In only the first meet of the Illini’s Big Ten season, the fans at Huff could see a potential National Championship showdown.

The highlight of Friday night’s meet against No. 15 Purdue will be the 184-pound dual begins between the Illinois’ Pete Freidl and Purdue’s Ben Wissel. Freidl and Wissel are currently No. 2 and No. 4 in the nation, respectively, in their weight class.

“We wrestled each other a couple times already, and we’ll probably see each other two more times at least, so I guess it has the makings of a rivalry,” Freidl said. “He’s a little bit stronger and bigger than I am, so I have to mind that and pick my points carefully and execute all my moves to the best of my ability.”

The pair met early in the year in Las Vegas. Wissel scored a 6-2 win, but Freidl got his revenge three weeks later at the Midlands Tournament, when he pulled out a 3-1 win in overtime. Wissel is 24-2 on the season, while Freidl is 14-1.

The Big Ten opener might look a little easier for the rest of the team, as the Boilermakers are not one of the nine Big Ten teams ranked in the top-25 nationally, but the team is not looking past the Boilermakers.

“The guys know it’s a little bit more serious,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “You can’t take any Big Ten Team lightly, because everything is so competitive. All these guys are so good at this level in the conference and it will only get harder as the season goes along.

The Boilermakers are off to a good start this season with a perfect 9-0 record in dual action. Last year, the Illini headed to West Lafayette and dominated the Boilermakers in a 32-6 victory, but things might not be as easy this time around.

“Purdue is always a solid dual-meet team,” Johnson said. “They are a technical and well-coached team, and I expect it to be a dog fight.”

The Illini are coming off a successful trip to California, as they swept all three matches against San Francisco State, Fresno State and California, to start the season 4-0. The team is looking to carry its momentum into the Big Ten season, and looking for a good start especially at home.

“The team’s confidence level is pretty high right now, but the Big Ten season is what really counts, and you don’t want to regress backwards,” said heavyweight Matt Weight. “I’m excited and nervous with the home crowd being there because you want to measure up to their expectations for what an Illinois wrestler is supposed to be.”