There are a lot of problems in the world today, but lucky for Penn State, the solution to all of them may be right here on campus.

The answer is Pat Cummins.

How to fix Iraq? Ask Cummins. Pollution? Crime? The weather around here lately? Talk to Cummins.

You see, this winter it seems that no task is too difficult, no challenge is too formidable for Cummins to confront and overcome.

Cummins, the Nittany Lions heavyweight is 28-0 on the season, has taken on every major challenger in his weight class. College wrestling has used every weapon in its heavyweight arsenal in trying to bring Cummins down and none have worked.

In this month alone, Cummins has beaten six of the nation's top ten heavyweights according to the intermat rankings, including four of the top five. The only reason it's not all five is that Cummins is ranked No. 1.

All of this from a lightly regarded, zero-time PIAA champion from Lititz.

"It's really hard to quantify how much Pat has improved," Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said. "He just totally committed himself."

That commitment has paid Cummins back in tangible results. He is having the best season by a Lions wrestler since Jeremy Hunter's national title campaign in 2000.

"It feels really good to beat the top guys," Cummins said. "It gives me an advantage to have wrestled and beat them once before seeing them again when it really counts at the NCAAs."

This past Sunday, Cummins met what will certainly be his stiffest competition on the road to a national championship, Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands.

Rowlands, the 2002 heavyweight national champion, came into the dual meet ranked first, one spot ahead of Cummins. Late in the first period of their showdown, Cummins got the all-important first takedown with a throw by at the edge of the mat. From there, Cummins held fast, turned back several tough shots from Rowlands and came away with a 3-2 victory.

Cummins' win brought the Lions within one point of the Buckeyes, 11-10, in a meet they would go onto win 20-14.

"It was really important for me to go out and score first," Cummins said. "Usually he does and I have to come from behind. It's great to beat and give him something to think about for the next time we wrestle."

Cummins will wrestle Rowlands at least one more time this year and possibly three more times. The two are guaranteed to meet at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Feb. 2 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and a pair of meetings in the Big Ten and NCAA title matches are looking more and more likely.

But those things are still a ways off. The focus now for Cummins and the rest of the Lions is rested squarely on Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City and a showdown Friday night with the fabled black and gold of Iowa.

It should be an exciting night, as matches in Iowa usually are, but for Cummins it won't be as exciting as it could have been.

Steve Mocco, Iowa's reigning heavyweight national champion, is taking a redshirt to concentrate on qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Instead of taking on the best of the best in Mocco, Cummins will likely face a 12-12 freshman, Ryan Fuller. Good for Penn State, not so good for Cummins.

"I'm a little sorry Mocco's not around," Cummins said. "I really wanted a chance to wrestle him at NCAAs last year, but it didn't work out. There's nothing I can do."

The last time Cummins faced Mocco he lost 8-4 in last year's Big Ten semifinals. Most would say that no matter how well Cummins is wrestling at the present time, Mocco would be too much for him.

If they do meet anytime in the future though, placing bets on Mocco should be done with caution. The way he's wrestling now, the only safe bets to beat Cummins go by the names of Pompeii and Mount Fuji.

If they bring their A game, that is.