The 2024-25 season of the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships is in full flow. Penn State is, in the top position, dominating the campaign throughout and is undefeated in the NCAA campaign so far. They are also the defending champions. They lifted their 16th NCAA title by defeating 2nd-placed Cornell by more than 100 points. And now, the Nittany Lions are looking like the hot favorites once again.

Having recently scored a 55-0 win against Michigan, Penn State has yet again opened up a huge gap with the 2nd placed program. Are they going to go all the way again? Well, one UFC legend certainly thinks so.

Can any wrestling program take Penn State Down?

On the podcast ‘Nickals and Dimes’ hosted by 3-time NCAA DI Champion, Bo Nickal, who also incidentally is from Penn State University (PSU), guest star and ex-UFC superstar Chael Sonnen gave his opinion on Penn State’s chances of winning the NCAA this season. Asked to give an unbiased answer on whether Penn State can slip down to the 2nd place, Chael, who currently works as an MMA analyst, said, “You have to be very unrealistic…”

Continuing, he said, “Someone’s going to have to not get through…there’s gotta be some kind of injury where just something doesn’t pan out, and then for them to come all the way to 2nd, see that’s a problem because there’s like 57 points ahead. 57 points is a lot of points to cover the spread.”

Chael just couldn’t see how Penn State would not win the Championship: “Penn State ends up like 3 guys in the final, they win. If they end up with 2 champions, they win it.” Giving his final say on the topic, the 47-year-old concluded, “I don’t want to answer because I am gonna have to say injury … as far as competition goes, head-to-head competitions, there’s just nobody that can beat them right now…”

If anything, Chael Sonnen thinks the fight for second place will be a much more interesting battle, because Penn State is out of reach. And that’s true. The numbers are heavily on the side of Cael Sanderson’s men.

Penn State racking up records in NCAA

Top Comment by PSU wrestling fan

Yes, Michigan St NOT Michigan. And NO, absolutely there is not any team in the country that can hang with...more

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Penn State’s 55-0 win over Michigan was their season’s third dual win in which they have scored more than 50 and got a shutout. They have been bulldozing past their opponents and this time, if anything, they look more efficient in the NCAA than last season. With names like #2 Shayne Van Ness in the 149 lbs category, #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink in the 165, #2 Levi Haines in the 174, #1 Carter Starocci in the 184, and #2 Greg Kerkvliet in the 285, Penn State has set the pace and has helped the Lions leave the chasers way behind.

Penn State’s 172.5 points in the 2023-24 season was a NCAA record. Carter Starocci became a 4-time NCAA individual champion last season alongside Olympic bronze-medallist Aaron Brooks. Brooks was also adjudged the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler and the NCAA Championship Outstanding Wrestler. And there are still other records the Penn State roster has registered and trophies they have won that we haven’t mentioned. Such has been their dominance.

Crucial NCAA clashes are coming up for the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team, but barring a miraculous intervention and an outright upset, we don’t see how Penn State doesn’t get back-to-back NCAA titles, which will be their 13th under Cael Sanderson since he took over in 2009.