Manheim, Pennsylvania – With just a limited number of duals with ranked teams competing during the first week of action, there was minimal movement in the first regular-season NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Four teams ranked in the Top 10 opened up with victories, including second-ranked Iowa, ninth-ranked Nebraska and 10th-ranked Iowa State. Third-ranked NC State had a pair of victories to start the season 2-0, beating Presbyterian at Fort Liberty, North Carolina 48-0 and Appalachian State 40-3 in Boone.
Iowa trekked to the Pacific Coast and shut out California Baptist 40-0, while Nebraska went to Fargo and dispatched North Dakota State 31-12. Iowa State went to the old high school gym of national champion David Carr at Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio and beat Cleveland State 43-3.
The only matchup of ranked teams came in North Carolina as then-No. 20 Oregon State topped former No. 25 North Carolina 24-13. The Beavers also shutout Division III Greensboro College and transitional Division I Queens University.
Elsewhere in the Top 25, Rutgers started the year 2-0 with a trip to Cal Poly, beating the host Mustangs 31-10 and Duke 47-0. Wisconsin beat Lindenwood 41-3 in Madison. Like Queens, Lindenwood is also in the midst of a transition to NCAA Division I.
Illinois fell out of the rankings after splitting a pair of duals last week. The Fighting Illini beat SIU Edwardsville 28-7 before falling to visiting Navy 23-18 over the weekend.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results. Teams who are not competing this season are not included in the voting process.
NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll
November 7, 2023
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conf. | Previous |
| 1 | Penn State | (0-0) | 350 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Iowa | (1-0) | 325 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | NC State | (2-0) | 306 | ACC | 3 |
| 4 | Missouri | (0-0) | 305 | Big 12 | 4 |
| 5 | Virginia Tech | (0-0) | 299 | ACC | 5 |
| 6 | Michigan | (0-0) | 278 | Big Ten | 6 |
| 7 | Cornell | (0-0) | 275 | EIWA | 7 |
| 8 | Ohio State | (0-0) | 250 | Big Ten | 8 |
| 9 | Nebraska | (1-0) | 242 | Big Ten | 9 |
| 10 | Iowa State | (1-0) | 233 | Big 12 | 10 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | (0-0) | 209 | Big 12 | 11 |
| 12 | South Dakota State | (0-0) | 187 | Big 12 | 12 |
| 13 | Arizona State | (0-0) | 173 | Pac-12 | 13 |
| 14 | Rutgers | (2-0) | 164 | Big Ten | 15 |
| 15 | Minnesota | (0-0) | 158 | Big Ten | 14 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | (0-0) | 143 | ACC | 16 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | (0-0) | 120 | Big 12 | 17 |
| 18 | Oregon State | (3-0) | 89 | Pac-12 | 20 (tie) |
| 19 | Wisconsin | (1-0) | 88 | Big Ten | 18 |
| 20 | Lehigh | (0-0) | 85 | EIWA | 19 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | (0-0) | 84 | Big 12 | 20 (tie) |
| 22 | Penn | (0-0) | 29 | EIWA | 22 |
| 23 | Lock Haven | (0-0) | 23 | MAC | NR |
| 24 | Northwestern | (0-0) | 21 | Big Ten | 24 |
| 25 | Purdue | (0-0) | 17 | Big Ten | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 16, West Virginia 14, Campbell 13, North Carolina 11, Stanford 11, Indiana 8, Navy 7, Illinois 4, Northern Colorado 4, Cal Poly 3, Air Force 2, Appalachian State 2.
Dropped out: No. 23 Illinois (1-1), No. 25 North Carolina (2-1).