Seven other teams in the Top 25, four opposing wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the nation and their coach making his conference tournament debut.
That's the atmosphere the Penn State wrestlers will face Saturday and Sunday when they compete in the Big Ten championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
It's unlikely the Penn State wrestling team will come away with 10 individual titles, but former Nittany Lion coach Rich Lorenzo, who guided the team from 1979-92, believes the current coaching staff, led by Cael Sanderson, has the wrestlers ready.
"They've put our guys in the right kind of condition and the right kind of mental attitude," Lorenzo said. "It doesn't mean you're going to go in and win the Big Ten, but you know that you're going to get 100 percent effort out of them."
The abundance of talent converging in Ann Arbor led Michigan coach Joe McFarland, who's in his 11th season leading the Wolverines, to say this may be one of the best tournaments the Big Ten has ever had.
But Sanderson has his team feeling better than it ever has.
Though Lion 197-pounder Clay Steadman went 0-3 in Big Ten dual meets during the regular season, he is thinking positive for the Big Tens. Steadman said the coaches have helped motivate the Lions, and he's never felt as prepared for a tournament as he does for this one.
It's not just the members of the Penn State program that believe the Lion grapplers will be ready. McFarland said he likes Sanderson and thinks the Big Ten fans will look forward to his presence and seeing the Lions compete.
"I think everybody is excited about where Penn State's at and where they're moving," McFarland said. "Fans know Cael will keep moving the program in the right direction. It's just going to make the Big Ten that much stronger."
Lorenzo believes this season's results have shown Sanderson knows how to get the maximum out of his wrestlers but added it's been a collective effort of all the Penn State coaches. The former coach said each member of Sanderson's staff has focused on every detail to ensure the Lion grapplers are prepared.
Sanderson's short coaching history has shown great success in the postseason.
In his three years at Iowa State, every one of Sanderson's wrestlers advanced to the NCAA championships.
The Lion coach said his team is ready for the Big Ten tournament, and he wants it to have fun while on the mat.
Sanderson said his grapplers must avoid the temptation to change styles in the postseason and added they have to continue to wrestle the same way they've done all season.
Lorenzo echoed the current Lion coach and said any wrestler has the chance to become a champion, no matter how successful they've been in the past.
Lorenzo said it's up to each wrestler to prove himself this weekend.
"I don't think having Cael Sanderson as their coach is going to get the wrestlers an extra point along the way," Lorenzo said. "If they want to win, it's going to have to be because of the effort of the young man that's wrestling."
