There were times throughout the Penn State wrestling season where wrestlers who hadn't performed well said, "nothing matters until the end of the season." For those that have not yet showed their full potential, that excuse's validity has just run out.

Intensity will rise, tempers will flare and every little juke, slip or stumble could make or break the season as the No. 8 Nittany Lions head into Bloomington, Ind., for the second time this season.

This trip however, will have the Penn State grapplers out to prove their worth in the Big Ten and battling for seeding as national contenders as they compete in the 2006 Big Ten Championships.

Sessions will begin at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow, and the final round of competition is slated for noon Sunday at Indiana's Assembly Hall, where the competitive juices have never been so pungent.

"People step it up a notch, and I feel like a lot of our guys do the same thing," Penn State senior and returning All-American Eric Bradley said. "People don't take as many chances or do as many things where you're going to score a lot of points sometimes. Everyone kind of wrestles 'up.' "

Final seeds will be set tonight for the tournament, but pre-seeds have Penn State figured to be heavy contenders in individual as well as team competition at the Big Ten Championships. Returning Big Ten Champion Bradley is seeded at No. 1 and sophomore Phil Davis, seeded at No. 2 in the conference, stand the best chance of bringing home a conference title.

Bradley is confident he will be able to defend his crown for the second time, claiming his first two titles in 2004 and 2005.

"There is pressure, but I try not to get caught up in the whole thing too much," Bradley said. "I just kind of try to go out there, keep my head up, wrestle my best and stay on the offense."

The top seven finishers in the Big Ten are guaranteed a spot in nationals.

That's good news for a Penn State team that has eight wrestlers making the cut, simply by maintaining position.

In addition to Bradley and Davis, Dewitt Driscoll, James Yonushonis and David Erwin hold No. 4 rankings.

Jake Strayer, a 5-seed, and Joel Edwards and James Woodall would also make the cut ranking at No. 7.

Brad Patacky and Nathan Galloway will both have an uphill climb, as both are ranked eighth in the conference.