GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Week two of the 2017-18 University of Providence men's wrestling season will reveal a lot about what the (3) Argos really are. Over course of four days, the UP will face its first ranked opponent of the year and compete in its first two tournaments.
 
Before tournament time, UP will host its first home meet of the season and it will be no walk in the park. The Argos will face longtime rival (17) Montana State University-Northern on Wednesday, November 8 at 7 p.m. in the team's first test against a ranked opponent.
 
In 2016-17, the Argos made it clear that they were the stronger team in a dual, beating Northern 23-13 early in the year and then 29-21 at the end of it. Despite those dual results, the Lights had the last laugh, finishing eighth in the nation at the 2017 NAIA Wrestling Championship, while the Argos were 14th.
 
This time around UP is the favorite by any measure.
 
Northern does have the only returning National Champion between the two schools, with 2017 National Champion at 157, Brandon Weber back for his redshirt-junior season. The team's other All-American, Ben Stroh is gone, however, as is Drake Randall, a strong 157 wrestler that gave the Argos problems in 2016-17 but transferred to Eastern Oregon University in the offseason.
 
The 157 weight class will be the highlight of the night, with (1) Brandon Weber taking on (7) Casey Dobson. Dobson wrestled at 149 last year as a redshirt-freshman and went into nationals unranked but he upset the defending national champion in the first round. He has picked up where he left off in 2017-18, going 2-0 in two duals including a win over Randall.
 
UP enters the dual with seven ranked wrestlers slated to populate the team's line-up, while MSUN has four. The only other match that had two ranked wrestlers pitted against each other will be 184 where (8) Randy Keesler, who is really a 174 pounder for UP, will take on (18) Steeler French.
 
While UP is on pace to have another dominant dual team, following up a 13-2 record in 2016-17, as last year proved its tournament performances that matter at the end of the year. The Argos will get its first chance to prove the team can be dominant in that setting as well, with the team splitting up to compete in two different tournaments.
 
The team's top wrestlers will travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the Grand View Open on November 11. The tournament, hosted by (1) Grand View University will be a high-level tournament that will give 11 of UP's top wrestlers the chance to go up against a loaded field of competitors.
 
Five other ranked NAIA programs will be sending wrestlers, along with some top NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, and JUCO schools, including the University of Iowa, Iowa State, and the University of Nebraska.
 
Those not traveling to Iowa will go to Wyoming for the Northwest Open hosted by Northwest College. That tournament will have a much smaller field, but still won't be easy. MSU-Northern will be sending wrestlers, as will the University of Wyoming and Air Force. The Northwest Open will be on November 12.