By Jason Bryant, W.I.N. Columnist

I don’t know how it entered my mind. I don’t know if I would have considered it an epiphany, a product of being sleep-deprived or just reading way too many message boards in a short amount of time.

            Whatever it was, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The question was simply, how good is Central Michigan?

            It was a chilly December night. I was just returning to my new home in downtown Lancaster, Pa., finishing up a load of laundry and trying to figure out how to work off the chicken wings I’d just crushed at the Fulton Bar, a quaint, smoky little pub that used to be an olde time hotel (yes, I spelled old with an “e” on purpose) and has some of the best wings in the county.

            Walking up the front steps and sitting down on my couch, I casually looked around at my surroundings. Eventually, I popped open the laptop, dialed into Takedown Radio and picked up J. Carl Guymon’s broadcast from the Reno Tournament of Champions.

            It was then I heard that coach Tom Borrelli’s Central Michigan Chippewas won the tournament title for the second straight year. They outdistanced fifth-ranked Oklahoma State by 24.5 points for the championship. This year, CMU proved its championship was based on depth and dominance. Four individual champions, five finalists and all 10 wrestlers placed in the top six. That’s a one-day tournament too. Perhaps the fact the CMU kids never quit make them very, very dangerous.

            How dangerous? Ask Lehigh. Central Michigan didn’t give up a single takedown in a 39-0 victory over the Mountain Hawks in Troy, N.Y., in late November. Ask 24th-ranked Maryland, which only won a single match against against a non-starter from CMU.

            In five Central Michigan duals this year, CMU has lost a total of five matches. And of those five losses, only two have been by regular starters. Trevor Stewart (165 pounds) lost to American’s Mike Cannon and Conor Beebe lost to Michigan State’s Franklin Gomez at 133. That’s it. The other three losses were by reserves.

            The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals hit the mats, Jan. 12-13, from the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. As of right now, Central Michigan is ranked seventh (Reno results not withstanding) and would in all likelihood be the fifth seed (based on the NWCA’s rankings) because Oklahoma State is heading to the Virginia Duals. And when the next rankings come out, it’s likely that CMU will jump the Cowboys, even though it wasn’t a dual victory.

            Could CMU be wrestling’s bracket buster for the National Duals? Central’s line-up is a problem for anyone. Ten nationally-ranked wrestlers and some impressive records. And all this without returning All-American Mike Miller, who’s taking a redshirt year.

            So how does Central Michigan stack up with the top four teams head-to-head? Can they actually pick up the title with the right draw? Who does Borrelli not want to see?

#7 CMU vs. #1 Iowa

            Without going into too much detail, CMU has a shot against Iowa. On paper, the Chippewas could come away with this dual, 18-17. That’s giving Iowa a decision at 125 and 133, a major at 149 and 165 and a decision at heavyweight. Now here’s the CMU wins: Eric Kruger by decision at 141 (that’s without question a toss-up match), Tyler Grayson by decision at 157 (again, another toss-up), decisions by the Sinnotts at 174 and 184, a fall by Wynn Michalak at 197; Iowa’s weakest weight in the line-up. It’s a 5-5 split with the difference being bonus points.

#7 CMU vs. #2 Iowa State

            Another 5-5 split on paper, with ISU getting credit for wins at 133 (Nick Fanthorpe), 157 (Cyler Sanderson), 165 (Jon Reader), 184 (Jake Varner) and 285 (David Zabriskie). What’s the difference-maker here? Kruger and Nick Gallick is an obvious toss-up at 141, while bonus points could be in the mix for the Chippewas at 174 and 197. Brandon Carter vs. Mitch Mueller at 149 is also a toss-up. I also give the edge to David Zabriskie at heavyweight. You could sub Bubba Gritter in for any other “upset,” but Fields and Zabriskie are solid heavies in their own right. I can see CMU slipping by this one 18-15.

#7 CMU vs. #3 Minnesota

            On paper, you have to like CMU’s chances about beating the top-three teams, but when defending NCAA champion Minnesota comes calling, how does the team sporting the “Action C” get it done? The Gophers would be favored at the first five weights and again at 184, that’s six right there and then you could factor in 165 (Glasser/Stewart) as a toss-up. The only saving grace here is not to give up bonus points, pick off an upset and get falls from Michalak and Gritter. If Minnesota takes the first five by decisions, then gets a decision by Roger Kish over Christian Sinnott, you’ve got what could be an 18-6 lead going into the final weights. Meet criteria could end CMU’s run as Minnesota would have six individual victories.

#7 CMU vs. #4 Penn State

            Is Penn State the third-best team in the country? The voters are putting the Nittany Lions up there, as they’re closer to No. 2 Iowa State than they are No. 4 Minnesota in the polls. This could also just be a 5-5 split. CMU would be favored in five weights, with Penn State holding an advantage in four and one clear toss-up at 125. CMU has the edge at 133 with Conor Beebe, while PSU’s Jake Strayer (141), Bubba Jenkins (149) and Dan Vallimont (157) are favored in the middle. CMU will have the edge at the next three weights before Phil Davis would be a slight favorite over Michalak. Gritter is a pronounced favorite here. If you take out 125 from the scenario, I’ve got it 15-12 in favor of CMU. Looks like the Luke Smith-Mark McKnight matchup would be they key to the dual.

Thoughts, reflections?

            All things considered, Central Michigan’s the scariest team in the country this year in my opinion in terms of dual meets and could be considered a slight favorite — depending on the draws. Can the squad from Mt. Pleasant throw that proverbial monkey wrench into the plan that has fans wanting a shot at Iowa vs. Iowa State? Or what about plans of Minnesota fans wanting another crack at Iowa State? Will it prevent Metcalf vs. Schlatter for yet another week?

            Coach Borrelli’s got himself a nice, dangerous team in Mt. Pleasant. You might be witnessing history in Cedar Falls come mid-January. Could it happen? There’s only one way to find out …

            (Jason Bryant is the lead writer/webmaster for InterMat and the 2007 W.I.N. Magazine Wrestling Journalist of the Year. The views expressed in his column are not necessarily the views of W.I.N. Magazine or Bryant’s parent company, the National Wrestling Coaches Association. He can be reached at jbryant@intermatwrestle.com.)