Most Penn State-Iowa wrestling matches are made for prime time but this one — the one at 7 p.m. Friday at sold-out Bryce Jordan Center on the Big Ten Network — has more of an edge to it.

It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2, which has happened five times prior. But there are five top-5 matchups and three other bouts between top-10 wrestlers. Both teams are 9-0/3-0 and Penn State’s average margin of victory is 43-2 while Iowa’s is 32-7. And while it will be a years-long task to offset Iowa’s 28-13-2 advantage in the series, Penn State has won five of past six meetings dating to 2017.

Throw in the natural rivalry between the old kings and the modern-day, high-scoring trend-setters, as well as a bit of bluster between the two camps , and this is a high-quality collegiate event.

“We want to wrestle great and compete well and score points, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to see where we’re at and kind of be able to make adjustments from there leading into the postseason,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said this week.

“A lot of history, two great programs. Iowa is gonna bring it, we’re gonna bring it. It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” he added. “And you got two of the teams that are competing for the national title facing off in the dual meet. It’s good stuff. That’s what we do this for. That’s why we come in here every day. I think it’ll be a great environment, and we’re gonna have fun.”

Iowa coach Tom Brands, he of the next-match mentality, admitted that this match is special. “It’s really no different than other weekend, but it’s different…it’s different. They are a worthy opponent and we gotta do our job,” he said.

Penn State is a pretty solid favorite in six bouts while Iowa has at least a slight edge in two others and two can be labeled toss-ups.

125 pounds: No. 9 Luke Lilledahl (10-1) vs. No. 23 Joey Cruz (11-6): Penn State will be looking for a quick start in the dual and Sanderson believes Lilledahl will bounce back from his 4-1 loss at Rutgers last Friday. “He’s a perfect lead-off guy for us,” he said. “He’s going to wrestle hard for seven minutes, he’s going to get better every match. And that consistency is huge. We’re super grateful he’s our guy, and we believe in him 100 percent.” Cruz upended Ohio State’s Brandon McCrone 6-4 last week but he was shut out by Army’s Charlie Farmer, whom Lilledahl teched out earlier this season. Cruz is decent defensively and Lilledahl will have to break through that. Advantage Penn State.

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis (7-2) vs. No. 2 Drake Ayala (11-1): Ayala would be No. 1 but word out of Lehigh is that Ryan Crookham might be able to return yet this season. Ayala defeated then No. 2 Lucas Byrd 4-2 but didn’t wrestle against Ohio State. Iowa coach Tom Brands expressed optimism that Ayala, last year’s runner-up at 125, would be in the lineup on Friday. Davis, who lost at Nebraska but bounced back with a 2-1 win over Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, lost 4-2 to Ayala in last year’s dual. He yielded an early takedown to Ayala, who effectively went on the defensive after that. Advantage Iowa.

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (12-0) vs. No. 18 Ryder Block (2-4 ): Bartlett has been on a 12-bout tear, still owning the penchant for winning close matches. Lions will be looking for bonus points here against the redshirt freshman who last week was teched out (19-2) by Ohio State NCAA champ Jesse Mendez. Iowa is also listing Jace Rhodes and Cullan Schriever. Regardless, Bartlett should earn bonus points. Advantage Penn State.

149: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness (11-1) vs. No. 4 Kyle Parco (13-0): The second of eight top-10 bouts, this is key for Iowa’s quest to win three of the first five bouts. Parco, a four-time All-America at Fresno State and Arizona State, has been hot, beating Nos. 9, 12 and 6 in three of his last four bouts. Van Ness’s loss came to Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett, whom Parco defeated at last year’s NCAAs, but Van Ness defeated Parco in the 2023 championships, 7-2, en route to his third-place finish before sitting out last season because of a knee injury. That injury occurred after he defeated Parco in last season’s NWCA all-star match and Parco seems to have improved on his feet. Whether Van Ness is fully recovered will be revealed in this toss-up bout.

157: No. 3 Tyler Kasak (11-0) vs. No. 1 Jacori Teemer (3-1): A similar situation here but with roles reversed. Kasak, third last season at 149, has been nothing but impressive. Teemer, a New Jersey guy and four-time All-America for Arizona State, lost 5-0 to Penn State’s Levi Haines in last season’s NCAA finals. He suffered what was a termed a serious hamstring injury against Iowa State and just returned last week to knock off Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso 10-5. Kasak will have to match Teemer’s strength and be aware of his bursts of speed. Teemer’s question mark is whether he’s able to go a full seven minutes against the forward pressure Kasak will apply. Thus, another toss-up.

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (13-0) vs. No. 2 Michael Caliendo (13-0): Caliendo has beaten Nos. 8, 13, 15 and 25 this season, his latest an 11-3 win over Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher. Mesenbrink has scored 202 points this year and has yet to go the distance. He also defeated Caliendo last season 12-6, by tech fall and 17-9. Advantage Penn State.

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (11-1) vs. No. 6 Patrick Kennedy (8-1): Haines, the defending NCAA champ at 157, has lost only to 174-pound champ Keegan O’Toole of Missouri, who is out until the Big 12 tournament. Haines made the two-weight jump up in class look easy. Kennedy suffered his first last loss last week, 7-3 to OSU’s Carson Kharchla. He’s a solid wrestler who lost 13-5 to Carter Starocci in last year’s dual, but he’s unlikely to match Haines’ strength, intensity and ability to finish shots, although Kennedy’s defense is solid. Advantage Penn State.

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (12-0) vs. No. 5 Gabe Arnold (11-1): What has been a war of words between the two the past year or so should turn into a real-life battle on Friday. Arnold, the redshirt frosh and two-time national Prep champ, took it upon himself to guarantee a win against the four-time NCAA champ last week after the OSU match. What will reveal itself in this match is whether he should have done that. Iowa is also listing Anthony Ferrari as a lineup possibility. Advantage Penn State.

197: No. 4 Josh Barr (10-0) vs. No. 1 Stephen Buchanan (13-0): Save for a 2-0 win over Oklahoma State sub Cody Merrill, Buchanan hasn’t been tested and has two falls and six techs. Like Parco, Buchanan is at his third school, earning A-A status twice for Wyoming and once for Oklahoma. Barr last week scored seven takedowns in 79 seconds against Rutgers A-A John Poznanski. Both like to score and mix it up as well. Based on experience, advantage Iowa, but no guarantees in this one.

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (12-0) vs. No. 10 Ben Kueter (10-2 ): Kueter, the redshirt freshman who last year also played football for the Hawks, broke into the top 10 with a 5-4 win over Ohio State’s Nick Feldman. That followed a 3-1 loss to Luke Luffman of Illinois. Kerkvliet was finally tested last week against Yaraslau Slavikouski in a 2-0 match at Rutgers, one in which Sanderson was happy to see Kerkvliet have to go the distance for the first time this season. Prior to last week, Kerkvliet had only wrestled 32:43 out of a possible 77 minutes. Advantage Penn State.