John Smith: "If you're getting beat by guys ranked 15th, maybe you need to be replaced"

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s scheduled triangular for wrestling this Friday in Colorado has been changed because of COVID-19 as No. 20 Northern Colorado has halted team activities and cancelled their participation on Friday as they were set to wrestle Oklahoma State at 4 p.m. and then the Cowboys would wrestle Air Force in Greeley, Colo. at 6 p.m. The Cowboys will still travel to Colorado, but they will go to Colorado Springs instead and wrestle the Air Force Academy at 6 p.m. Both schools, UNC and Air Force are wrestling only members of the Big 12 Conference.

Wrestling has multiple rankings from Intermat to Amateur Wrestling News to Coaches rankings to the NCAA Division 1 rankings, which came out today. In the team rankings Oklahoma State (4-0) is currently ranked No. 5 with Iowa (1-0) on top, Michigan (3-0) and Penn State (0-0) are tied at second. North Carolina State (3-0) is ranked right ahead of the Cowboys.

There are more individuals being ranked at each weight class and Cowboys head coach John Smith was asked about some of the rankings. Smith made it very clear what he thinks about the expanded rankings.

“You’ve got to beat them,” Smith said of wrestlers ranked in the teens. “I don’t know … We used to not recruit that deep and we didn’t even recognize 15th. Now we recognize it? What’s 15th? Fifteenth means you didn’t even place at nationals. Anybody (ranked) 15th we should be beating. We shouldn’t even have anybody ranked 15th and it they are then they need to kick it in and move forward.”

Of course, some of the Cowboys own wrestlers are ranked outside the top eight and some are wrestlers that will almost certainly end up placing and being All-Americans later this season at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The Cowboys three freshmen starters that are all unbeaten are currently climbing the rankings.

Smith doesn’t mince words. He wants his wrestlers to understand that being ranked doesn’t mean much especially outside the top eight.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Dustin Plott is a freshman rising rapidly.

“Sometimes you’re wrestling that ranked person and his standing says he isn’t even going to place at nationals,” Smith added. “Go beat someone in the top eight, beat somebody in the top eight and that is what we want to focus on. If you are getting beat by guys that are 15th then maybe you need to be replaced, I don’t know.”

Smith was in a jovial mood and even used an example sitting next to him. It was an example that doesn’t wrestle, but effective. 

“Reid’s 15th, oh no, you might be 30th at 149 pounds,” Smith joked with his athletic media relations contact Reid Romine sitting next to him during the Zoom conference.

The Cowboys will head to Colorado and will wrestle Air Force and hope to pick up some extra matches and get some wins and maybe move up the rankings.