As you know, the history is longer than that, but it wasn't that long ago there would be 4 or 5 Big 12 programs ranked not just in the top twenty, but the top 10 or 12.
One "positive" of Cael going to Penn State, perhaps, is that there is much more parity. For awhile it was really UI on top, with only Minnesota, mostly, challenging. And maybe OSU or ISU here and there. I put "positive" in quotes, as it is not a given that with time Cael would not have eclipsed UI had he remained at ISU.
I also recall the very tough schedules ISU wrestled under Coach Douglas. I don't recall exactly what years, but more recently, I recall similarly tough schedules, and the thought posted here or elsewhere that perhaps we should also wrestle some easier teams, to build confidence and wins and whatnot. I don't necessarily have a problem with this. Not to begrudge the success of SDSU and others on our current roster, the problem is that the dual and overall success isn't better now.
When considering wrestling versus other sports -- sports that are not football or men's basketball -- IMO people should consider the economic concept of "comparative advantage."
That is the technical term that comes into play when thinking about free trade.
One thing about wrestling, it is a sport that ISU has a natural competitive advantage in. When baseball was about to be dropped, for example, you could to say that ISU was at a disadvantage compared to the southern schools, which includes quite a few in the Big 12. When Iowa Western, which has a long history of being good at baseball, for example, started winning JUCO World Series a few years ago, it was the first northern program to win the JUCO World Series in something like 40 years or more.
Wrestling is a "northern" sport in that the climate is generally irrelevant, or in a comparative way, a positive as something people might watch or do on a cold winter night. Iowa high schools have a long history with wrestling. And it is also something an individual or two can do well, even if they are at a small high school and may not have a lot of other good wrestlers on the team.
The Big 12 will probably continue to have a few top wrestling programs, such as OSU and Oklahoma today. With conference realignment uncertainty, I would add, wrestling is a sport that fits right into the Big 10 as to team competition, if things were such that if ISU were ever to become a member of that conference. No program is more positioned in the middle of Big 12 and Big 10 country, which are long the two best wrestling conferences. Plus, ISU by itself has a strong wrestling history and tradition.
Finally, I see that the attendance for the UI-tOSU meet last night was over 10,000. If ISU were a powerhouse again, there is some potential upside there.
I'm not interested in starting an argument, and I am a big fan of baseball.
I am just pointing out some factors people ought to consider in evaluating which sports ISU has a greater chance of success. The economic concept of "comparative advantage" is something people like President Leath and JP ought to be explicitly knowledgeable of, and think about in this context.
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