We continue our preview of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships with a look at the 197 lb bracket. I'll have to say it many times over the course of this series, but Penn State has the No. 1 seed in this weight class and should be favored to take home the title. Let's look through the bracket, where potential surprises are, and how we can expect Ohio State's wrestler to fare.
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Favorite: Josh Barr (Penn State)
Unlike some weight classes, where Penn State's wrestler is a prohibitive favorite, there actually could be a bit of drama at 197. Rocky Elam (Iowa State) is also undefeated on the season. So why is Barr the favorite and Elam a clear No. 2? Well, it's the way Barr wrestles. He dominates everyone. Barr is 19-0 on the season, and every single one of this victories has come with bonus points. He has won by pin five times and by Tech Fall ten times. He has only been held to a single bonus point (a Major Decision victory) in four matches. Elam hasn't lost, but he hasn't done anything to indicate that he could match Barr. He does seem to have better defense than anyone that Barr has faced has, so maybe there's something there, at least.
Ohio State's Wrestler: Luke Geog
Geog is the No. 12 seed in this bracket after a bit of a rough season. The Buckeye was only 11-6 coming into the Big Ten Tournament, and was probably looking at a worse seed. However, he picked up some strong wins en route to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, which certainly helped his seed at the NCAAs. Geog should have a winnable first-round match against No. 21 seed Rune Lawrence (West Virginia). The problem with Geog this season has been that he can't stick with too many wrestlers better than him. Geog picked up a lot of losses, but basically none to wrestlers he should have been favored to beat.
If Geog gets through the first round, he will likely face Joey Novak (Wyoming). Geog wrestled Novak back in November, and it was a dominant showing for Novak. The Buckeye is wrestling much better now than he was at that point in the season, but it would still be a very big upset. Assuming chalk holds, the path through the wrestlebacks looks manageable for Geog. He would probably need one real upset to earn All-American status, but it wouldn't be too crazy. Still, Buckeye fans shouldn't expect too much from Geog. He should earn the team some points, but finding the consistency to wrestle to seed would be success enough.
Sleepers: Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech), Joey Novak (Wyoming)
These pair are the No.s 4 and 5 seeds in this bracket, which is just unfair to both of them. Sasso (younger brother of Ohio State legend Sammy Sasso) has been on an absolute tear since January. He looks so good, and it wouldn't shock me if he was the first person to give Barr a real challenge this season. Of course, to get there he'll probably have to get through Novak, who is an impressive technical wrestler that leaves very little room for his opponents to score. (Since these two are both in Geog's quarter, expecting the Buckeye to reach the semifinals seems too much to hope for.)
On the other side of the bracket, I'm not overly impressed with No. 3 seed Stephen Little (Arkansas-Little Rock). He's a strong wrestler, and has certainly earned his seed, but I don't think he's in the same class as Barr. Do keep an eye on No. 10 seed Mac Stout (Pitt). He feels underseeded to me and has been very impressive in recent months. If the bracket holds, he also could be Geog's opponent Friday night in the wrestlebacks for an All-American spot.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: NCAA Wresting Championships preview: 197 lbs