From an outside perspective, the No. 1 Penn State wrestling team's performance Saturday at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa would qualify as a complete shock.

After all, the Nittany Lions came into the tournament undefeated with signature wins over then-No. 3 Oklahoma State and a total rout of No. 17 Cornell, 35-10.

Almost as soon as the National Duals began last Saturday, Penn State was in jeopardy.

The first round provided a performance from the Lions that indicated the worthiness of their No. 1 ranking ¾ an opening round 37-2 win over No. 16 Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Then came the unexpected. If Penn State was to lose in the tournament, it would have figured to been against Iowa or Iowa State, one of the "big boys."

In the second round Penn State ran into a No. 10 Nebraska team, which at 6-1 when the rankings were released, was severely under ranked.

All 10 of the Cornhusker wrestlers were ranked in the top 20 and used early momentum to pull off the "upset."

But Penn State bounced back in its fourth match of the tournament.

Against No. 4 Iowa State, the Lions took a Phil Davis pin to seal the match against the Cyclones, 22-16, but fell to No. 11 Ohio State in the fifth-place match.

That's why Penn State's weekend in Iowa should be viewed as a minor blemish on the season.

The losses are indicative of the depth in the talent pool in Division I wrestling.

Iowa's lone loss came to Oklahoma State, while Oklahoma State's loss is to Penn State. It's been a war of attrition.

Now there aren't any undefeated teams within the top 10 of the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.

If anything has been learned so far through the midway point of the season, it's that rankings and records should be thrown out the window.

But these losses could be the best thing for the Lions. Certainly when they travel to Iowa they will be doing so trying to prove that they were legitimately deserving of the No. 1 ranking.

They've proven that they can go on the road and beat quality teams like they did against the Cowboys and in the tournament against No. 4 Iowa State.

Now with two losses the Lions are likely to drop from the No. 1 position with Iowa the favorite to move up.

Sunday's match up against the Hawkeyes won't be the No. 1 vs. No. 2 match that was anticipated when those rankings were released last week, but such is the disequilibrium of this year's wrestling season.