If you're looking for a sure bet, take Bradley at 184-pounds this weekend. It's a lock.

When No. 15 Penn State hosts the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at 7 tonight in Rec Hall, the Battle of the Bradleys will take center stage as Penn State's Eric Bradley (ranked fifth) will throw down with Iowa's Paul Bradley (ranked 10th).

The Nittany Lions' Bradley was full of colorful phrases to describe the match.

"I've been looking forward to wrestling him since Midlands. He's probably the number one person I dislike," Eric Bradley said. "That match I'm expecting a lot of brawling. I'm expecting some blood. If it turns into a fight, that's fine by me."

That's because the last time the two grappled, Eric fell by one point in overtime, which prompted some changes to his gameplan this time.

There is more to the animosity than one loss. First of all, the two juniors have faced off a lot over the years.

"It's progressive," he said. "He hates me more, then I start hating him more. It gets to the point where you just want to throw on some gloves or something."

Aside from the juicy subplots, the main one is a full course all by itself. Iowa is coming off a loss to upstart Northwestern, which dropped the Hawkeyes to No. 10 in the nation. The Lions, meanwhile, are fresh from a crucial Big Ten sweep and a subsequent jump in the polls from No. 19 to No. 15.

"It probably doesn't matter all that much," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "A lot of it is matchups, and where the strengths of the individuals in the lineups meet sometimes determines the outcome of a dual meet."

He compared the Hawkeyes' current state to that of the Lions' following two dual-meet losses in the state of Michigan, after which they finished eighth at the National Dual Championships.

This is one of those matches you circle on the calendar. Perennial powerhouse and reigning Big Ten Champion Iowa will be the biggest meet held at Penn State for a number of reasons. Whoever prevails in this matchup will earn significant points in terms of seedings for the Big Ten Championships, held in just over a month from now.

"Now's the time to do everything perfectly," Sunderland said. "Diet, sleep, getting to class, practices ... The end of the season and postseason is just about here."

And, oh yeah, the Big Ten Championships will be held on Hawkeye soil March 5-6.