The depth of the Illinois wrestling team will be on display Saturday as it heads east to officially begin the 2008-09 season.

Head coach Mark Johnson’s squad will be first-time participants of the annual ACC/Big Ten Clash, taking on North Carolina State, Virginia and North Carolina in a string of dual matches. Along with Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan State will be on hand to represent the Big Ten in Chapel Hill, N.C.

But the Illini will be without two of their strongest performers, with two-time All American and 2008 NCAA runner-up Mike Poeta and two-time national qualifier John Dergo nursing leg injuries.

“It’s one of those things where you never want to go in shorthanded, especially without guys like Poeta and Dergo,” Johnson said. “But it’s a chance for other guys to step up and contribute and an opportunity for them to get the job done.”

With a preseason ranking of No. 9 in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Coaches’ Poll, the team still expects a strong performance without Poeta and Dergo. Because No. 21 Virginia is the only ranked opponent the Illini will face, fifth-year senior Roger Smith-Bergsrud sees the Illini being fully capable of pulling off a three-match sweep.

“We have the depth and the skill level to do it, even without Dergo and Poeta,” Smith-Bergsrud said. “In general, the Big Ten is a tougher conference than the ACC, and on a collegiate level, the Midwest is much stronger than the East Coast.”

As in past seasons, the Big Ten features the strongest competition, with nine schools ranked in the top 25 and five in the top 10.

The shorthanded Illini boast five players nationally ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes, including Jimmy Kennedy (No. 4 at 133 pounds), Troy Tirapelle (No. 14 at 141), Smith-Bergsrud (No. 13 at 165), Patrick Bond (No. 8 at 197) and John Wise (No. 6 at 285). Poeta is ranked No. 2 in the 165 weight class, while Dergo is No. 12 in 174.

In order to overcome the absence of Poeta and Dergo, pressure will be on the talented freshman class to perform. At last Friday’s intra-squad wrestle-offs, freshmen Daryl Thomas and Jordan Blanton both earned pinfalls, and both are expected to compete in Chapel Hill.

“When they first came in, I told (the freshmen) that they were a special group, that they were the best one that was brought in during my entire time here,” Johnson said. “But the question is whether they will work and be the best class coming out (as seniors).”

The trip out east will differ from season-opening meets in the past, as the team previously opted to begin the year with open tournaments against smaller Division II and III schools.

Tirapelle, a fifth-year senior, sees the potential dividends of a tougher start to the season.

“The level of competition is more realistic, seeing how the rest of the season you will be going up against All-Americans and National Champions,” Tirapelle said. “It allows us to get started on the right foot.”

Last year, Johnson took 11 wrestlers to the Loras Open, where each wrestler had to compete in a bracket in his own weight class. But now the team will dive right into competition rather than ease itself in.

“Starting the season with these dual matches, the pressure sits on the team as a whole,” Johnson said.