*Contributions from Ryan Snyder*

When the 2011 NCAA championships begin Thursday morning, the Penn State and Cornell wrestling teams will have a chance to make history.

Considered as favorites to win the team title, along with Oklahoma State and Iowa, the Nittany Lions or the Big Red could become the first east-coast school to win a national wrestling title in 58 years. (The last being the 1953 Nittany Lions.)

And where is a better place to write that lore than in the east-coast city of Philadelphia?

"We are excited," head coach Cael Sanderson said Monday afternoon. "I know Penn State wrestling fans are excited--just Penn State fans are excited. It is just a great opportunity for wrestling in this side of the country."

Qualifying eight of his ten starters, Sanderson has five grapplers in the tournament who are seeded in the top-eight. That means if they all finish to or above their seeds, then five Nittany Lions will earn All-American honors.

Combine that with at least two possible national champions, and Penn State will be hard to beat for the team title.

But it is tough to argue against numbers. Oklahoma State qualified a Cowboy at each of the 10 weight classes, while Cornell and Iowa have nine weight classes covered.

But according to Sanderson, it will take a couple unexpected, individual performances for any team to capture the championship.

"For our team it is just a matter of the kids just having to want it," he explained. "If they want it, then they'll do the little things and fight a little bit harder to get that shot."

So, what are the chances of a Nittany Lion wrestler breaking out and claiming the title this weekend?

Below, BWI breaks down the favorites and predicts a NCAA champion for each weight class.

Penn State: Nabbing an at-large bid after his seventh place finish at Big Tens, Brad Pataky enters his third and final post season unseeded. As a wild card selection Pataky luckily drew the twelfth and lowest seeded wrestler for his first match. With that fortunate draw it is a legitimate possibility that he battles to his first All-American finish, but it will require him to wrestle at his best deep into the tournament.

The field: Iowa's Matt McDonough is the returning national champion at 125 pounds, but didn't draw the first seed of the bracket. That title went to Arizona State's Anthony Robles, who has yet to be beaten or face McDonough. Besides Northwestern's Brandon Precin, McDonough has dominated the competition this year, and until Robles knocks him off McDonough has to be considered the favorite.

Penn State: Andrew Long's only loss of the season came from Iowa's Ramos, and he should have the chance to avenge that loss in the quarterfinals. If Long, the third seeded wrestler, can make it past him, a return trip to the finals for the former NCAA runner up is certainly not out of the question.

The field: Before reaching the finals Long will likely meet Boise State's Andrew Hochstrasser, the nations second-ranked wrestler at this weight. Hochstrasser will be the stiffest competition he has seen yet this year. Cornell's Mike Grey is also a dark horse, who could provide some upsets at this weight class. However, Jordan Oliver from Oklahoma State is an unbelievable talent, and should control this bracket no matter what. He previously pinned Long in a freestyle tournament in 0:47.

Predicted Champion: Jordan Oliver - Oklahoma State

Penn State As a true freshman Andrew Alton garnered the sixth seed and has an ample opportunity to reach the semifinals, which would secure him All-American status. Fortunately for the Mill Hall native he won't have to see the four Big Ten juggernauts, who have contributed to all eight of his losses, until the semifinals. Before that Alton could easily upset the third-seeded Borislav Novachkov of Cal-Poly, who may be caught off guard by Alton's style.

The field: Arguably five of the country's best wrestlers come from the Big Ten, which include Michigan's Kellen Russell, Iowa's Montell Marion, Illinois' Jimmy Kennedy, Minnesota's Mike Thorn and Alton. It is likely these five will continue their dominance over this weight class in Philadelphia and claim the top-five medals-unless, of course, Novachkov turns some heads.

Penn State: If it weren't for North Carolina State's Darrion Caldwell, the 2009 NCAA champion and that tournament's most outstanding wrestler, Frank Molinaro would be considered the heavy favorite for this weight class. Molinaro should be able to cruise to the finals for the bout against Caldwell, but first he will likely have a rematch with Rutgers' Mario Mason in the quarter finals-Molinaro's first loss the season.

The field: When healthy, Caldwell is a pinning machine, and he should have no problem getting to the finals and past Cornell's Kyle Dake, a former NCAA champion in his own right. On Molinaro's side of the bracket he will likely have to get past Mason and Bucknell's Eric LeValley to reach the finals. LeValley turned some heads when he topped Dake last weekend in the EIWA finals, but the Gorilla Hulk's strength should match up well with LeValley's funky style.

Penn State: David Taylor better be ready for the toughest tournament of his life. The redshirt freshman hasn't lost a match since his first year of high school, but he also has never seen the talent that is in front of him at this tournament. The nation's top recruit in 2009 will have to wrestle at a completely different level than he has all season, and if he does, a national championship could be within reach.

The field Boise State's Adam Hall and American's Steve Fittery, the first and second seeds respectively, are considered the only wrestlers at this weight class who can stick with the young Taylor. Fittery will likely draw Taylor in the semifinals, and with his old-school technique has the ability to defend Taylor's shooting flurries. But if Taylor can overwhelm him, then he should also be able to top Hall in the finals. All three grapplers are undefeated this season.

Penn State: No Penn State qualifier

The field: Wisconsin's Andrew Howe, the returning NCAA champion, is an absolute brute, but he is still recovering from a leg injury that sidelined him most of this season. On the opposite side of the bracket sits Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs, who might be one of the best wrestlers at the tournament. Burroughs only lost one match in the last 73-and that was an injury default that ended his 2010 national championship hopes. The 2009 NCAA champion at 157 pounds has barely been tested since making his return, and it appears he is primed to claim the torch from Howe.

Penn State: Ed Ruth proved at the Southern Scuffle that he is capable of beating anyone in the country, but many are concerned if Ruth will show up in Philadelphia with that same type of intensity. According to the Harrisburg native, there is nothing to worry about.

"[Having the tournament in Philadelphia] is real inspiring to me," he said. "It makes me want to go real hard for this particular tournament. It is close to home, so I feel more into it."

The field: When Ruth knocked off Cornell's Mack Lewnes, the returning national champion, in December, critics claimed Lewnes had an off day. So, Lewnes will likely have the chance to redeem himself against the freshman in the semifinals. The winner will probably meet Iowa State's Jon Reader or Virginia's Chris Henrich for the title. Ruth beat Henrich at the Southern Scuffle also, while Reader already beat Lewnes.

Penn State: After storming the Big Ten for the title Quentin Wright looks to build off that hot streak at this tournament, but it won't be easy. He knocked of the top-seed in the Big Ten tournament, and he should have the opportunity to knock off this tournament's top seed as well if they meet in the quarterfinals. It will be difficult for Wright to ride the magic all the way to the finals, but he certainly proved he is worthy of another year as an All-American. Wright's performance at this weight will go a long way towards Penn State's final standings.

The field: In front of Wright is Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt, Lehigh's Robert Hamlin, Cornell's Steve Bosak and Wisconsin's Travis Rutt, who are listed in order of seed. Honeycutt and Hamlin both have the chance to claim gold, and both have already beat Bosak this season. But Cornell will rely heavily on the State College High graduate for their title hopes and a win could help Cornell's title chances

Penn State: No Penn State qualifier

The field: This weight class is wide open and at least five different wrestlers have a realistic shot at claiming gold. But Cornell's Cam Simaz, Oklahoma State's Clayton Foster and Wisconsin's Trevor Brandvold are the top-three in the country, and each should reach the semi finals. Simaz has been on a mean streak since his early-season loss, but Brandvold showed during the Big Ten finals that he should be considered the nation's best.

Penn State Which Cameron Wade shows up in Philadelphia? If it is the Wade who sprung his team to a Big Ten title with a major-decision performance in Evanston (Ill.), then Wade could place in the top-four. But if it's the same Wade who dropped two in a row prior to that fifth-place victory, then Wade will struggle to earn his first All-American status.

The field: With his overpowering size Lehigh's Zach Rey maintained the status of the country's most feared heavyweight throughout the season with 29 straight wins. But American's Ryan Flores topped Rey in their conference finals last weekend, and exposed weaknesses in Rey's game. If both wrestlers make it to the finals, which is a strong possibility, then Rey will have the chance for revenge. D.J. Russo of Rutgers and Jarod Trice of Central Michigan could also upend Rey for the national title.

**Remember to follow Tim Owen live from Philadelphia in the Lions Den message board throughout all six sessions of the NCAA tournament**

** All coverage is live. All times are Eastern. ***

Thursday, March 17

Session I: 11 a.m.

Session II: 6:30 p.m.

Friday, March 18

Session III: 10:30 a.m.

Session IV: 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 19

Session V: 11 a.m.

Session VI: 7:30 p.m.