound bout, while at 142 Peter Horst (18-8) or Rob Meloy (9-1-1) will wrestle Mark Toarmina.

In the 150-pound contest, Mike Bevilacqua (10-8-3) will take on sixth-ranked Todd Chesboro. At 158, sophomore Mark Verratti (13-8-1) will battle junior Jeff McAllister.

Jason Suter (19-7) will have his work cut out for him when he wrestles the top-ranked 167-pounder in the country, Mike Farrell. Farrell, a two-time All-American, finished fifth in last season's national tournament.

At 177, freshman Matt White (10-10-2) will take on second-ranked Chris Barnes, who was fourth in the NCAA tournament last season.

Sixth-ranked Andy Voit (20-2-2) will wrestle No. 11 Randy Couture at 190, and Greg Haladay (18-3-2) will battle 10th-ranked Don Frye at heavyweight.

To get the chance to take over the top spot Sunday, the Lions will first have to defeat a strong Oklahoma team, which has been wrestling well lately.

The Sooners (8-4-1) drew with Arizona State, 19-19, in a dual meet last Friday. The Lions battled ASU to a draw in the semifinals of the National Wrestling Team Championships earlier in the month. The loss dropped the Sun Devils to No. 3 in the latest poll.

"As a team, we can't look past (Oklahoma) because we have to wrestle them first, and we're going to have to be up for that," Martin said.

The Sooners return two All-Americans from last year's 11-9-2 squad. T.J. Sewell (21-2-2), who finished seventh in the national tournament, will wrestle Dernlan at 134. Junior Meek (17-7-2) will square off against White in the 177-pound bout. Joe Stafford, 27-1 on the year and riding a 13-match winning streak, will take on Voit at 190.