Oregon State Opens With National Buzz And A Few Big Lineup Questions

Intermat's preseason rankings showcase the depth of OSU's wrestling talent, positioning them as strong contenders in the 2026-27 season.

Intermat’s first preseason look at the 2026-27 wrestling season has David Taylor’s Cowboys sitting right where the spotlight usually finds them: near the top and crowded into the rankings.

The new set of preseason numbers dropped this week, and Oklahoma State landed seven wrestlers in the top eight of their weight classes. Three Cowboys checked in at No. 1, and three more were placed inside the top five. Intermat also pegged OSU second in both the team tournament and team dual rankings.

Here’s the full preseason picture from Intermat:

125 - Troy Spratley, 7th
133 - Jax Forrest, 1st

141 - N/A
149 - Sergio Vega, 2nd

157 - Landon Robideau, 1st
165 - Dee Lockett, 5th

174 - Lorenzo Norman, 14th
184 - Bennett Berge, 10th

197 - Cody Merrill, 2nd
HWT - Konner Doucet, 1st

The one weight that stands out immediately is 141, where Intermat didn’t list an OSU wrestler at all. That omission doesn’t necessarily mean the Cowboys are thin there.

The expectation is that a freshman - either Jordyn Raney or Jayden Raney - could claim the job. Preseason rankings in wrestling tend to reward proven results more than upside, so a spot can sit empty on paper even when a team expects a real answer by the end of the season.

There are a few other positions where the lineup still looks unsettled. Intermat’s rankings differ from Flo’s preseason board from August, which had Alex Facundo at 174 and Zack Ryder at 184. Intermat instead went with Norman, a Stanford transfer, and Berge, a South Dakota State transfer.

That same uncertainty carries into the middle of the lineup. Flo’s podcast has discussed the possibility of Facundo dropping to 165 to challenge Lockett and Casey Swiderski. And even at heavyweight, where Intermat and Flo both have Konner Doucet at No. 1, there’s another name in the mix: incoming freshman Dreshaun Ross, who recently won a U20 World silver medal.

So while the Cowboys are loaded on paper, a few of these weights still have to be settled on the mat.

For the most part, though, Intermat and Flo see Oklahoma State in similar terms. The numbers are close across the board, with only a few names and placements shifting.

Intermat / Flo side by side:

125 - 7 (Spratley) / 6 (Spratley)
133 - 1 (Forrest) / 1 (Forrest)

141 - N/A / N/A
149 - 2 (Vega) / 1 (Vega)

157 - 1 (Robideau) / 1 (Robideau)
165 - 5 (Lockett) / 4 (Lockett)

174 - 14 (Norman) / 14 (Facundo)
184 - 10 (Berge) / 8 (Ryder)

197 - 2 (Merrill) / 2 (Merrill)
HWT - 1 (Doucet) / 1 (Doucet)

Vega’s No. 2 spot may be the one that raises the most eyebrows. He went undefeated last season and didn’t surrender a takedown, yet Intermat still slotted him behind one wrestler at 149 and Flo put him at No.

  1. The move up in weight matters here, especially with 149 described as a brutally strong class this season.

The top three wrestlers there have all won national titles.

If there’s a Cowboy who should take these preseason rankings personally, Troy Spratley fits the bill. After reaching the blood round as a freshman, he has finished second and fifth over the last two seasons against much of the same group that sits ahead of him now.

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