It's the toughest conference in the sport.

Nine of its 11 teams are ranked in the Top 25. Four are in the top 10. Before last season, the last eight national championship teams had come from the conference and 11 of the last 12.

Big Ten wrestling is among the great traditions in collegiate athletics and this weekend, the conference schedule kicks into full gear as No. 6 Penn State takes on No. 3 Illinois and No. 5 Michigan squares off against No. 10 Iowa. It promises to be a wide-open season, with traditional powers Iowa and Minnesota having disappointing seasons thus far. But nothing will come easy.

"I don't think there is any conference in any sport as tough as the Big Ten is in wrestling," said Michigan State wrestling coach Tom Minkel.

The following is a brief introduction to some of the main competition for the No. 6 Nittany Lions:

No. 3 Illinois

Illinois comes in as the highest ranked team in the Big Ten. Talent and strength can be seen throughout the Illinois lineup as the team features wrestlers in the top 10 in seven different weight classes.

Highlighting the Illinois lineup is sophomore Alex Tirapelle at 157. Tirapelle became the school's first freshman NCAA finalist last year after upsetting defending national champion and No. 1 seed Luke Becker of Minnesota in last year's tournament. Mark Jayne, ranked No. 4 at 133, should provide a test for Penn State's Josh Moore tomorrow night. Jayne is off to a great start, having won the Missouri Open and the Cliff Keen Invitational.

No. 5 Michigan

The Wolverines may be the Big Ten's best shot at a true national title contender. They have what it takes to win the NCAA Championships in March, which means a balanced lineup and individuals capable of winning national titles.

Michigan is led by defending national champion Ryan Bertin at 157 pounds. Among the hardest workers in college wrestling, Bertin is a rock in the Wolverine lineup, almost a guaranteed win every time.

"He's just always prepared," Michigan head coach Joe McFarland said. "He trains hard and puts a lot of pressure on himself to win."

Another title contender for the Wolverines is 125-pounder Mark Moos. The redshirt freshman has stormed out of the gates and is ranked fourth in the country.

"He's been a real boost to our program," McFarland said.

No. 10 Iowa

How the mighty have fallen. After ruling college wrestling for so long, the Hawkeyes have been brought back down to earth over the past couple of seasons. This year, they will look to reclaim their title atop the Big Ten, but it certainly isn't looking promising.

At 125, Luke Eustice will look to get back to his All-American status of two years ago when he finished second in the NCAA Championships. The Hawkeyes are also tough at 141 where Cliff Moore aims to improve on the last two All-American seasons when he finished sixth in the NCAA.

No. 12 Minnesota

The Gophers will forever be known as the team that broke Iowa's monopoly at the top of the conference when they ended the Hawkeye's championship streak of 25 years in 2000. But after their own period of glory, which included national titles in 2001 and 2002, Minnesota is also going through a rough period.

Last weekend, they finished seventh at the National Duals. In that competition, they suffered an embarrassing 37-9 loss to Oklahoma after having already fallen to Michigan 30-6.

Minnesota will be led by senior Damion Hahn at 197. The All-American will look to cap off his tumultuous collegiate career with a national championship this March.