Following the Virginia Duals, Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland expected to have a set lineup that could remain intact for the Big Ten schedule.

The Nittany Lions have encountered some unexpected losses that have kept them from establishing a consistent lineup. Penn State (4-6, 1-0 Big Ten) has only sent the identical lineup to the mat once all year.

The Lions are hitting the road for the first time in their Big Ten schedule, with some key components still in question. Tonight Penn State heads to Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern (7-8, 0-3) to take on the Wildcats at 8. On Sunday the Lions will visit No. 13 Illinois (8-1, 1-0) at Huff Hall at 1 p.m.

On the flight to Chicago, Penn State junior captain Mark Becks did not travel with the team only two days after having surgery on his knee. He had the cartilage of his torn meniscus removed and will probably not return until the Big Ten tournament. Curt Thompson will be filling the spot in the lineup left by Becks.

"Thompson is ready to jump in and is set to go," assistant coach Dave Hart said. "He has been hampered by knee injuries his last two years here. He's been wrestling tough in practice and is ready for his chance to perform. Mark will definitely be missed, as he's one of our best wrestlers. Someone like that is tough to replace."

The Lions will also be forced with a decision to make about what to do with three other wrestlers. NCAA rules prohibits any competitor from wrestling more than 16 events during the regular season, excluding Big Ten tournament and NCAA Championships.

Twin brothers Scott (22-9) and No. 10 Josh Moore (31-3), and Doc Vecchio (23-8) will all be forced to sit out a match during the remainder of the season.

Vecchio will sit out the match tonight against Northwestern, and filling his spot will be sophomore Aaron Wright. There is a possibility that either one or both of the Moores will be held out of action.

"This is always a tough decision to make," Sunderland said. "Especially with these guys who are fierce competitors, and who never want to come out of the lineup."

The Lions' lineup has questions circling about who will be in the lineup at 125, 149 and 174 pounds. Justin Kast will probably be in the lineup as Hart does not think Adam Smith is strong enough yet, since his stint with pneumonia, but both will travel. Both Jason Woodall and Nate Wachter traveled with the team, and Woodall is probable for Illinois. Todd Brennan, who missed action last weekend with an injury not wrestling, related, should be back in action.

The Lions face off with a Northwestern team that is currently at the bottom of Big Ten standings. Penn State refuses to overlook any team.

"Wrestling anybody in the Big Ten is tough," Josh Moore said. "We can't let up because anything can happen. We just have to act like Northwestern is No. 1 in the country."

The Wildcats' two most consistent wrestlers have been 141-pound John Giacche (23-5) and 165-pound Ryan Kane (23-9). Northwestern lost a pair of dual meets last weekend a total score of 67-12.

The Illini boasts a lineup that includes eight ranked wrestlers, including No. 4 John Lockhart and No. 2 Matt Lackey. Penn State will be put to the test by one of the better teams in the Big Ten. The Lions hope to change their fate against ranked teams this year -- their current record against ranked opponents is 0-6.

"We have to wrestle hard and believe in ourselves," Vecchio said. "We are right there with the top teams. We need to use our good conditioning and just believe in ourselves."